As athletes, it is important for us to follow periodized cycles to improve our performance and avoid injury and overtraining. Periodization is an approach that involves progressive cycling of various aspects of training to help reach peak performance for the racing season.
Periodized workouts help to build a strong aerobic base to carry us through an event, it provides us with speed and power as we increase intensity, and allows us some time to rest and mentally prepare for the big race. Within each phase there is a specific goal and training plan on how to best work our body, and more specifically the different energy systems (aerobic vs anaerobic). But how often do we tailor our nutrition to match our workouts? Not just in volume but in nutrients? We can maximize our performance by feeding each energy system appropriately with the right fuel.
During base training, we are working primarily our aerobic system. While the anaerobic system is fueled primarily by carbohydrates, our aerobic system can greatly utilize the energy from fats. Because of the lower intensity workouts done during base, our main source of fuel is fat. And no, I am not saying to load up fat before or during workouts. We have access to thousands of calories stored as fat in our bodies, this is the time to use it. You can start to use your endogenous sources of fat by limiting some of the carbohydrates eaten during training and throughout the day. This is not a low carbohydrate diet! But there is no need to carb load when you are working a system that is running off of fats. This is where balanced nutrition can really play a big role in training. Eating lots of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, healthy fats, legumes, and low fat dairy can help you achieve a balanced plate to still get adequate carbohydrates without overdoing it. Balanced eating can assure you are properly feeding the utilized energy system. In addition, because the training volume is lower during this phase, so should the volume of your food.
With intensity and volume increases during the build and peak phases, there is going to be a shift in the volume of food and as well as the nutrients. Matching volume of exercise with volume of food helps to assure we are getting adequate calories to fuel our performance. An easy way to add some of those calories in is to incorporate some whole grains into meals. Because the anaerobic system is now being used a lot more, there is more of demand for carbohydrates. However, there is still no need to carb load, balance is still key. Keep the fruits, vegetables, lean meats, healthy fats and low fat dairy in meals, just add some whole grains to it.
A traditional thought with tapering is to taper back the training, but keep the volume of food the same or even load up on carbohydrates. This can lead many athletes to feeling bloated and uncomfortable and can likely lead to last minute weight gain right before the race. Not only could this affect us physically but also mentally. We can still maintain adequate nutritional stores because we are not burning it off.