Athletes need to focus in on sports nutrition including what kind of supplements to take if they are to be competitive and on top of their game. They not only need to know the required ratios of organic nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates and fats but also when to take them. This is especially true of extreme sports in which strength and endurance activities may require above average consumption of nutrients.
Why Does Sports Nutrition Seem Subjective at Times?
It may seem subjective sometimes. One reason for this may be that athletes from different sports have different metabolisms. An elite strength athlete such an Olympic weight lifter may eat 3-4 thousand calories a day. An Olympic long distance swimmer may eat 10-12 thousand calories a day (that is not a misprint). Olympic divers, gymnasts, and high jumpers need to be light, lean, and strong and so consume less heavy foods. It depends on what physical demands a sport puts on your body. Macronutrients gotten from Wholesome foods are what you need. You can’t go wrong with protein from red meat, chicken and fish, whole grain carbohydrates and plenty of colorful vegetables and a smidgeon of fruits.
What’s the Next Big Thing in Sports Nutrition Supplements?
Decades ago, for example, powdered egg whites were the protein supplement to take before whey protein powder became popular and was mass produced. In the late 1990s, creatine monohydrate became quite popular in the Olympics. In the past decade or so we’ve seen branch chain amino acids (BCAAs) in powdered form that are supposed to help the body better synthesize the proteins in food. There are energy gels that endurance athletes shoot down their throats during long runs and bicycle rides. Energy gels are made mostly of simple carbohydrates like sports drinks without the liquid part. Nutrient timing has been bandied around a bit for some time. This is the practice of loading up on carbohydrates and protein before athletic events or workouts and then loading up again afterwards with (especially) carbohydrates to replace glycogen stores in the muscles.
Beware of sports studies done under the name of science. The P.H.D.’s involved are many times paid by supplement companies to make trials appear subjective. Instead, they skew the data to hype up sales. Good wholesome (organic, unprocessed, complete) food is the best thing for you most of the time.
What is a Good Sports Nutrition Pill to Take if I Want to Lose Fat and Gain Muscle?
There is no magic pill. It’s more about common sense in which you eat good wholesome food and just train hard. If you are a gymnast, your energy levels and the inches around your waist will signal to you what to do. If you are not eating enough, you will feel tired. If you are not tired and you are putting on weight (fat) then you need to eat less.
Some coaches or personal trainers will tell you it is impossible to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. You either bulk up or cut down. Be aware that usually when you lose fat/weight you also lose some strength along with valuable muscle mass.
Which is the Best ALL IN ONE Sports Supplement while Weight Training?
Probably whey protein that also contains creatine monohydrate in it is your best bet. This will put your blood chemistry into a positive nitrogen balance which is a suitable environment to acquire and maintain lean body weight. Another must-have for sports nutrition would be some kind of omega-3 supplementation. Omega-3 fatty acids have been proven to decrease inflammation and increase insulin sensitivity.
As Far as Sports Nutrition Goes, What Amounts of Carbs and Protein are considered “High”?
There are no hard and fast rules. Some say less than 100 grams of protein is sufficient along with 150-200 grams of carbohydrates. That would probably be adequate for an office worker who walks a couple miles a day on their lunch break. Again, it depends on the demands you are placing on your body. Strength athletes have been known to consume up to 300 grams of protein a day to maintain and build up lean body weight. For weight training and weight gain, over 200 grams of carbohydrates might be needed.
What Kind of Career Options Will I Have with a Degree in Sports Nutrition?
You will have many opportunities to work as a sports nutritionist in areas in which highly competitive people are either maintaining dynamic and robust lifestyles or are trying to build up to more healthy and active levels. This may include working for corporation wellness programs, gyms, and college or pro teams. You would in essence function as a sports dietician. It might also be useful to obtain a personal trainer certification along the way. Try to stay in shape after you get that degree in sports nutrition. There is nothing sadder than a middle aged out of shape person who has some kind of health or fitness degree.
I Don’t Have Time to Cook or Eat Full Blown meals. Can’t I Just Skip Food and Take Supplements All Day Long?
Try it and see and let us know how that works for you after the doc puts you on an intravenous drip. No, seriously, you need daily feedings of wholesome and complete nutrients.
I’m on a High Protein Low Carb Diet, Which Sports Can I Excel In?
This is a tricky subject. Low carbohydrate diets in high performance athletics are still relatively new. Your body needs some type of energy source which can be only from either carbohydrates (turned to sugar and then stored in your muscles and liver as glycogen) or (good) fats. A low carb diet may work in endurance sports as long as you have more fat and less protein (as opposed to high fat and high protein), plenty of vegetables and occasional servings of fruit. In strength sports, however, in which explosiveness is required such as sprinting, it would be hard to find an athlete who doesn’t eat carbohydrates. Mor
Don’t let the name fool you Powerlifting isn’t a Power sport, it is a strength sport. Weightlifting, Shot putting are power sports. This article will help to explain the common misunderstanding that powerlifting is a power sport.
Powerlifting consists of 3 strength events, Squat, Bench Press and Deadlift all requiring the athlete to lift a heavy weight (close to their personal best, so maximal effort) 9 times (3 times for each event ) with a lengthy rest period between each event and a shorter rest period between each lift.
Usually when going for a max lift it is a struggle (this will be discussed more in depth further on in the article).
Strength athletes I find/believe work with the line “longer time under tension” when compared to Power athletes. There objective is to move a heavy object that’s it doesn’t matter how long it takes as long as they move it.
