Nutrition Tips to Follow Pre, During and Post Endurance Training
Emily Stynes
ANutr, REGISTERED ASSOCIATED NUTRITIONIST, MSC DIETETICS STUDENT
As most of you may know, Richie and George will be hosting a 24-hour rowing challenge at Milo and the Bull on the 3rd of September in light of a raising money for Sense charity. Sense is a UK charity which supports people with complex disabilities, including those who are deaf blind (1).
In preparation for this event, I have outlined the key nutrition tips to follow pre, during and post endurance training to optimise your mental and physical performance and to get you rowing stronger for longer!
When preparing for an endurance training event, the key nutrition goal is to prevent or delay fatigue and avoid any impairments on your performance.
Below are the 6 main nutrition factors that can result in fatigue and a decline in your performance (2).
Image 1. Nutrition Factors Associated with Fatigue and Performance Decline
Role of Carbohydrates for Endurance Training
Carbohydrates supply a relatively quick but short supply of energy to our bodies. This is because our bodies glycogen (carbohydrate) stores are limited (3). Also, the longer or harder the exercise such as rowing, the greater the demands on your glycogen stores to provide you with energy (4).
This means that in order to enhance our performance and recovery, it is essential that we replenish our carbohydrate stores BEFORE, DURING and AFTER any endurance training event (4). Research has shown that not consuming enough carbohydrates for energy can decrease your performance by up to 50% (5)!
What Should I Eat Before an Endurance Training Event?
Carbohydrate loading
You may have heard of the term ‘carbohydrate loading’ before and the idea of eating mountains of pasta the night before or a huge breakfast the morning of your endurance training event springs to mind! But the truth is that simply eating a huge pre-event meal is not enough and could even be detrimental to your performance.
To date, the most practical way to carbohydrate load is by reducing your training and steadily increasing your carbohydrate intake in the days prior to an endurance training event (3).
Consuming carbohydrates in the days (1-2) and hours prior to the endurance training event will ensure that your glycogen (carbohydrate) stores are sufficiently fuelled up and that your blood sugar levels are stable to optimise performance.
How do I carbohydrate load the days before an event?
The amount of carbohydrates needed depends on the intensity, duration and type of exercise. The recommendations for carbohydrate loading before an endurance event such as rowing are outlined by the ‘American College of Sports Medicine, 2016’ which state that -
‘In preparation for an event lasting >90 mins of sustained or intermittent exercise, 36-48 hours of 10-12g of carbohydrate per kg of bodyweight per day is recommended (2)’.
For example, a 70kg athlete is advised to consume between 700-840g of carbohydrates two days prior to a high-intensity endurance training event. This may seem like a lot of carbohydrates to consume, so I have created a sample daily meal plan to put these recommendations in practice!
Image 2. Sample Daily Meal Plan for Carbohydrate Loading in Preparation for Endurance Training Event.
(g) = portion sizes of foods in grams.
In general, typical foods to include in your meals and snacks when carbohydrate loading includes -
· Nutrient-rich starchy foods such as white bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, cous-cous, cereals such as oats and granola.
· Sugary sources of carbohydrates such as sweets, jams, honey, fruit, granola bars, fruit juices.
How do I carbohydrate load hours before the event?
· For intense endurance training events lasting longer than one hour, a pre-event meal (1-4g of carbohydrates per kg of bodyweight) 2-4 hours before exercise is recommended (2).
· A pre-event snack (1g of carbohydrates per kg of bodyweight) is advised to be consumed within 1-2 hours before training (2). This is to allow your body enough time to digest and absorb the carbohydrates and other nutrients into your body for energy.
Below are some examples of typical pre-event meal and snack ideas to try!
Image 3. Meal & snack ideas before an endurance training event.
Some other points to note about pre-event meals and snacks include:
· Low-fat options can be used to compensate for the increased energy (calorie) intake due to larger amounts of carbohydrates being consumed.
· Sports products including sports gels, bars and sports drinks can be helpful to consume 15-20 minutes before the event to ensure your glycogen stores are topped up. It is best to trial these first with your training before the event.
· Choosing foods with moderate amounts of protein and fat and reducing your fibre intake the days and hours before can help to prevent any digestive issues that could impair your performance (6).
What to eat/drink during exercise?
· Consume small amounts of carbohydrates (30-60g per hour) most likely through fluids while exercising. This will enable you to maintain a constant flow of glucose (sugar) into your blood stream to avoid low blood sugar and also keep you hydrated.
This means that commercial sports drinks can be a great option to meet your carbohydrate and fluid needs at the same time. They can also help to avoid any digestive disturbances that could impact your performance.
What to eat for post-exercise recovery?
