In many sports, it is more important to avoid mistakes than to do everything right. One of the most common mistakes is certainly in the area of nutrition. This not only has an influence on the energy level before a game or during training, but also significantly more far-reaching consequences. To put it simply, the best workout is only worth half as much if the diet isn't right. In addition to nutrition, the second point is hydration, i.e. the fluid balance during, before and after exercise, as a source of error. All of these points have a major impact on adaptation, performance and regeneration after exercise.
In this post, we want to summarize the most important energy sources and nutrition tips for you so that you can also translate your good training into improved performance. It should only be an overview, as a complete look down to the last details would fill several books.
Carbohydrates can therefore be considered to be the most important energy source under intensive load. On the other hand, there is the largest source of energy that we store, fats. We want to omit all other energy sources such as proteins, alcohols, etc. in this analysis.
While fat stores are almost inexhaustible stores, we are significantly limited in the capacity of our carbohydrate stores. This should not be an indication of a body fat percentage that may be too high, but is always the case with a healthy Western diet. In addition, the two storage systems also differ significantly in their ability to store energy. For example, 1 g of carbohydrates can store around 4 kcal of energy, while 1 g of fat can store around 9 kcal. In addition to this significant difference in storage capacity, there is the size of the memory. Depending on body composition, the available amount of carbohydrates is around 200-550 g; for fats, it is several kilograms, of course also depending on body composition.
During load, the difference in energy supply depending on the output storage device is probably the most important difference. The supply of stored energy can be ensured much faster with carbohydrates than with fats. In addition, it is essential for fats that oxygen is used during delivery. Carbohydrates, on the other hand, can be metabolized anaerobically over a certain period of time, i.e. without the aid of oxygen.
In most cases, only energy supply via carbohydrates can be used for the sometimes intensive to high-intensity exercise in soccer, as this is the only way to provide sufficient energy per unit of time. In principle, this applies to any form of high-intensity load with the aim of achieving the best possible performance.
In addition to these two main energy stores, protein intake plays an important role, especially in adapting training. Here, you can already clearly differentiate between the need for energy sources and building blocks for adapting to training. Proteins can be regarded as one of the most important building blocks in building muscle. Adequate protein intake also plays an important role in regeneration after high-intensity sessions and for an intact immune system. Recommendations for the intake of protein through food or as a dietary supplement vary widely. What is largely agreed, however, is the increased protein requirement following intensive exercise. Whether and to what extent a supplemental intake of protein is necessary also depends very much on the individual's eating habits.
As a final point, we want to look at the topic of fluid balance, which is certainly one of the topics that is rather neglected when it comes to the umbrella term nutrition. Rehydration, i.e. compensating for fluid loss, after exercise, plays a very important role in regeneration. Hydration before and during a sporting activity also has a major influence on performance, of course.
We are now trying to sort the areas mentioned above into training phases and under game and competition load for you.
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Training should primarily focus on adapting to the training stimulus. Regeneration should also be supported in order to prepare for the following stimulus and to minimize the risk of injury.
Basically, the composition of the diet during training varies greatly depending on the content and objectives of the training. The most important parameters are energy turnover in training, the physiological objectives of the training (example: improvement of VO2 max, muscle development, etc.) and the individual tolerance of the athlete. Especially the latter, compatibility and individuality, should be above all else, because, as with so many things, there is no one right nutritional strategy that applies to everyone. Nonetheless, there are certainly a variety of mistakes that everyone should avoid.
To take up a few examples: a common goal in sport is to reduce body weight while building muscle mass. In this case, you should definitely make sure that the daily deficit of kcal does not become too large. As a rule of thumb for healthy weight loss, a deficit of 300-500 kcal per day can be used. However, especially in these phases, you should make sure that you provide your body with enough protein, around 1.4-2.0 g per kilogram of body weight. In view of the amount, it makes perfect sense to substitute additional protein here. However, with any form of substitution, you should pay attention to other ingredients, e.g. to keep an eye on the unwanted excess intake of simple sugars. Care should also be taken with other dietary supplements. Basically, you can say that there are no dietary supplements that replace proper training. The effort in training is the basic requirement.
The difference between nutrition in training is that the overall goal in the game is maximum performance. Complemented, if necessary, by quick regeneration after the game.
There should therefore be no energy deficit in the immediate preparation for a game, as this can lead to a slight to large reduction in performance, depending on the characteristics. To avoid this, it is important to fill up the required memory before playing. This replenishment of the stores must be done with some vision, as our body's ability to absorb various nutrients over time is severely limited. Using carbohydrates as an example, there is approximately 1 g per kilogram of body weight per hour; a larger amount cannot be absorbed by the stomach in the same unit of time. It is therefore particularly important to consider this when it comes to low carb diets or similar types of diet. During the game, or at halftime, it can make sense to “refill” the carbohydrate store in terms of energy. The most effective way to do this is via short-chain carbohydrates (gel, KH drink), as these are available as quickly as possible. The quantity should not exceed 30-40 g, but it is recommended to test this in advance in a training game or intensive session to ensure compatibility even under load.
In any case, nutrition has a lot of potential to slow down your own training progress or to support it. Experience shows: avoid the biggest mistakes and you're on the right track!
Be fearless. Be focused. Be fueled.
About the author
Hosea is managing director of HYCYS, a training institute for systematic, holistic, scientifically based performance improvement for endurance athletes. Hosea, who completed his master's degree at the Cologne Sports University, heads the Munich office at HYCYS, which is ideal for him as a mountain bike and cycling athlete.
Whether it's cycling, triathlon or soccer, Hosea Frick has many years of professional experience. Amateur players can now also benefit from his know-how.
Hosea knows what efficient, well-structured training in soccer looks like not only because of his training support from Bundesliga team Fortuna Düsseldorf. For him, it is important to find a sensible balance between load building and regeneration phases.
sources
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Hills, S., & Russell, M. (2017). Carbohydrates for Soccer: A Focus on Skilled Actions and Half-Time Practices. Nutrients,10(1), 22. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10010022
Jeukendrup, A. (2014). A Step Towards Personalized Sports Nutrition: Carbohydrate Intake During Exercise. Sports Medicine, 44(S1) 25-33 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-014-0148-z
Ormsbee, M., Bach, C., & Baur, D. (2014). Pre-Exercise Nutrition: The Role of Macronutrients, Modified Starches and Supplements on Metabolism and Endurance Performance. Nutrients, 6(5), 1782—1808. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu6051782
van Vliet, S., Burd, N.A., & van Loon, L.J. (2015). The Skeletal Muscle Anabolic Response to Plant- versus Animal-based Protein Consumption. The Journal of Nutrition, 145(9), 1981—1991. https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.114.204305
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