Nutrition Needs

Nutrition Needs for Team Sport
Clyde Williams, Ph.D. and Ceri W. Nicholas, Ph.D.

KEY POINTS
High-carbohydrate, pre-exercise meals improve exercise capacity.
Carbohydrate-electrolyte drinks ingested during exercise are of benefit during competition and training.
Fluid ingestion during prolonged exercise helps delay the deterioration in motor skills.
Recovery is improved when about 50 g of carbohydrate are consumed immediately after prolonged exercise and at 1-h intervals thereafter.
During daily training or competition, recovery is likely to be improved when carbohydrate intake is increased to 10 g per kg body weight each day.
Rehydration is quickly achieved during recovery when athletes ingest fluids equivalent to at least 150% of the body weight lost during the exercise.