May/June 2020 - 32

Nutrition
continue with their daily activity and
have enough stores available for
their next workout session.
PROTEIN
Protein is often the first nutrient
that comes to mind for people
when asked about post-workout
recovery. It plays a role both in the
maintenance and building of lean
body mass. However, this does not
mean that consuming a large amount
of protein in one sitting will prevent
from muscle protein breakdown or
stimulate large amounts of muscle
protein synthesis. The body responds
to and utilizes the amount of protein
it needs, and then excretes a large
amount of the excess via urine. So
rather than consuming an abundance
of protein that could not only be
wasted, but also take up space in
the post-workout meal/snack from
carbohydrate, athletes should focus
on consuming protein regularly
throughout the day.
Amazingly, muscle protein
synthesis is responsive to just one
bout of exercise for up to 24 hours
post-workout. With this in mind,
consuming 0.25-0.30 grams protein/
kg body weight (or ~20 grams)
post workout can give the athlete
the amount of protein they need
to start the recovery process. The
same athlete mentioned previously
(weighing 68kg) would need about
20 grams of protein post workout,
which can be found in three ounces
of chicken, 20 ounces of milk,
three large eggs, or six ounces of
firm tofu. It is also recommended
to encourage athletes to choose a
complete protein, which contains
all of the amino acids that the body
cannot make itself. One great option
is whey protein because not only is
it complete, but it is also digested
quickly and is high in leucine, which
has been shown to initiate muscle
protein synthesis quickly. Of course
this protein can be found in powder
form, but it is recommended to
encourage food first so that the
athletes can get other nutrients from
whole foods. Whey is a milk protein,
so it can be found in dairy products,
such as milk, cottage cheese, yogurt
and ricotta cheese.
HYDRATION
Sweating during a workout is how
the body cools itself, so the loss of
fluid during a workout is normal.
However, when athletes lose two
percent or more of their body weight
in fluids, that is when performance
can become impaired via altered
metabolic and central nervous
function, increased glycogen use,
cardiovascular strain, and increased
risk of heat illness. Even if an athlete
is consuming fluids throughout their
workout, it is necessary to focus on
rehydration afterwards as well. The
quickest and easiest way to monitor
hydration is by using pre- and postweights.
For every pound (or ~0.5kg)
32 | Training & Conditioning | May/June 2020
lost during the workout, encourage
the athlete to drink 24 ounces of
fluid. This can help to make up for
any additional fluids lost in sweat and
urine post-workout. This is a strategy
that can be helpful when the weather
is hot and humid, or in very strenuous
exercise where athletes may be
sweating profusely. This strategy
is not something that needs to be
done daily, but rather only when the
circumstances may warrant it and/or
when athletes experience cramping or
other dehydration issues.
Simply drinking a bunch of water
at once will not cut it though. In order
to retain the fluids for hydration,
sodium needs to also be consumed
in addition to the fluids. This can
be done by adding salty foods such
as pretzels or crackers (which also
provide carbohydrate), foods cooked
with salt, or a sports drink. After
May/June 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May/June 2020
