ARTICLE 4: NUTRITIONAL RECOVERY TECHNIQUES FOR THE PREVENTION OF OVERTRAINING

Often described as the only machine that improves the more you use it, the human body has great potential for work, but it has its limits. Endurance athletes like other athletes must train and practice in order to excel in their chosen sport. To improve performance, athletes must specifically stress their bodies to generate a training effect. In order for this training effect to he successful, athletes must stress their bodies with sport specific activities that they are not accustomed to. This overload principle then generates a response. The reaction begins with recovery, back to a preexisting state called compensation.

When training is appropriate, the body will adapt and perform at an elevated level, which is called overcompensation or supercompensation. The improvement in functional capacity is an adaptation by the body to ensure that future stimuli are less of a threat to its homeostasis. The purpose of any training program is to stress the body so that the response results in adaptation; however, if the stress is so great that it cannot be tolerated, then injury or overtraining may result. Overtraining can easily occur, especially if the athlete is highly motivated. Any attempt to reduce recovery time and speed the healing process may be a performance advantage and may reduce the risk of overtraining. In Article 3 we covered the benefits and importance of recovery drinks - this article covers additional measures that can be taken to help accelerate recovery.

Consume Nutrients During Training to Enhance Recovery

An additional approach to enhancing and boosting the adaptation response is to consume nutrients during the workout or training period. This of course is not possible if an athlete is performing intervals or some other type of high intensity workout, but if the training period is sustained and exceeds one hour then food may be helpful. Feeding during this period may be useful because it has been well documented that during exercise the body cannibalizes itself to meet its energy demands. To meet these needs the body sacrifices its own tissues by excreting the catabolic (tissue breakdown) hormones cortisol, glucagon, and the catecholamines epinephrine and norepinephrine, which in turn stimulate the release of glucose, fatty acids, and amino acids. It is natural and favorable to release glucose and fatty acids but it is undesirable and counterproductive to have these catabolic hormones release amino acids from protein tissue (mainly muscle).

Investigators have demonstrated that 5-15% of energy can come from the oxidation of amino acids. It has been theorized that athletes may be able to reduce or eliminate protein breakdown during exercise if a steady supply of protein and carbohydrate is consumed during the activity. It may be useful to consume protein during training to create a supply of amino acids in the blood that will prevent the catabolic breakdown of muscle. Consuming branched chain amino acids immediately before or during exercise may slow the catabolism of muscle tissue. A products such as Muscle Nitro is a great sources of branched chain amino acids.

Carbohydrate intake during exercise is critical for the prevention of protein catabolism. A paper by Peter Lemon of Kent State University, one of the top protein authorities in the world, reviewed protein metabolism during exercise and showed that protein use for energy can range from approximately 2.5-1.0 grams per hour. The study showed that carbohydrate depleted subjects increased their protein oxidation from 5.8 g/h to 13.7 g/h. Lemon contends that due to the inaccuracies of the tests in this study, the protein use during exercise may be even higher. This indicates that athletes should pay close attention to their energy intake during exercise and vigorously avoid hypoglycemia. Another study by Lemon looked at the initial muscle glycogen levels before exercise on protein catabolism and found that increased levels prevented protein catabolism. This study indicates the importance of proper carbohydrate intake before and during exercise. Not only does it prevent fatigue but it prevents protein breakdown that may otherwise impair recovery.

Some athletes and coaches have the notion that it is beneficial to deplete yourself during training because it trains the body to store more energy. There is no evidence showing this, and performing this technique will only delay recovery and create a greater risk of overtraining. Carbohydrate consumption during exercise is very important to prevent protein breakdown and onset of hypoglycemia. A practical way to consume calories during exercise is to drink a high carbohydrate performance drink with electrolytes, and/or consume energy gels. A new approach for ultra long workouts and races is to consume a recovery drink during exercise to get some protein, such as Ultragen.

Another consideration to improve recovery is keeping well hydrated at all times. There is mounting evidence showing a catabolic effect when a muscle cell loses moisture and volume. The evidence shows the cellular hydration state is very important factor in controlling cellular protein turnover. When a cell swells it increases anabolism, and when it shrinks it becomes catabolic. Incidentally, there is no beneficial effect of dehydrating oneself during training. This will not cause the body to retain water or condition it to spare water during exercise.

In addition to carbohydrate and protein, other nutrients can play a critical role in preventing a catabolic environment in the body, which can ultimately lead to an overtrained state and stagnation or reduction in athletic performance. Zinc and magnesium have been shown to promote the anabolic effect of testosterone and increase the effect of growth hormone, both of which are critical to the recovery process. TwinLab's ZMA Fuel provides the ideal combination of zinc and magnesium to achieve the recovery enhancing benefits. Antioxidant supplementation is critical for reduction of the free radical damage that can occur from intense training, as is supplementation with a broad-spectrum Multivitamin/mineral formula. Using the techniques discussed in this article, along with a good high protein post-workout recovery drink, will dramatically improve your ability to recover between workouts.

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