Muscular strength is defined as the ability of the muscles to exert a force. Strength can be split into many different forms as shown below:
-Absolute Strength (Maximum force that can be exerted regardless of body weight/size). So going for a new deadlift PB for 1 rep (1RM repetition maximum)
-Dynamic Strength (ability to exert muscular force repeatedly) Rowing a regatta event (about 1000m)
-Elastic Strength (similar to power) doing a box jump
-Static Strength (ability to exert a sustained force without significant movement) – Gymnastics crucifix hold
-Explosive Strength (ability to exert a maximal force quickly in one action) – Javelin or shot put
-Strength Endurance (ability of a muscle to resist fatigue while exerting a force) – Marathon running
-Relative Strength (maximum force that can be exerted in proportion to body) – Boxing, judo sports with weight classes.
Powerlifting uses absolute strength and relative strength because in a powerlifting meet you are are trying to max out (absolute strength) so you can lift the most weight possible in one effort which is possible due to our size and weight (relative strength).
Power is defined as strength multiplied by speed (in basic terms). From those definitions of strength I have mentioned it is closely related to elastic strength and explosive strength due to their quick contractions produce a fast and larger force.
Both the Strength athlete and Power athlete uses the ATP-PC energy system when carrying out their activities as both are of high intensity and of short duration.
They both cause hypertrophy of the muscle fibres (to an extent) increase phospho-creatine stores, increase the strength and speed of contractions. Both use Type IIB fibres and cause Type IIA to take characteristics of Type IIB fibres.
The difference really is time under tension and how the movement is carried out. Powerlifting usually involves trying to lift a weight close to your personal best or more, which is going to challenge the athlete physically and mentally, as I have mentioned earlier on so this will be a very strenuous lift taking a longer time to lift it.
Your core strength is a very important aspect of your physique if you want to throw people with any throw involving rotating your shoulders. Whenever you are doing Judo you are always using your core to stabilize and transfer power from your lower body into your upper body. Here are a few ways you can incorporate your core into your strength and conditioning programs.
Think about it:
I watch so many athletes and trainers train a particular body part and they are only concentrating on the muscle they are working. For example you may be performing a bench press and although it is a chest exercise you are still working your core muscles to stabilize yourself. I am constantly telling my clients to contract their core before lifting any weights. This will not only give you a better workout but it will also give you a stronger core when lifting.
Compound movements
You must not neglect the use of squats, dead lifts and overhead pressing movement in your strength programs. All of these movements utilize a lot of core strength and stabilizing muscles which are a must when training for judo. These exercises if done properly can seriously increase your strength and power. Just make sure you are lifting with the correct technique.
Rotational stuff
Whenever someone hurts their back it is always when they are twisting or turning to get something. Judo is also a rotational strength sport therefore it is crucial that you include rotational core exercises into your strength program besides the usual plank and crunches. Include Russian twists, barbell twists, wrestler twists and other twisting exercises in your strength training regime.
Unilateral training
Unilateral training sounds impressive but it is simply training one side at a time opposed to both at the same time. For example instead of doing dumbbell bench press with a dumbbell in both hands perform the movement with a dumbbell in only one hand. This will force your core to activate and stabilize harder because you are now unbalanced. You can do this with exercises such as dumbbell incline and decline bench press, dumbbell shoulder press and overhead presses.
I also highly recommend performing pelvic floor exercises as a way to increase your core strength. In order to get familiar with using your pelvic floor muscles I suggest you see a sports physiotherapist to assist you in getting the right contraction as it is fairly strange at the beginning.
Powerlifting is a strength sport that comprises three events, or disciplines if you will. These include the squat, the bench press, and the deadlift. Like any other sport that requires strength training, powerlifting has its own rules, specific exercise techniques and equipment. It takes years of practice to master proper techniques and become a professionally prepared athlete in this sport.
Sport of powerlifting began in the USA. Initially there was no powerlifting but something that was called odd lifts. Such sport encompassed a broad range of heavy lifts, which sometimes included the present exercises, like squat, bench press, and deadlift. From state to state, the rules varied, until at some point the sport as we know it today was formed. From there on, it was popularized and accepted widely in Russia, United Kingdom and in many countries throughout the World.
In the present day we have a number of federations Worldwide that function separately from each other with their own specific version of the rules. The International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) presents the international governing body for the sport of powerlifting. Some of the bigger federations include RAW, USAPL, ADFPF, WPC, WPO, APF and so on. They all fashion their own specific rules about lifts that are performed, equipment that is used, whether the drug testing will be carried out and many other related matters.
Powerlifting involves very specific strength training, where the goal is to achieve a maximum lift and not muscle stimulation, which is often the main goal in related sports, like bodybuilding. Fast twitching muscle fibers are trained using maximal and sub maximal weight with low repetition count. Nutrition is planned around the training to accommodate the necessary recuperation and growth of muscles and tendons in the body. Such eating schedule primarily involves usage of protein and lots of carbohydrates to fuel the training. Besides basic compound movements, powerlifting training includes many supplemental exercises for strengthening particular parts of the body. Although it is so, the emphasis still remains on building power in the main three events: squat, bench press and deadlift.
Apparel that is used for powerlifting is usually made from strong and durable single-ply (single-layer) polyester material. In addition, powerlifting suits are made from denim and canvas materials and in multiple layers (multi-ply), which are allowed or not, depending on the specific federation that you are competing in. Wrist wraps and knee wraps are used to protect the joints and tendons from strenuous training and competition and to prevent any possible injuries.
Some of the most prolific professional powerlifters that used to set records in their time were Rickey Dale Crain, Lee Moran, Ed Coan, Kirk Karwoski and many others. They made the powerlifting sport what it is today.
Important thing is to differentiate powerlifting from other similar sports like Olympic Weightlifting, Bodybuilding and Strongman. People very often confuse these sports for each other, which is not that unusual since they all have something in common, and that is training to achieve powerful lifts and increase strength.