Need

What are the needs of athletes?

The appropriate nutritional choices, in the right amount of intake, ensure the required energy sufficiency both during the exercise phase and during recovery. In addition, the appropriate selection of food and liquids and the timing of their consumption ensure high levels of health, endurance and performance. It is not rare that athletes, due to the high demands of their training, use nutritional supplements in order to meet the increased needs of the body

Energy

Perhaps the most important component in athletic performance and endurance is the complete coverage of the athlete's energy needs, so that he can in turn adequately meet the needs of training or competition.

Carbohydrates

The second component to ensure the nutritional contribution to athletic performance and endurance is the full coverage of the athlete's carbohydrate needs. Carbohydrates are found in the blood in the form of glucose molecules (3g), in the liver in the form of liver glycogen (100g) and in the muscles in the form of muscle glycogen (400g). They are the most basic energy substrate used for project production, finding application in a huge range of sports activities, especially those with increased levels of intensity.

Proteins

Protein metabolism during and after exercise is influenced by gender, age, intensity, duration, type of exercise, energy intake and carbohydrate availability. This very availability of carbohydrates and thus energy, ensures the utilization of protein in the recovery phase both after strength training and after endurance training, in anabolic metabolic pathways of muscle regeneration. In any other case of energy deficit, the protein would follow catabolic oxidative pathways for energy production.

Endurance athletes

The increased mobilization and use of protein during exercise, especially at high levels of intensity and duration, also requires its increased intake during the recovery phase to repair and rebuild muscle fibers.

Strength Athletes

Strength and resistance events require the presence of excess dietary protein in the recovery phase and indeed a large percentage of essential amino acids, in order to ensure muscle growth, given the availability of carbohydrates and energy. It seems that branched amino acids also have a positive effect on athletes, since they increase the rate of protein synthesis, and reduce the rate of muscle wear, thus contributing significantly to the recovery phase.