Sports Performance

Alright, I've mustered up enough information to hopefully help those who are interested in sports nutrition. It has long since been a struggle for athletes to find what makes them tick. In this case referring to what foods, supplements, and vitamins to take to help give them the best overall edge. There are many spectulative techniques to this enigma, but the truth is that each athlete is different. You as an athlete have to find the right mix for your specific performance booster either pre-race or just in daily workouts.

Some people resort to a techniques such as carbo-loading (eating lots of pasta, grains, and bread a few days prior to competition), excessive water intake (drinking more than usual water often a few days before a meet), heat and hot tubs (to release/relax the muscles), or a number of other ways.

-Carbo loading is primarily used for distance runners to increase their carbohydrate levels. I wouldn't recommend any very large (or overly muscular) people try this. Carbs are the first source of energy that the body uses and as longer duration runners need more energy they carb load in efforts to house a backup supply of their physical fuel.

-I would highly discourage anyone from doing the excessive water. You should already be drinking enough water to cool and replenish your body on a daily basis. Drinking an immense amount of water a few days out from a meet is bad because your body is overflooded and goes into a cleaning mechanism whereby it deminishes tons of water from your system, often more than you want which leaves you dehydrated.

-I have heard different things about hot tubs and pools. For the everyday person he/she may jump in the hot tub to relax or soothe the muscles, but I've heard that it can loosen up your muscles to a point where they are flat, and have lost the power and longevity you worked so hard putting in them the week prior. Pools are a little different in that the cool water can usually soak into your pores and allow you legs to feel heavy the next day or two. I believe that this is due to the water getting into your pores and then being held in thereafter.

The fact is that preparation for races starts long before the week of competition. Some must do's are to stretch often, drink water regularly, get massages, and to consume whatever your body needs. I can tell you from personal experience that as much as it SUCKS to stretch, its easy and can be done practically anywhere, and it makes A BIG DIFFERENCE. I guarantee that. More detail to follow...in part II.