Aerobic Metabolism for Endurance

For endurance athletes, optimizing carbohydrate storage before competition, sustaining carbohydrate delivery during competition, and maintaining an optimal hydration state before and during competition are critical factors for achieving optimal performance. Surveys of endurance athletes indicate, on average, an inadequate consumption of calories, an overreliance on protein and fat, and an underreliance on carbohydrate needed for optimal performance. In addition, endurance athletes are only beginning to consider nutrition factors that will enhance muscle recovery after daily training sessions. Endurance athletes often train in ways that do not mimic competition (e.g., they rarely consume beverages every 5 kilometers during training, although this is a standard protocol in long endurance runs), making it difficult for them to fully adapt to the competition environment. This chapter presents strategies for optimizing carbohydrate storage in preparation for training and competition, as well as hydration strategies that can sustain blood volume and sweat rates. In addition, the chapter provides a review of commonly available hydration and energy products to help endurance athletes recognize the best products in a variety of different training and competition environments.

Nutrition Tactics

Aerobic Metabolic Pathways

Considerations for Endurance Sports

A Sampling of Sports Relying on Aerobic Metabolism