Metabolic Needs for Both Power and Endurance

A number of team sports, including soccer, basketball, and volleyball, require a combination of power and endurance. The random intermittent fluctuations of exercise intensity in these sports result in a unique pattern of energy substrate utilization. Nutrition studies of athletes competing in these team sports indicate that a high carbohydrate intake (65 percent of total calories) results in improved performance. Nevertheless, surveys of soccer and basketball players have found that the typical intakes of these athletes provide a much lower carbohydrate level, suggesting there is great room for improvement. The periodic high bursts of activity in these sports also place a high reliance on PCr, signifying that protein intake (with adequate total calories) must also be consumed in amounts sufficient to synthesize the needed creatine, but surveys also indicate that many of these athletes don't consume sufficient calories, which could impede creatine synthesis. This chapter provides information on the nutrition requirements for team sport athletes, with techniques for optimizing glycogen storage and sustaining hydration state. In addition, strategies for achieving optimal nutriture during the precompetition, competition, and postcompetition periods are presented.

Nutrition Tactics for Sports Requiring Power and Endurance

A Sampling of Sports Relying on a Combination of Anaerobic and Aerobic Metabolism