The 3 key factors for post-exercise recovery are to:
1. Rehydrate
2. Refuel
3. Rebuild
For a quick recovery of 8 hours or less before the next training session (such as a 2-hour break between rowing sessions), rehydrating and refuelling are key.
Rehydrate
· Sports drinks are a great way to rehydrate during the recovery phase to replace the water and salts lost through sweat.
· Milk can be a great option for rehydration in the post-recovery stage as it contains carbohydrates, protein and sodium (salt) to meet your sports nutrition needs.
Refuel
· For a quick recovery (<8 hours between training sessions), consuming sugary sources of carbohydrates with 1-2g of carbohydrate per kg of bodyweight as soon as possible after exercise is recommended (7). Sugary sources of carbohydrates include sports bars, drinks and fruits including fruit smoothies.
Rebuild
· Aim for 20-40g of protein after exercise and distribute your protein intake regularly every 3-4 hours (See my previous blog post on ‘how to optimise your protein intake with exercise’ for more information).
Overall, once the event has finished, consuming adequate amounts of carbohydrate and protein is beneficial for post-exercise recovery as it allows for your glycogen levels to be restored and promotes muscle building and repair.
So, a milk-shake from five-guys may not be so bad in the post-recovery stage to rehydrate, refuel and rebuild!
Hydration and Salt Replacement
Maintaining adequate hydration levels pre, during and post recovery is important for performance. This is because your performance could be impaired if your dehydration is severe enough.
Below are the 3 key practical ways on how to stay hydrated during training –
1. Increase your fluid intake in the days prior to exercise
2. Start exercise with a comfortable amount of fluid in the stomach
3. Make use of sports drinks during exercise which contain carbohydrates and electrolytes to replace any fluid and salt lost through sweat.
Caffeine for Performance
If you are a coffee-lover you will be happy to know that caffeine can have a beneficial impact on your strength and endurance performance (8).
Recent recommendations from the ‘International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2021’ state that small-moderate amounts of caffeine (3-6mg/kg) 60 mins before exercise can enhance your endurance performance (9). As a reference, an average cup of coffee (200ml) generally contains about 90mg of caffeine.
BUT it is important to remember that large doses of caffeine are not more effective as they can have negative side effects (9). Also, not everyone will have a similar response in how they metabolically process and react to the same amount of caffeine (10).
Take Home Message
Overall, the main nutrition goal we are aiming to achieve for an endurance training event is to prevent or delay fatigue and to avoid any impairments on your performance.
There are a variety of practical ways to increase your carbohydrate intakes in the days and hours prior to, during and in the post-recovery stage of an endurance training event.
Hope you are all ready to go to support Richie and Georges 24-hour rowing challenge in light of raising money for Sense charity!
References
1. Home | Sense, for people with complex disabilities or who are deafblind [Internet]. [cited 2021 Aug 25]. Available from: https://www.sense.org.uk/
2. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), Dietitians of Canada, (DC), American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Nutrition and Athletic Performance. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2016 Mar;48(3):543–68.
3. British Nutrition Foundation. Nutrition for sport and exercise [Internet]. 2018 [cited 2021 Aug 25]. Available from: https://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/an-active-lifestyle/eating-for-sport-and-exercise.html?start=1
4. Gandy J. Manual of Dietetic Practice, Sports Nutrition [Internet]. Newark, UNITED KINGDOM: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated; 2019 [cited 2021 Aug 23]. Available from: http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/kcl/detail.action?docID=5790093
5. Wagenmakers AJ, Beckers EJ, Brouns F, Kuipers H, Soeters PB, van der Vusse GJ, et al. Carbohydrate supplementation, glycogen depletion, and amino acid metabolism during exercise. Am J Physiol. 1991 Jun;260(6 Pt 1):E883-890.
6. de Oliveira EP, Burini RC, Jeukendrup A. Gastrointestinal Complaints During Exercise: Prevalence, Etiology, and Nutritional Recommendations. Sports Med. 2014;44(Suppl 1):79–85.
7. Ivy JL. Regulation of Muscle Glycogen Repletion, Muscle Protein Synthesis and Repair Following Exercise. J Sports Sci Med. 2004 Sep 1;3(3):131–8.
8. Goldstein ER, Ziegenfuss T, Kalman D, Kreider R, Campbell B, Wilborn C, et al. International society of sports nutrition position stand: caffeine and performance. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2010 Jan 27;7(1):5.
9. Guest N, Dusseldorp T, Nelson M, Grgic J, Schoenfeld B, Jenkins N, et al. International society of sports nutrition position stand: caffeine and exercise performance. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2021 Jan 2;18.
10. Yang A, Palmer AA, de Wit H. Genetics of caffeine consumption and responses to caffeine. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2010 Aug;211(3):245–57.