GLYCOGEN TRAINING

Glycogen Loading Carbohydrates help in producing glycogen which is stored in the muscles and used at the time of intense physical exercise. Additional stores of glycogen can help an athlete increase endurance. Glycogen loading is a technique used by athletes to enable the body to store more than normal amounts of glycogen in the muscles. This practice helps in increasing the endurance of an athlete at the time of a sports event. The technique involves the following steps: 1. The athlete reduces the intake of carbohydrates for several days by eating more fats and protein rich food. 2. The muscle glycogen in the body is also depleted through heavy physical workouts. 3. The exercise is reduced abruptly to lower intensities and the carbohydrate intake is increased. 4. The muscle glycogen levels shoot up by 2 to 4 times of the normal level and the endurance of the athlete increases as a result. Glycogen loading is a common practice, but in some cases, it can lead to heart irregularities and should be practiced with caution. Since muscle glycogen is used only for endurance sports (such as long distance running) or where the athlete is required to exert for over 1 hour. It is not of any use to resort to this technique for short duration sports. For every gram of glycogen added to a muscle, the muscle will also gain 2.4 grams of water. This can be helpful in some sports where a larger muscle size is important, but can also be a negative factor in some sports where the body weight of the athlete should be kept low. Carbohydrates for Performance There is plenty of sound scientific evidence to suggest that endurance athletes should eat carbohydrates, fats and proteins in the following proportions: 60-65% carbohydrates, 20-25% fats, and 15-20% proteins The nutritionist must make the above statistics clear to the client since there may be a lot of other influencing factors at play such as companies selling wonder drugs or protein powders that emphasize the benefits of increasing protein intake. Such companies would not like to state simple truths that have been known for years because it would hinder their sales pitch. The theory behind sports nutrition is fairly simple and you should always try to keep it simple for your client as well. It is also your duty to inform your client about the unhealthy effects of supplements and wonder diets selling in the market. Many athletes are overawed by the hype around proteins. There is no doubt that proteins coupled with proper exercise will lead to muscle gain. However, simply taking a diet rich in proteins will not help many types of athletes. A diet that is too rich in proteins and lacking in carbohydrates will deplete the muscle glycogen levels of an athlete resulting in the loss of energy and performance. Some athletes rely on excessive fats to build energy reserves during exercise. However, fat can not be broken down fast and as the intensity of the exercise increases, carbohydrates become the main source of fuel and the rate of fat burning remains constant.

The SCIENCE of High Intensity Interval Training

Fact: Obesity has officially become an epidemic and the number of people being classified as obese is growing (probably exponentially) every day. In fact, the prevalence of diabetes follows obesity by about 10 years. Although the prevalence of diabetes is growing in our society, it is not a new disorder. Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and Obesity have become a global epidemic…hence for the new disorder: DIABESITY. Fact: Being female has its perks, however, when it comes to NON estrogen related issues, we need to take care of ourselves. Women are more likely to have Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)…the NUMBER ONE cause of DEATH globally. Women with diabetes have a greater risk for developing CVD….