Sports Hydration

by Dawn Weatherwax of Sports Nutrition 2 Go

Just one extra yard can mean the difference between an exhilarating win or a devastating loss. At any level of competition, an athlete performs his or her best through a winning combination of mental focus, practice, strength and conditioning and most often overlooked sports nutrition.

When it comes to gaining the competitive edge, Sports Nutrition and its impact on an athlete's performance is a well kept secret. Coaches are just becoming aware of the fact that proper hydration is one of the easiest, inexpensive and most important tools an athlete can use to enhance performance?

Why Is Fluid Intake So Important?

Athletic performance can decline as much as 10% with as little as 1% body fluid lost. i.e., A 200 lb. athlete only has to lose 2 lbs. of body fluid for a 10% performance decline to occur.

Every 2.2 lbs. of water lost during exercise results in the following

1. Heart rate increases eight beats per minute - With an elevated heart rate the body has to exert more energy to do the same job.

2. Cardiac oxygen output declines by 1 liter a minute - This means less oxygen is going to the person's muscles which can lead to a decrease in athletic performance.

3. Core temperature increases .3 degrees Celsius - When the body experiences this rise in temperature it has to work harder to cool down. In an effort to cool down, the body pulls fluids away from the working muscles and redistributes the fluids to vital organs. Since muscular movement is dependent on the presence of water, low concentrations of water in the muscles can cause muscle weakness and loss of the critical control needed by an athlete for peak performance. In the body, water works as a shock absorber. If water is deficient, even for a brief period of time, there's less fluid present to protect the joints. This can make an athlete more susceptible to injury.

When Should You Drink Water Vs. A Sports Beverage? Prevailing wisdom indicates water is just fine when a practice or a game lasts less than 60 minutes. If practice or a game lasts 60 to 90 minutes or longer, a 6-8% carbohydrate solution sports drink is recommended. Preliminary studies involving athletes shows energy levels remain within optimal levels if these carbohydrate beverages are consumed throughout the activity. Examples of these carbohydrate drinks are Gatorade, Powerade and LowOz. Whether you're drinking water or a sports drink, follow the drinking regimen listed below.

Guidelines For Determining Your Optimal Fluid Needs

* 2-3 hours before a workout or competition drink 2 cups of fluids.

* Then 1 hour before a workout or competition drink 1 cup of fluid.

* 15 minutes before the workout or competition drink ¸ cup of fluid.

* Immediately before the workout or competition weigh and record your weight.

* Every 10-20 minutes during the workout or competition drink ¸ cup of fluid.

* Then right after a workout or competition weigh yourself. Then, drink 3 cups of fluid for every pound of weight you've lost.

* Experiment with this formula and then adjust accordingly for each athletic activity you engage in until you find that your weight remains the same from the start of the activity through to the very end. To achieve peak performance, your goal is to consistently replace any fluids you're likely to lose.

What Age Group Or Type Of Athlete Benefits Most From Proper Hydration?

No matter what your age, sport or level of competition, proper hydration will maximize your performance potential. When it comes to the competitive edge, fluids are a critical part of the sports nutrition "mix". Other areas to pay close attention to include: pre-game and post-game meal planning, daily training menus, use of supplements and the athlete's optimal proportion of lean muscle mass to percent body fat.

Interval Training Burns Fat, Increase Fitness

ScienceDaily (Jun. 29, 2007) — Interval training burns fat and improves fitness more quickly than constant but moderately intensive physical activity, according to research by a University of Guelph researcher.

The study by Jason Talanian, a PhD student in the Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, was published recently in the Journal of Applied Physiology. It found that after interval training, the amount of fat burned in an hour of continuous moderate cycling increased by 36 per cent and cardiovascular fitness increased by 13 per cent.

Fitness buffs and athletes have long used interval training — short bursts of intensive effort interspersed with more moderate stretches — to improve performance. But Talanian’s study shows that the practice also improves cardiovascular fitness and helps the body burn more fat, even during low-intensity or moderate workouts.

Talanian studied women riding stationary bikes in hard-easy intervals in the training lab of his supervisor, Guelph Prof. Lawrence Spriet. The eight subjects included moderately fit women in their 20s as well as borderline sedentary subjects and an active soccer player. They trained every other day for two weeks. They alternated 10 sets of four-minute bursts of riding at 90-per-cent effort with two-minute rest intervals.

It did not matter how fit the subjects were before. After interval training, they experienced not only an increase in fat used and in aerobic capacity, but also an increase of enzyme activity in the muscle

Talanian notes that faster fat burning and greater overall fitness may not necessarily mean immediate weight loss. The technique may improve someone’s potential to burn more fat, “but for weight loss, you need to consider a balance of exercise and a healthy diet,” he said.

The message from his studies is to mix interval training into an exercise routine once or twice a week, particularly in running, swimming or cycling.

For his follow-up study, Talanian plans to look at about a dozen women over a six-week training period. “We will look at muscle transporters that carry fatty acids into the cell that might help explain those earlier results,” he said.

Workout of The Day

Barbell Squats 1 x 50

Swiss Ball Crunches 1 x 50

Deadlifts 1 x 50

Seated Rows 1 x 50

Hip Sled 1 x 50

**60-90 seconds rest between sets
** You get no more that 3 tries to complete each set

Workout of the Day

This is for all those athletes that keep calling or emailing me for a daily workout. I will try to post one every other day to keep your workouts fresh. Here it goes.

A1 - Tubing 1-arm Row 3 x 15
A2 - Push-ups 3 x 20
A3 - Front Plank 3 x :60

B1 - Hanging Knee Tucks 3 x 15
B2 - Swiss Ball Med ball Crunch 3 x 20
B3 - DB Side Bends 3 x 15

C1 - Body Wedge Sit-up Squats 3 x 15
C2 - Med Ball Lateral Reach 3 x 20
C3 - Swiss Ball leg Curl 3 x 15

Finish w/ Intervals: 6-8 30 second sprints with 60 sec. rest
Sprints start at 7.5 mph and increase .5 mph every rep
Jogging Minutes at 5.5 mph

SPARQ Team Challenge: St. Xavier

As we move closer to the summer program, we continue to look for ways to make things more competitive. We participated in the SPARQ Team Challenge to see our progress and figure out where we are with specific weaknessess. This was a good starting point as we move into the summer phase.