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LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After studying this chapter, the reader should be able to:
9.1 List several nutrition principles that are important for athletes across disciplines.
9.2 Describe several nutritional mistakes elite athletes commonly make and potential strategies to overcome them.
9.3 Describe the important nutrition variables in influencing sports performance for endurance, strength, and power athletes and how they act to enhance athletic success.
9.4 Outline an ideal nutrition program for optimal performance in aerobic, strength, and power sports.
9.5 Given a particular sport, be able to apply the appropriate nutrition principles to provide an athlete with generalized recommendations.
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KEY TERMS
aerobic power The speed at which adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is generated; increased in endurance athletes due to metabolic adaptations.
bonking Athlete fatigue in which exercise intensity dramatically decreases while the athlete's perceived effort increases. Also known as "hitting the wall."
carbonic acid An acid formed in the body that acts as an intermediate between sodium bicarbonate/ hydrogen ions and carbon dioxide/water.
carnosine A dipeptide comprised of the basic amino acids alanine and histidine.
endurance sports Sports and activities lasting 30 minutes or more.
energy availability The energy available in the body to fuel physical activity and energy-requiring bodily functions. Determined by the relationship between the calories consumed in the diet and the calories expended in physical activity.
glycerol A molecule containing three carbon atoms and three OH molecules; creates an osmotic gradient in the circulation favoring fluid retention, which subsequently reduces fluid excretion from the kidneys and decreases urination; supplement is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
"hitting the wall" Athlete fatigue in which exercise intensity dramatically decreases while the athletes perceived effort increases. Also known as bonking.
hyperhydration Hydrating above currently optimal levels. By consuming large amounts of fluids prior to exercise, the athlete increases fluid reserves and delays the onset of dehydration.
hypertonic fluids Fluids that contain sodium and other electrolytes in higher concentrations than in blood.
iron depletion A state of decreased body stores of iron but normal levels of iron in the red blood cells; if not corrected, progresses to iron deficiency anemia.
isotonic fluids Fluids in which electrolyte content equals that of blood.
metabolic fatigue The fatigue that occurs when the substrates for energy production are used up. Early on in a strength workout this could be from the depletion of creatine phosphate stores, while later fatigue results from impaired energy production from glycogenolysis and anaerobic glycolysis.
muscle protein breakdown The rate of breakdown of muscle tissue into component amino acids.
muscle protein synthesis The rate of production of muscle tissue from the amino acid pool.
net protein balance The balance that exists between muscle protein synthesis and muscle protein breakdown.
neuromuscular fatigue Incompletely understood phenomena of a decrease in athletic performance with intensive activity to fatigue at some point in the pathway from initiation of exercise in the cerebral cortex to activation in the ...