#HHT: Post Competition Nutrition - Aerobic Sports

From starting signal to the finish line, YOU PUT IN WORK. You ran, cycled, swam, Zumba'd (lol) your way to the end, giving it your all. Your race - or exercise session, is over and now you're dehydrated, hungry, and physically exhausted. Its time for that post competition nutrition to recover, improve, and get ready for the next strenuous workout.

To get the most out of your post competition workout, it is important to refuel the body according to the type of activity you just participated in. As mentioned in the last #HenrysHealthTips, there is a somewhat general method to refuel the body. That starts with rehydrating yourself, intaking sodium, and getting some carbs and protein in the body. To refrain from injuries and to build the body, you want to be sure you are getting the proper nutrition after competition, or exercise sessions for that matter. You can be the most talented but once you become injury prone, the pain, struggle and self doubt that follows begins to outweigh that talent to some degree. 

So lets get into aerobic specific post competition nutrition, ya feel me!

After any prolonged aerobic endurance event or activity, you must replenish carb stores before your next training session - or competition if you happen to be competing again the very next day. It's really whatever comes first. Ya gotta consume protein for the sake of repairs to and building the muscles. 

Lets do a quick breakdown of what your body needs to perform. Glycogen plays a critical role in optimal muscle performance - it is how the body stores carbs for energy in the muscles. So glycogen synthesis is the process of turning glucose into glycogen, which requires energy input. Where does that energy input come from post competition after you've worn your body out? Food! Proper Nutrition! There are 2 phases to the synthesis. The 1st phase lasts for about 30 to 60 minutes, pretty rapidly, so when intake of carbs (about 1 to 1.8 grams per kilogram of total body weight/hr) are ingested IMMEDIATELY after exercise, you're in good shape. Phase 2 is more drawn out and can last several hours which is why you want to intake the recommended carbs in intervals of 15 minutes to an hour, for the next 5 hours after exercise. When it comes to competition, where you may have worked the body much more strenuously (for example participating in a marathon), the process to refuel your body properly make take longer than 24 hours of carb intake. This is because the muscles could possibly have taken substantial damage and the glycogen synthesis may have been delayed. Just take precaution in this case.

Sweet science, this is how you optimize your body's athletic potential. 

Athletes who train multiple times a day or have less than 24 hours recovery before exercising again, should immediately consume carbs, through eating or drinking and at regular intervals as mentioned before. For those athletes who have more than 24 hours recovery time - namely those after an intense competition, you won't necessarily HAVE to consume carbs immediately after competition. It's ok to wait maybe 2 to 4 hours before beginning your carb refuel. Rehydration is recommended immediately after performance, regardless. 

As mentioned earlier, protein is also very important. In the case that your body isn't receiving enough carbs (less than 1.2g of carbs), protein steps in and increases the rate of glycogen storage in the muscles. Although there have been no studies to show what the minimum intake of protein should be to assist in the muscle protein synthesis (process that builds new bodily proteins within the muscles) or how much is needed to show improved performance over time, you should definitely take in your desired amount of protein within 2 and a half hours post competition (or exercise). I would recommend, at minimum, 0.3-0.5g of protein per kilogram of your total body weight post competition. The most efficient option would most likely be a protein & carb drink (.3g protein per kilo of body weight/1.0g carb per kilo of body weight) after training.  Ladies I recommend you all stay on the lower end of the suggested intakes throughout this article, you won't need as much, especially doing aerobic exercises.

This has been Glo Up info in regards to post competition nutrition needed for aerobic activities such as cycling, running (marathons, cross country), swimming, Zumba classes and any other aerobic activity you may be active in. Next #HHT will continue focus on post competition nutrition, narrowing in on high intensity intermittent sports aka anaerobic sports such as basketball, football, and more. 

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