Nutritional Timing is critical in optimizing an athlete’s training, performance and recovery.

Strategic 'Carbohydrate Matching' maximizes the benefits of performance fuelling by providing optimal macro-nutrients at the ideal time; this promotes energy availability to enable 'Perpetual Anabolism'.


Perpetual anabolism:

Providing the body nutrients to rebuild lean tissue facilitates a state of constant/continual repair of muscle, organs, connective tissue, bone, immune system, hormones and glycogen.

Fundamentals of perpetual anabolism:

Energy on demand: Providing energy substrate (from food) to an athlete while exercising allows the substrate to be used as the fuel source, preserving the body’s energy stores. Carbohydrate Matching provides optimal fuel to an athlete just before and after it is needed by the body.

  • Energy stores include muscle glycogen, muscle protein and body fat and can be broken down for energy when substrate is not available for utilization.
  • Glycogen: the body’s storage form of carbohydrate and is the most efficient form of stored energy for an exercising body. Glycogen storage: increasing stores improves tissue repair and energy recovery, while low glycogen replenishment increases fatigue and injury risk.
  • Include 30-60g carbs 30-60 min pre-workout. A combination of carbohydrate types may be appropriate.
  • Complex: high-fiber foods (i.e. whole grains).
  • Simple: low-fiber foods (i.e. sports drinks, dried fruit).
Targeted Protein Intake: optimal Protein. Fueling Moderate quantities (20-30g) of high-quality protein should be consumed every 3 hours when awake to stimulate tissue repair. Aim for 3-5 separate doses of high-quality protein. Fuelling around sleep: before and After: 25-40g protein within 1 hour of bed stimulates tissue repair (anabolic) rather than degrading (catabolic) while sleeping. Including both protein for tissue repair and carbs for energy substrate to start your day “breaks” the overnight “fast” (i.e. breakfast) and drives the body to an anabolic state. Exercise Recovery: stimulate an optimal anabolic response to training. Add 20-30g protein consumed with 40-80g of carbs within 30-45 minutes of exercise completion.
Carbohydrate matching:
Athletes require energy substrate to fire the muscles, and carbohydrate is the substrate the body burns best. Providing carbs on demand before and during exercise, and to stimulate recovery, can both optimize training and mitigate any energy deficit created through training.

Carbohydrate matching recommendations:

Pre-Workout

  • 30-60g (blend of complexity as tolerable) carbs 30-60 min pre-workout.

Mid-Workout

  • <45 mins = not necessary.
  • 45-75 mins = sports drink or sport food as tolerated.
  • Endurance training 90 – 150 mins = 30-60g per hour.

Post-Workout

  • (Anaerobic) 40g <---> 80g (Aerobic)

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