What Changes When the Training Cycle Changes
Background
The beginning of the summer is not an uncommon time for athletes' training to change. High school and college track and field athletes are finishing their school seasons and early championships before either peaking for larger championships or rebuilding their base for summer meets or the fall cross country season. Many club team sport athletes are entering a new and more competitive season. Adult athletes are often entering a competition season after a spring build-up. Fall marathon runners look towards a build in miles at this time.
All too often, athletes use similar nutrition strategies at similar times of their training year. However, the body's needs fundamentally change when activities change. While every athlete has slightly different goals and needs, here are fundamental ways in which nutrition for competitive athletes changes at different points in the competition year.
Need for Carbohydrate (Muscles’ Preferred Energy Source)
Carbohydrate needs are determined by intensity and duration of exercise. The greater volume of continuous movement that an athlete has, the greater their carbohydrate needs are. Athletes can often meet increased carbohydrate requirements through additional grains on their plate at meals, snacks focusing on longer-lasting carbohydrate sources, and immediate pre-training or within-training snacks with fast-acting carbohydrate sources.
Carbohydrate needs will increase in these training scenarios:
- Transitioning from the end of outdoor track and field (lighter volume while peaking for championships) to the higher-volume early cross country build
- Transitioning from the end of outdoor track and field (again, lighter volume while peaking for championships) to a higher-volume phase to build-up for mid- and late-summer championships
- Building mileage in the early- mid-build-up for a fall marathon
- Longer and more intense practices as a summer club season begins
- Taking a break from formal training after the school season has ended before gradually beginning to build-up for the next season
- Transitioning from general preparation in the spring to summer competitions (often lower-volume training to rest before competitions)
Bottom Line & How We Help:
If your training is changing, chances are intensity and duration will change, and so will your carbohydrate needs. Our programs support athletes over at least a 3-month timespan, in order to address the major changes in energy and carbohydrate needs that will take place.
Protein needs are determined by the extent to which the body looks to build and repair itself. The more the body needs to repair broken tissues, the more its protein needs (in relation to overall size) will be. As compared with carbohydrate needs, protein needs are a bit more static throughout the year in a healthy athlete. Because the body can use only so much protein in one sitting to build and repair itself (40 grams for most people, about equal to an adult hand size of meat + a moderate portion of grain and vegetables), additional protein needs can often be met through additional snacks involving protein.
Protein needs will increase in these training scenarios:- Transitioning from the end of outdoor track and field (when peaking for championships, the "breakdown" from daily training is often smaller) to rebuilding a base (often more challenging strength and breakdown in training) for mid- and late-summer championships
- To a lesser degree, transitioning from the end of outdoor track and field to the build-up for cross country (more hills and potentially more strength increase the body's need to build and repair)
- Potentially, initiating a summer club season (longer and more intense practices may mean more for the body to build and repair)
- Taking a break from formal training after the school season has ended before gradually beginning to build-up for the next season
- Transitioning from general preparation in the spring to summer competitions (less to build and repair as strength often gets quicker and lighter before competitions)
Bottom Line & How We Help:
If your training changes, your body's need to build and repair itself and protein needs may change. If the only training change is an increase in volume and duration, protein needs likely stay in a similar place. Over the course of programs, we help athletes to parse out when protein needs change and determine where strategically to place it.
Unlike other macronutrients, needs for dietary fat do not uniquely go up when someone increases their activities. However, dietary fat has several roles in the body, most notably providing calorie density with very high overall energy needs and an energy source at lower intensities and (in certain types of fat) reducing inflammation, relevant with soreness, injury, and consecutive high-intensity days. Easy ways to increase dietary fat, often best placed further from an intense training session, include nuts, nut butters, olive and other liquid oils, and avocado.
Dietary fat becomes more relevant in these training situations:- Transitioning from the end of outdoor track and field to the build-up for cross country (increased overall energy expenditure and more lower-intensity days call for this compact energy source that can work at any intensity)
- Building mileage in the early- mid-build-up for a fall marathon (once again, increased overall energy expenditure and more lower-intensity days call for this compact energy source that can work at any intensity)
- Potentially, beginning a summer club season (longer and more intense consecutive practices point to benefits of anti-inflammatory foods, including essential fatty acids)
Bottom Line & How We Help:
Dietary fat needs can sometimes change when training changes, but it must be placed strategically within the day. Slow to breakdown as energy, dietary fat can also be a detriment amidst intense training. Our programs pinpoint unique needs, individual tolerance, and timing of dietary fat.
In many instances, athletes will use a similar nutrition strategy throughout their training year, or use the summer months to eat purely by convenience. However, when training changes, nutrition needs also change. As a result, our nutrition programs extend through at least 3 months with athletes and help them to identify critical changes in their needs (and what this practically looks like on plate) as their seasons progress. Summer is often a meaningful time for committed athletes and active individuals, and fueling can help you to reach your potential in the months ahead.
Ready to take the next step towards your goals?
Connect directly with Amanda Pasko, your expert Registered Dietitian and World Champion athlete. Discover how her personalized nutrition and performance coaching can unlock your full potential and craft a science-backed, sustainable plan just for you.