Endurance vs. Power: Same or Different Diet?

BY CARYN HONIG RD LD
(Health and Fitness Magazine, May 2001)

Athletes buy fancy clothes and gear, hire personal trainers and coaches, and spend time and money on new, high-tech equipment. What they often disregard is their diet. Proper nutrition and hydration is essential for athletes seeking to attain success in their sport and to improve overall health. Both weekend warriors and world-class athletes alike should pay special attention to what they put in their bodies to enhance performance and results.

Nutritional needs greatly vary depending on whether an athlete is training for an endurance, speed, or power/strength event. All athletes perform at their best when their bodies use as much energy as possible from carbohydrates. There are two types of carbohydrates, complex and simple. Complex carbohydrates include bread, pasta, crackers, rice, cereal, and other starches. These starches are digested into glucose, then either burned for energy or stored as glycogen for future use. This glycogen is readily available for energy during exercise. Simple carbohydrates include white and brown sugar, honey, jam, the sugar in fruits and vegetables, and the polymers in sports drinks. These simple sugars are digested into glucose and used as fuel for the brain and muscles.

The amount of carbohydrates needed varies per athlete and depends on biochemical individuality, intensity of training, and duration of training. Endurance athletes (runners, triathletes, cross-country skiers, cyclists, tennis players) need a diet consisting of approximately 55-65% carbohydrates. This high carbohydrate diet prevents glycogen depletion, and allows an endurance athlete to train and compete at his/her best. Strength athletes (body builders, shot-putters, men gymnasts, weight-lifters) need less carbohydrates, but enough to avoid glycogen depletion.

The amount of protein needed also varies per athlete depending on biochemical individuality and training programs. Protein is needed to repair and build muscles after strenuous training and is used as an auxiliary fuel source. Safe recommendations for protein needs include

• Endurance athletes: 1.2 – 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of weight
• Strength/Power athletes: 1.5 – 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of weight

Fat provides fuel for workouts, helps manufacture hormones and nerve cells, and carries and absorbs the fat soluble vitamins A,D,E,K. The American Heart Association recommends that no more than 30% of one’s total calories should come from fat. Athletes should strive for a diet consisting of 20-25% total calories from fat.

"There are definitely differences between the needs of endurance and strength athletes, Dr. Joe Chorley says." Dr. Chorley is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Section of Sports Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. He treats all types of athletes including high-school, college, professional and amateur athletes. He also is the Assistant Medical Director for the Compaq Houston Marathon.

"In general, there is a volume issue," he says. "Endurance athletes need less calories because they are smaller and have less muscle mass." Dr. Chorley emphasizes the need for more carbohydrates for endurance athletes and more protein for power athletes. He strongly emphasizes the need for adequate hydration for all athletes. "You can’t emphasize fluids enough," he says. "Drinks with carbohydrates and electrolytes should be consumed after one hour of exercise. Water is adequate for anything less than 60 minutes." In regards to fat intake, Chorley recommends an intake of 20-25% from total calories. "Both groups often get fat phobic and shy away from fat in their diet. Both groups need fat in their diet particularly to keep up with caloric requirements," he says.

Do athletes eat according to their needs? Some do, some don’t. Two Houston-area athletes recently shared their extremely different sports nutrition diets. Ann Smith, 33, is one of the top female endurance athletes in the country. Her fastest time running a marathon is 2:58. She completed the 2000 Florida Ironman in 10:04:00, placing 1st in her age group and 2nd overall amateur female. She typically wins the local triathlons and places top 5 in the national races. Per week, Ann swims approximately 9,000 meters, runs 35 miles, and bikes 180 miles. At 5’7" and approximately 132 lbs, a typical nutrition and hydration day for Ann includes:

Breakfast: 1 cup of coffee with fat free Coffee Mate, PR shake (1-2 scoops powder, water, ice)
Mid-morning Snack: 1 Ironman Bar
Lunch: 3.5 oz. can of water-packed tuna fish, 8 oz. fat free fruit yogurt, 8 oz. fat free cottage cheese
Post Lunch: 8 oz. skim milk latte from Starbucks
Afternoon snack: 1 piece of fruit or PowerBar
Dinner: Baked chicken breast, 2 cups pasta or rice, salad (vegetables, cheese, croutons, low fat Caesar dressing)
Supplements: Pre-natal vitamin, 500-1,000 mg. Vitamin C
Misc.: 100-150 oz. water, PowerBars and PR shakes during long training rides, red meat once per week.

Ann’s daily nutritional analysis reveals the following:
Calories: 2500
Carbohydrates: 323 grams (51% of total calories)
Protein: 200 grams (32% of total calories)
Fat: 49 grams (17% of total calories)

Recommendations for Ann include: increasing fruit and vegetable intake, adding a complex carbohydrate to breakfast and lunch and being more liberal with her fat intake.

Greg Davis, 44, has spent countless hours in the weight room- bulking and building up. He has competed as a heavy weight (198 lbs and above) in body building competitions including Lee Labrada’s Competition and Muscle Beach in Galveston. "Body builders typically follow a high protein, low carbohydrate, low fat diet, " Greg says. "10-12 weeks before a competition, we aim for a diet consisting of approximately 60% protein, 30% carbohydrates and 10% fat."

Davis trains and rests certain body parts on certain days. He also spends approximately 45 minutes per day doing cardiovascular exercise including stationary bicycle and treadmill. Davis stated that a typical nutrition and hydration day for a bodybuilder consists of eating every 3-3 _ hours including:

6:00 a.m.: 10 oz. baked skinless chicken breast, 7 egg whites, 8 oz. baked potato or yam, 1 whole wheat tortilla wrap
9:00 a.m.: 1 large jar of vanilla pudding baby food, 1 can of water-packed tuna fish, 1 banana, a Met-Rx shake, 12 oz. water
12:00 p.m.: 12 oz. baked, skinless chicken breast, 8 oz. baked potato or yam OR 1 cup of pasta or rice, 2 slices whole wheat bread
3:00 p.m.: same as 9:00 a.m.
6:00 p.m.: same as 12:00 p.m.
9:00 1 cup nonfat yogurt, 1 cup fresh fruit
Misc.: 96 oz. water daily, 8 oz. red meat twice per week

Greg’s daily nutritional analysis reveals the following:
Calories: 4,000 calories
Carbohydrates: 360 (36% of total calories)
Protein: 500 grams (50% of total calories)
Fat: 66 grams (14% of total calories)

Recommendations for Greg include: increasing vegetable intake (especially leafy green ones), increasing complex carbohydrate intake and increasing fluid intake.

For all athletes, the best sports nutrition diet is the one that is designed according to gender, height, weight, biochemical individuality, intensity of training, and duration of training.