The search for ergogenic aids, or substances that enhance performance, is as old as sport itself. Back in 500-400 B.C., athletes and warriors would eat foods such as deer liver and lion heart, in the hope they would give them bravery, speed or strength. Things have moved on...According to popular legend, the Greek athlete Milo of Croton, who competed in seven Olympiads and won six wrestling victories, developed his enormous strength by lifting a recently delivered calf; repeating the lift each day until the calf matured, and eating vast quantities of meat and wine.
As recently as the 1908 Olympics, marathon runners drank cognac to enhance performance, and at least one German walker reportedly consumed 22 glasses of beer and half a bottle of wine during competition.
Since then, the training and nutritional needs of elite athletes have received far greater attention - not just on the day of competition, but during the offseason. Well-controlled scientific studies over the last decade have resulted in real advances in the preparation and training of elite athletes. Here are some of the most important developments...
Nutrient Training
Athletes and their nutritionists spent much of their time focusing on two aspects of sports nutrition - quantity (how much food the athlete is eating) and quality (the type of nutrient, such as carbohydrate, protein or fat). Now, researchers have confirmed what bodybuilders and strength athletes have known for years - the fact that nutrient timing also makes a big difference to gains in size, strength and power.
Nutrients eaten at certain times, most notably before and after your workout, can better contribute to muscle repair and recovery compared to the same nutrients consumed during other times of the day.
For example, studies show that protein taken before weight-training actually works better for muscle growth than when it's taken after the workout. And when you take carbohydrate after exercise, the carbohydrate is absorbed more quickly by your muscles than it would be at other times. Feed your body with the right nutrients after exercise, and you'll be able to replace lost energy a lot faster. For the elite athlete, this means they'll recover faster and be ready for their next training session a lot more quickly.
Athletes take advantage of this by taking a rapidly absorbed protein drink (such as Promax) before hitting the weights, and a carbohydrate dense drink, like Progain or Recovermax after a workout.
Creatine
Creatine has become extremely popular with athletes involved in sports that depend on strength, speed, and power. Creatine lets you train harder for longer, and is particularly effective at boosting performance during repeated bouts of high-intensity exercise. According to one survey, almost 8 out of 10 athletes at the 1996 Olympic games used creatine. Creatine is a natural substance found in many foods, such as salmon, tuna and beef. Although it is possible to obtain creatine from your diet, it would be very impractical to eat so much fish or meat during the day to get adequate amounts of creatine. The creatine in food can also be destroyed by cooking, making it less effective in the body. Because of this, many athletes now rely on sports nutrition products that contain creatine to provide them with a competitive edge.
Whey Protein
Protein powders from the 1970s and 80s were little more than cheap skimmed milk powder, which many people found very difficult to digest without feeling bloated and suffering from wind. Although these budget protein powders are still around today, defined as so-called "slow release" protein formulas, most sports nutrition experts consider whey the "Gold Standard" for serious athletes who work hard to develop a strong, muscular and well-defined physique.
Whey protein is a pure, natural, high quality protein derived from milk. In its purest form, whey contains little to no fat, lactose or carbohydrate. Whey is a naturally complete protein, which means that it contains all of the essential amino acids required in the daily diet. It has the ideal combination of amino acids to help improve body composition and boost athletic performance.
Whey is also a rich source of branch chain amino acids (BCAAs). BCAAs are important for athletes as they're the first ones used during periods of intense training. Whey protein provides the body with BCAAs to help repair and rebuild lean muscle tissue. Whey is very easy to digest and is often referred to as a "fast" protein for its ability to provide rapid nourishment to muscles.
Whey also helps athletes maintain a healthy immune system by increasing glutathione levels in the body. Glutathione is an antioxidant required for immune health. The demands of intense training can take their toll on the body, and an illness or injury near competition time can spell disaster for any athlete. Whey protein will help to keep an athlete healthy and strong by providing valuable support for the immune system.
Energy Drinks
Until the late 1960s, athletes were advised not to drink during exercise since it was believed that fluid ingestion made performance worse rather than better. Since then, coaches have found that a small amount of dehydration is enough to damage the performance of even the most well-conditioned athlete.
Athletes who exercise for several hours (such as long distance runners or triathletes) are also at greater risk, as the length of time they spend exercising gives them more time to drink excessively. Drinking a lot of water in the days or hours before a race also increases the risk of severe hyponatremia during a race (a dangerous disorder in fluid-electrolyte balance that results in low levels of sodium in the blood).
Obviously water is better than nothing; however, most athletes, particularly those involved in endurance-type events such as cycling and long distance running, rely on energy drinksIt's also very common today to see footballers and rugby players sipping on sports drinks at half time or during a break in play.
There are several reasons why sports drinks are superior to water for use during exercise. Firstly, these drinks contain important electrolytes (such as sodium), along with carbohydrates and a small amount of protein. The sodium helps to stimulate thirst and encourage drinking, improving the body's ability to hold water. The carbohydrates can supply extra energy, which is especially important in the latter stages of exercise, whilst protein helps to protect against muscle loss.
Convenience
Not every athlete has the luxury of being able to devote every hour of the day to their chosen sport. Many have full-time jobs and a family to take care of. With several hours of training to get through each day, the last thing any athlete wants to be doing is spending hours in the kitchen cooking and preparing food. That's why sports nutrition products have become so popular.
Protein powders, weight gainers, meal replacements, carbohydrate drinks -
all these products allow you to consume high quality food with the correct nutrients at times that are convenient for you, allowing you to live your life to the full and not be a slave to the kitchen. Consider these products, 'healthy fast food' without the excess calories, saturated fat and unhealthy sugars.
Sports nutrition has come on in leaps and bounds since the days of athletes believing eating powdered animal organs and whisky would help them perform better. The good news is that these developments in sports nutrition aren't reserved for the select few. Thousands of regular gym users across the country are taking advantage of advances in sports nutrition to build more muscle, burn fat, recover faster, feel stronger and improve their performance in the gym or sporting arena. Is your view of nutrition and sport still stuck in medieval times?
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