Products & Nutrition for endurance training

Kate Morland – Registered Nutritionist

What products will support endurance training?

Endurance exercise is generally defined as exercise bouts lasting more than 90 minutes. However other sporting events such as prolonged games of tennis and boxing, touch tournaments and cricket matches can also fall under endurance sports due to their nutritional demands. 

The nutrition goals for endurance exercise are:
1. Hydration (pre/during/post exercise)
2. Carbohydrate fuelling (pre/during/post exercise)
3. Recovery (hydration, carbohydrate replacement, protein)

There are several ways you can supplement your diet to support endurance training. It will depend on how many products you want to take, and what other goals you have along with supporting endurance training. As a general guide, we recommend combining these selected products as follows: 

 *amounts have been rounded to the nearest whole figure

(1) Hydration

A 2% loss in body fluids can reduce performance by 20% (1).

Sodium is the major electrolyte depleted during exercise through sweat. Without adequate replacement, it can lead to hypo-hydration; impairing heat regulation, increasing heart rate and fatigue, reducing mental function and increasing risk of injury.

Sports drinks are a convenient and economical way to stay hydrated and should ideally contain concentrations of 4-8% of carbohydrates and 0.5-0.7 g/L (20-30mmol/L) of sodium (1).

Pre-exercise: 200-600ml
During-exercise: ~1L/hour of sodium containing fluids replaced at regular intervals with small volumes (e.g. 250-300ml every 15-20min).
Post-exercise: calculate your own fluid requirements by multiplying your weight loss in kilos (kg) x 150% (e.g. a 1.2kg weight loss equates to 1.8L)

(2) Carbohydrate Fuelling

Carbohydrates are our working muscles’ primary fuel and are stored in our body as glycogen. Without replenishing your carbohydrate stores, you are likely to conk out, forcing your body to work extra hard to break down alternative stores to provide fuel.

Carbohydrate Loading (2-3 days prior)
Eating carbohydrate rich foods (wholegrain breads & cereals, rice, pasta, fruit, veggies) in the days leading up to competition or heavy training may be helpful in maximising glycogen storage, particularly if an individual is unable to consume a substantial meal prior to exercise. Carbohydrate loading has the potential to increase body weight via an increase of body water (as glycogen binds water). 

Pre-Exercise (depends on how much time you have prior to exercise)
3-4 hours prior
• 200-300g of carbohydrates
• Choose foods low in fat, fibre and protein to avoid gastrointestinal discomfort.

1-2 hours prior
• Carbohydrate snack/small meal e.g. cereal and milk, cereal bar, sports bar, fruit or flavoured milk

Less than an hour prior
• Small carbohydrate snack e.g. sports gel, 300ml sports drink or lollies
• Some individuals will not tolerate eating so close to exercise, so best advice is to practice in training before you implement into competition. 

During Exercise
• 30-60g/hr (or 1g/min) of carbohydrates
• It is best to take this at regular intervals throughout the hour. Sports drinks and carbohydrate gels are an easy way to replace carbohydrate during trainings and competition. 

Post-Exercise (Immediately / within 30 minutes; important if you have less than 24 hours between trainings)
• 1.2g/kg of body weight of carbohydrates for every hour in the early stages of recovery after exercise, contributing to a total intake of 7-10 g/kg BM over 24 hours
• High GI carbohydrates which rapidly restore blood glucose and promote glycogen synthesis are useful.

However, one size does not fit all. How much fluid and carbohydrates you need is highly individual depending on gastrointestinal tolerance, sweat rates, exercise duration, intensity and climate. Monitoring pre- and post-exercise weight is a useful calculator of fluid requirements. It is really important to practise your hydration plan during training to fine-tune what works best for you before competition day. 


Example of foods providing carbohydrate (50g)  

(3) Recovery Nutrition

Eating and drinking after exercise is equally important as preparing for a training or race.  Fluid and carbohydrate requirements have been explained above.

Protein is important for muscle repair and growth and is an essential part of recovery. Endurance athletes should aim to consume about 15-25g of protein along with carbohydrates immediately following exercise as this has been shown to reduce post exercise muscle breakdown and improve post-exercise recovery (2). In general, most athletes consume sufficient amounts of protein in their diet. However for athletes training 4-5x a week, protein requirements for adults range between 1.2-1.7g/kg/day and for adolescents 2g/kg/day (1). 

 References
(1) New Zealand Dietetic Association. Position of the New Zealand Dietetic Association (Inc): Nutrition for Exercise and Sport in New Zealand, 2008.
(2) http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition/factsheets/competition_and_training2/recovery_nutrition