Are you an athlete looking for ways to enhance your performance? You can do this by working out. It should, however, go beyond building muscle mass or burning fat. You should always aim at enhancing your balance, strengthening your movement and boosting how you perform at the game. All this is possible if you fuel the body properly during your training. Use the following techniques.
Watch your fluid intake
You must have heard about the importance of hydrating your body from different sources. Water acts as a primary source of fuel, but you should not take it excessively. Experts report that over hydration can lead to hyponatremia which lowers the amount of sodium in the body and can induce a coma.
Your water intake should range from 500-800ml per hour. You should not exceed 900 ml no matter how humid the weather is. Though your body sweats as you race, it is impossible to replace every ounce of water lost. Taking a liter of water per hour can affect your performance negatively and cause health issues.
Observe proper calorie intake
Your body loses some calories from the race. You should replenish this by taking standard amount of calories as you give room for the fat stores in the body to make up for the lost calories. Your intake should range between 240-300 calories an hour.
You should, however, take them according to your size. For instance, a large athlete would need 300 calories while a small sized athlete can take 200 calories an hour. Do not try to match the calories you lose with what you consume since it can lead to vomiting and bloating.
Your calorie intake should not be the same during different phases. The amount you need during training may be slightly more than what you need during the race. This is because, during the race, the increased pace and anxiety levels may affect the rate of digestion. A high pace makes your blood gets diverted towards managing muscle performance.
Use complex carbohydrates in place of simple sugars
Sugars such as sucrose, glucose, and dextrose are inefficient sources of fuel which you don’t need during exercises. These are unhealthy substances that may increase your energy but are limiting when it comes to absorption.
If you must use these sugars, mix them in weak concentrations so that the body can digest them easily. Keep your intake lower than 100 calories an hour. Try to replace simple sugars with complex carbohydrates which get easily absorbed. They are also reliable and smooth sources of fuel.
Ensure that you take carbohydrates immediately after your workout. During this period, your muscles get exhausted, and the nutrients in the body are depleted. Taking carbohydrates can replenish the nutrients and facilitate muscle repair.
Increase your protein intake
Carbohydrates work well with proteins to enhance your performance during exercises. They give you additional energy when your training takes more than two hours. You can get a combination of proteins and complex carbohydrates from a source of fuel such as perpeteum. Your body can also digest muscle tissue to give you energy.
You should also choose the right protein at the right time. Consume whey protein after workouts and not before. This is because it contains glutamine which gets degraded quickly to synthesize ammonia. This substance cause fatigue of muscles making whey protein not suitable during workouts
Take soy before or during training since it produces minimum ammonia. After practice, whey protein comes in handy since it boosts your immune system and helps in rebuilding your muscles tissue.
Take more liquid fuels than solid food
Liquid fuels are better than solid foods during prolonged exercises. If you must consume solid food choose the ones that have minimal saturated fat and refined sugar. Remember that your body takes time before it can digest solid food compared to liquids. It also needs plenty of electrolytes and water to enhance this digestion. Solid foods can make you bloated and lethargic during a race.
Avoid new supplements or drugs
Do not try out a new supplement or drug to boost your performance. Your body may not react well with a new supplement since it is not used to the ingredients. Drugs such as Adderall are also widely used by athletes. This can cause Adderall addiction and make you get banned from your favorite spot.
Replenish electrolytes
Your body needs substances such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Salt is not a healthy form of electrolyte since it can cause edema. A lot of people assume that excess sweating leads to salt loss from the body. They, therefore, end up using a lot of salt to try and substitute for the lost salt. Use salt tablets with caution to avoid health complications.
Practice functional exercises
Different sports call for various forms of workouts. As an athlete, isolation practices and body sculpting practices may not be effective. The purpose of most athletes is not to gain muscle mass and more muscular. You need functional exercises that mimic athletics movements similar to your racing activities.
Functional exercises aim at enhancing these movements and prevent you from the risk of injuries. You should, therefore, train through goblet squats, variant isolation, deadlifts, and Olympic lifts. These include various muscle groups to help you enhance your performance.
Drills
Repetitive training using the same movements can boost your racing abilities. Drills enhance neuromuscular response in athletes. This is what enables you to react quickly to different scenarios. Practicing drills repeatedly can help you minimize lag time and boost your speed under various conditions.
You should also mix up some workouts once you have mastered drills. Change the exercises after a few weeks so that you can challenge your body to improve results. Always keep track of your performance to figure out the weak points that need improvement.
Final thoughts
You can be the best athlete by focusing on the right techniques that include both your training and nutrition. Start by changing your diet as you add what we have discussed and eliminating unhealthy substances. Good luck!
