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Optimizing Nutrition for Endurance Training

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Abstract

Appropriate nutrition for endurance sports training is required for optimizing performance as well as for preventing injuries and other overuse conditions. High-intensity training requires high-carbohydrate consumption for fuel, while lower-intensity training may be sustained with fats. The longer an endurance event lasts, the less stored carbohydrate (glycogen) remains in the muscle, and the greater the athlete’s body relies on the breakdown of lipids for energy. Endurance athletes know that nutrition influences aspects of performance such as fatigue levels, immunity, muscle catabolism, maintenance, and growth as well as coordination. The more committed endurance athletes become about their goals, the more often they make intentional modifications to their training diet. Nutritional optimization for the endurance athlete means determining the ideal mixture of the glycolytic, lipolytic, and ketogenic pathways to allow for peak athletic performance while maintaining energy balance, muscle mass, gastrointestinal comfort, and mental health.

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  1. Department of Medical Dietetics, Ohio State University, 306 K Atwell Hall, 453 West 10th Ave, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Jackie Buell

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  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Gahanna, Ohio, USA

    Timothy L Miller

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Buell, J. (2016). Optimizing Nutrition for Endurance Training. In: Miller, T. (eds) Endurance Sports Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32982-6_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32982-6_19

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