Five Ways In Which Athletes Can Increase their Performance

Sergiu Vidican

Written by Sergiu Vidican on February 12th 2011
Posted in: Featured, Science
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An athlete would like to become better at what he does, and there are certain situations when he reaches a plateau. Those are the moments when he would like to find a way of performing better. In what follows I am going to present you five ways in which the athletes can increase their performance..

#5
Eating Carbohydrates Prior, During and After the Event

One of the ways in which the athletes are able to increase their performance is though eating lots of carbohydrates. You might wonder why, but you will get the answer soon. They do it in order to improve their endurance and their performance in the race. They make an excellent choice when they consume the carbohydrates, because they are used as fuel during the period when they perform the task. The carbohydrates are made mostly out of molecules which contain sugar, and thanks to that the body can use them in order to produce glucose. The glucose is then stored in the liver as glycogen. The glycogen is then used in order to provide the body with the necessary energy during demanding periods, such as when one runs. The more carbohydrates these athletes consume prior to each race, the more glycogen they will have in their bodies. In order to have as much energy as possible, they need to consume as many carbs as possible. Asker Jeukendrup, a professor of exercise metabolism and academic director of the Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, stated that if one consumes carbohydrates prior to the beginning of a race, he will be more energetic, faster, and will have an increased alertness.

(fullissue.com/index.php/carbohydrates.html)

He has stated that it vas scientifically proven that an athlete will be able to train harder if he will consume lots of carbohydrates prior to the beginning of the activity. He has also stated that the performance of an athlete will be increased if the consumes the carbohydrates during the activity as well. The athletes can consume the carbohydrates at various points during the day, and depending on the time they will have different reactions. An athlete might consume them prior to the workout, in order to make sure that he will have the required energy in order to complete its tasks. The bodybuilders for example are known for the fact that they consume carbohydrate-rich meals prior to each workout session. However, they also consume carbohydrates right after he workout session in order to make sure that their glycogen levels will be restored, which would assure the growth of the muscles. Protein is very important in order to put on muscle mass, but carbohydrates are very important as well. The researchers discovered in 2004, that eating a small amount of carbohydrates after each workout, will increase the chances of storing and increasing the muscle mass.

The marathoners need to consume lots of carbohydrates as well, as the amount of carbohydrates stored in the body is usually very small. Because of that, they need to make sure that they consume as many carbohydrates as possible, in order to increase the amount of carbs stored. The researchers have also stated that it is very important for them to consume carbohydrates during the race as well. This is the main reason why you will see bikers from various races eating energy bars, or drinking energy drinks. They do it in order to make sure that their body has the required amount of energy. If they do not have the amount of carbohydrates which their body needs, fat will be used in order to obtain energy. Now, even the marathon runners have fat, even if it does not seem like it. Fat is a source of energy, but it does not burn at the same rate as the carbs do, and because of that, it is not very efficient. This is one of the reasons why people who want to lose weight, do not consume too many carbs, and do lots of cardio: in order to make sure that they will lose fat. Jeukendru said that an athlete needs to have a diet very high in carbohydrates a few days prior to the race. He can obtain the carbohydrates from bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, oats, and so on.

#4
Training at High Altitudes

There are various methods through which the athletes can increase their endurance, and another common method is training at very high altitudes. The reason why they do that is because the air is thinner at the high altitude. Because of that, the athlete will have to take bigger and deeper breaths in order to provide the muscles the required amount of oxygen. The researchers have stated that the best benefits are seen when the athlete trains at an altitude higher than 2,438 meters. However, they have also stated that an altitude of 1,524 meters will do wonders as well. Even if the athlete does not receive the same amount of oxygen as he does in the lower altitudes, the muscles still get the required fuel because the body starts to produce red blood cells. Usually when you move to very high altitudes, you will get sick, but the longer you stay there, the better you will feel. In time, the body gets adjusted to these changes. The hormone which triggers the production of red blood cells is EPO, the very same hormone which is used by many athletes as a performance enhancement drug. Dr. Federico Formenti, a physiology researcher at the University of Oxford, said that the best thing to do is to make sure that these athletes receive the fuel to the desired muscles. For example a runner will need this energy to the legs, whereas a quarterback will need it to his arms. He said that it is very difficult to estimate the amount of time these people need to spend at the high altitudes, and at what altitudes they should stay. He has conducted various experiments in order to see the benefits of training at a higher altitude. He even studied the effects of the high altitude on the people with Chuvash polycythemia, who suffer certain physiological changes when they are located at higher altitudes.

(vidibiv.eu/s/training for high altitude)

They could not perform as good as the ones which did not suffer from the disease. The researchers stated that these people who suffer from this condition behave as if they are permanently located at a very high altitude. The fact that they could not perform as good as the ones without the disorder proved that being located at a high altitude for a very long time is not very great.


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2013-05-19 09:08:31