One of the key factors for any endurance athlete is their diet, but there's no one-size-fits-all approach. This week’s blog is about “Periodised Nutrition” as a Low Carbohydrate Approach.
Periodized nutrition is an approach that may help athletes and active people improve their performance. Training low keeps carbohydrate intake in check and encourages beneficial hormonal adaptations that affect exercise ability.
Carb periodization is the strategy of altering carbohydrate intake on a day-to-day or meal to meal basis to get an optimal response for that meal.
You can save time and effort by altering your carbohydrate intake in certain meals to either increase or decrease their availability before a workout.
By doing something like training with reduced carbohydrates, you can help boost your physical performance. The important thing to note about this is that it is different from ketosis which is created by a long-term depletion of carbohydrates that can be dangerous for your health.
Low-intensity training will help your body adapt to become more efficient at burning fat. This will make it easier for your body to switch back to burning glycogen when you need it the most, like during high-intensity exercise.
Eating this way increases mitochondria in cells that generate energy. AMPK is a protein that takes on a key role in the formation of muscle.
It looks like an endurance training protocol might promote adaptations in the body seen with a low-intensity training scheme, but I am not sure.
There are different methods to combat insulin resistance. You might consider reserving carbs for after workouts, fasting overnight or prolonging exercise sessions without food and delaying when you eat carbs.
This can be a part of your training routine. Once a week would be good for most people and this activity should only take place in sessions that are not too strenuous.
Higher carbohydrate intake is important for improved performance and adaptation, so do not cut carbohydrates during these phases.
A ketogenic diet can help an athlete maintain performance, but the evidence is lacking.
Adopting a programme where you only eat carbs on an occasional basis may be a better way to train endurance athletes. This would give the body time to adapt, replenishing glycogen and giving it more time to rest, reducing any side effects of depleting liver glycogen.
You should always consult a dietician or GP before changing your diet and continue to discuss any new diets with them afterwards. We do not recommend restricting your daily calorie intake, instead, we 100% recommend an active lifestyle and a healthy diet.
THE POWERAMP PERFORMANCE & ENDURANCE SET INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS
- EVERYDAY SPORTS MULTIVITAMIN 60 CAPSULES
- RAPID HYDRATION (RASPBERRY LEMONADE)
- PRE-WORKOUT DRINK
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