Search the words “sport nutrition” or “fueling” on any sport forum and you will receive hundreds of responses, all based on experimentation and experience. With dozens of sport nutrition products on the market, hundreds of scientific sport nutrition articles and thousands of athletes, it’s easy to be equally confused and educated as to how sport nutrition products can meet your individual needs.

According to a recent joint position statement, the primary goals for nutrient consumption during exercise are to replace fluid losses and provide carbohydrates (1). Therefore, the common goal of most sport nutrition companies is to help you regulate body temperature, maintain energy and postpone fatigue.

Sport nutrition articles often preach individualism but generally sport nutrition guidelines appeal to the masses. For example, consuming 30-60 grams of carbohydrates per hour is a well-known, heavily researched guideline for athletes engaging in activities lasting more than 1 -1.5 hours (2,4). This strategy can likely be achieved in one or two scoops of any sport nutrition powder (ingredients may vary). As for electrolytes, you will likely see sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium and magnesium in most current sport nutrition labels due to the important role of electrolytes in muscle contractions, rehydration, gastric emptying and intestinal absorption (3). But, depending on the product, concentrations may vary. As for fluids, hydration recs are consistent, suggesting 20-28 ounces of fluid per hour depending on altitude, temperature, ability to rehydrate and sweating rate (4). Personalization.

Based on the category that you may fall into, be mindful that you should always work on your own fueling strategy in order to become a more efficient athlete. Certainly, one may fall into both categories. Although advice from others may be useful, don’t hesitate to contact a qualified sport nutritionist to answer any additional questions.

A) Performance limiters – You often suffer from one/some of the following: diarrhea, bloating, cramping, blood sugar swings, rapid losses in energy, extreme fatigue, heavy sweating or dizziness during/after training/racing.
1) write down your pre-training and during nutrition for every workout – timing, amount, types of foods, ingredients. Can you recognize any limiters?

b) evaluate your training/racing strategy - intensity, recovery intervals, duration. Can you identify any limiters?

B) Performance enhancers – You are fairly comfortable with your current fueling regime but desire to take your training to the next level? You often struggle to keep up with competitors, despite sometimes doing double the work.
a) can your training be enhanced with an improved recovery routine?
b) can you work on your daily diet, to ensure adequate nutrient-intake to enhance training?
c) are you getting adequate sleep or is stress affecting your ability to enhance performance?
d) do you understand how to use your training gadgets for quality training?

REFERENCES:

1) American Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada, and American College of Sports Medicine (2009). Nutrition and Athletic Performance. Med & Sci in Sports and Exercise. 41(3); 709-731. Retrieved March 8^th, 2012 from http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2009/03000/Nutrition_and_Athletic_Performance.27.aspx

2) Australian Sports Commission (na). Carbohydrate – The Facts. Australian Government. Retrieved March 8^th, 2012 on http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition/factsheets/basics/carbohydrate__how_much.

3) Born, S. (2011). Electrolyte replenishment – why it’s so important and how to do it right. Hammer Nutrition. Retrieved March 8^th, 2012 from http://www.hammernutrition.com/knowledge/electrolyte-replenishment.1274.html.

4) Von Duvillard, S.P, et al. (2004). Fluids and hydration in prolonged endurance performance.

Nutrition. 20(7-8); 651-6.