Nutrition Periodization

Ilana Katz MS, RD, CSSD

Pre racing season for this year, is now a thing of the past. With Clermont and Powerman races completed this last weekend, we are full on into the racing season. We are also noticing changes in the weather, yes, slowly it seems, but Winter is turning into Spring. Time-strapped athletes tend to gravitate towards the same foods and supplements that allow them to fuel their bodies quickly and effectively. Routine often calls for convenience and efficiency in all aspects of life, and our diets are no exception. Your training changes with the seasons, and so should your nutrition. Just as effective training requires changes in workout intensities and durations, optimized fueling requires changes that account for alterations in nutrition needs that come with training periodization.

Nutrition Periodization is a concept that involves matching the athlete’s diet to the specific requirements of the training phase. Similar to race-day nutrition strategies, which focus on optimizing carbohydrate storage before competition, sustaining carbohydrate delivery during performance and recovering optimally after an event, nutrition adjustments at a more macro level throughout the season are vital for endurance athletes. A season is often broken down into base building (preseason), gearing up intensity for racing (in-season or racing) and rest and recovery (off-season). To get the most out of each phase you should fuel your body in a specific way that’s a bit different from how you eat in the other phases.

Surveys of endurance athletes show that athletes tend to either over-rely or under-rely on carbohydrates at crucial times. The carbohydrate level ultimately determines whether an athlete will hit the wall during an endurance event, yet it is also the amount of carbohydrate in the diet that influences weight gain in the off-season. Endurance athletes too often eat too little carbohydrate during the race season and therefore perform sub-optimally and eat too much carbohydrate during the off-season and consequently gain weight.Let’s look at appropriate carbohydrate and other nutrition targets for each phase of the season.

Preseason

If you find yourself needing to lose excess weight as you begin the base-building process, proceed conservatively. Never lose more than one or two pounds per week. Anything quicker than this usually results in loss of muscle mass and inadequate energy supply to fuel workouts. The preseason is a good time to focus on portion control and less calorically dense food options. The high-carbohydrate foods you have gotten used to in the racing season, such as pasta, bagels, bread, and potatoes, should be replaced with lower-calorie lower-carbohydrate snacks such as yogurt, cottage cheese, fruits and vegetables. Reduce portions if appropriate, but keep your macronutrient balance of proteins, carbohydrates and fats intact.

Weight loss is often enhanced if meals and snacks are mainly natural and unprocessed. Fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean sources of protein such fish, egg whites, and white meat poultry should make up most of your daily consumption. Egg yolks are mainly saturated fat, so removing the yolk and eating only the egg whites is a lighter way to go. Natural tofu and soy products are also lean protein sources, especially for vegetarian athletes.

Reducing calories requires eliminating those desserts that you may be able to get away with during the racing season.

Plan your daily menu. Planning helps you resist temptation and ensures the availability of the best food choices for weight management. Planning can be as simple as making a grocery list or choosing a restaurant with healthy or lower-calorie options. Keeping food journals can enhance your self-accountability and keep you focused on exact rather than estimated consumption. Remember, creating a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day can equal a one-pound loss of fat per week.

In-Season

Specifically formulated sports nutrition products are used during long periods of training, and optimal carbohydrate and protein mixes for recovery. Gels, protein drinks, and energy bars often contribute to maximizing glycogen in working muscles. These products add many calories to the average daily intake and they are typically burned because of the intensity and duration of the training. In general, most athletes need to consume 0.5 grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight every two hours for six to eight hours after a workout with additional protein. Typically, a 4:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio is recommended after an endurance session or an event. Weight stability, even with the higher caloric intake, is effortless for most endurance athletes who feed their bodies the appropriate amount of calories to support their training.

However, if weight maintenance is a constant issue for you, even during the racing season, on lighter training days use reduced serving sizes of the energy bars, gels, supplement shakes and other sports nutrition products and eliminate them altogether on your recovery or “off” days. Typically, a workout of less than 60-90 minutes at lower intensities will require only water for hydration, rather than the carbohydrate-dense sports drinks. Furthermore, modifying recovery or meal replacement shakes by substituting ice and water for milk or yogurt on recovery days will help with in-season weight maintenance.

Post-season

Many athletes do not know how to reduce the caloric intake appropriately when their training workload decreases during the off-season. Caloric deficit at this time is crucial for weight maintenance because not as many calories are being burned. Some simple tips to reduce the calories in the post-season period are similar to pre-season the weight-loss strategies described above:
•   Even if you are continuing a strength training regimen, reduce the use of sports nutrition energy bars, drinks and gels, which are formulated for endurance.
•   Eat fewer calorically dense foods and more nutrient-dense foods. In place of the bars, opt for the earthy, clean alternatives such as non-processed fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Dense carbohydrates that were important for glycogen restoration, such as bagels, can be replaced with lighter, lower-calorie whole grain breads, such as whole-grain English muffins or whole wheat pasta and brown rice.
•   Eat more fiber. Eating high-fiber foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains can prevent hunger while reducing caloric intake post-season. It has been shown that meeting the dietary recommendations of fiber (12.5 grams per 1000 calories per day) is associated with a 10-percent decrease in calorie intake.
•   You may have gotten used to eating larger portion sizes while training, and old habits die hard. Remember, ½ cup of cooked pasta, rice or potatoes is a realistic serving size for weight maintenance, whereas these portions may seem extremely tiny when you are in carbo-loading mode.

Conclusion

Far too many athletes get stuck in a dietary rut, which makes gearing up for a new season with the optimal weight rather difficult. A basic understanding of periodizing your nutrition can help you achieve optimal performance in-season and aid in weight management post-season. Set the objectives for your weight during the season. Plan your meals according to the tips given above, and monitor your weight throughout the year. Your meal plans should not be the same all year-round. Remember, the human body needs to adapt and change with the environment. The phase of training, whether it be pre-season, post-season, or in-season, determines that environment.