By: Sarah McConnell Carbohydrates (CHO) are an important energy source, especially for athletes. In fact, CHO is the only macronutrient used during both aerobic and anaerobic exercise. After it is consumed, CHO is broken down into glucose. Glucose is then converted into energy and excess is stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen. During exercise, glycogen stored in the liver and muscles is converted back to glucose to be used as energy. Consuming an adequate amount of CHO each day will ensure glycogen stores are replenished for your workout and will spare muscle tissue from being converted into glucose for energy. The intake of CHO directly after a workout will aid in replenishing glycogen stores needed for the next exercise/game for optimal performance. CHO recommendations per day The recommended amount of CHO for athletes each day ranges from 3-12 g/kg of body mass (Burke et al., 2015). The specific amount will depend on your intensity and/or duration of exercise. Below is a table of the suggested daily intakes based on the 2010 International Olympic Committee (IOC) guidelines. For example, a 150-pound (68.1 kg) soccer player has an hour-long practice in the morning that consists of sprints and cone drills followed by a scrimmage in the afternoon that lasts for 90 minutes. Since they participated in about 2.5 hours of moderate-high intensity exercise, they should consume 6-10 g/kg/d of CHO which is about 408-681 grams. An example of a 1-day meal plan consisting of about 578 grams of CHO is listed below. In this example, the soccer player would be consuming 64.6% of their total calories from CHO. CHO recommendations after exercise/competition
After exercise it is important to consume CHO to replenish your muscle and liver glycogen stores for optimal recovery and to prepare for your next workout or game. In the first 2 hours after exercise the muscles are more effective in taking up glucose so this time period should be used effectively. Osterberg et al. (2016) suggests athletes consume 1.0-1.2 g/kg per hour for 2-3 hours directly after exercise. In the example used above for the 150-pound (68.1 kg) soccer player this would come out to 68-81 g of CHO. A medium banana, one cup of chocolate milk, and a granola bar would provide about 75 g of CHO. It takes at least 20 hours for glycogen stores in the muscles and liver to be replenished after a workout/game, so if you are competing/exercising less than 24 hours after the previous activity, it is important for you to consume CHO as soon as possible (Hedrick Fink & Mikesky, 2021). With these recommendations, you can have a better idea of how much CHO you need to consume each day as well as immediately after exercise to enhance recovery and refuel properly before your next workout or game. References Burke, L., & Deakin, V. (2015). Clinical sports nutrition (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education. Davis, J.K., Oikawa, S.Y., Halson, S., Stephens, J., O’Riordan, S., Luhrs, K., Subpoena, B., & Baker, L.B. (2022). In-season nutrition strategies and recovery modalities to enhance recovery for basketball players: A narrative review. Sports Med 52, 971–993. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01606-7 Hedrick Fink, H., & Mikesky, A. (2021). Practical applications in sports nutrition (6th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning. Osterberg, K. (2016). Fueling the basketball athlete: The practitioner’s approach. Sports Science Exchange, 29(168), 1-4. https://www.gssiweb.org/sports-science-exchange/article/sse-168-fueling-the-basketball-athlete-the-practitioners-approach
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April 2023
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