Energy foods ... pardon me?

So at the request of a friend, today's blog is going to cover energy foods...

I could be facetious and say that's it!

What’s it?

Food = energy, that's it.

But I know what she meant. What foods provide good energy for workouts? Well here's the thing. I'm not actually going to cover individual foods. This would be a bit pointless. Its like giving someone ammunition but not explaining how to use the gun.

What I'm going to do is roughly explain how the energy systems work & then you can make an informed decision for yourself.

Understanding energy systems is a major part of the study of exercise and the effect it has on the human body.

The study of energy flow through the body is usually one of the first chapters in any good exercise/physiology book. However with new discoveries and better knowledge of hormonal response, the current model of human energy systems is being questioned...

We have three basic energy pathways. Their interactions with one another and their relevance, is dependent on different the sporting activity we are undergoing.

Energy is required for all kinds of processes including growth, development and repair. Transportation of various substances between cells requires energy and of course, the one that we are most interested in, muscle contraction.

So Whether it's extreme endurance like the Yukon row, or one explosive movement like a punch, skeletal muscle is powered by one and one compound only...

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

Unfortunately, our bodies only store a small quantity of ATP within our cells. Its only enough to power just a few seconds of all-out exercise. So how on earth do we keep going?

Don’t worry, the good news is our bodies are very clever and have found a way to replace or resynthesize ATP on an ongoing basis. Understanding how it does this is the key to understanding how our energy systems work.

I am not going to bore you with how the ATP triphosphate/diphosphate cycle works. There are many books that will cover this subject, so if you are interested, buy one and have a read.

So how do we replace this ATP?

There are several energy sources that can be used to power the production of ATP. One of these, like existing ATP, is stored inside our cells. It is called creatine phosphate.

Creatine phosphate is readily available in our cells and rapidly produces ATP. Unfortunately it also, only exists in limited concentrations, mostly within the muscles.

Other energy sources that can the body can use to produce ATP include fat, carbohydrate and protein.

Fat is stored mainly as adipose tissue all through our bodies. It is a potentially limitless energy reservoir. However Fat is less accessible as a fuel, as it must first be reduced from its complex form, triglyceride, to the simpler components of glycerol and free fatty acids. So although fat acts as a vast stockpile of fuel, it’s not the best. Energy release is simply too slow for very intense activity.

It is however a great fuel for the parts of the day where activity is not intense. Carbs aren’t needed as we don’t need a fast fuel. So fat is an ideal source.

I’m not going to touch on protein here as it’s a much more complex issue and the subject of another day

So what now?

Carbohydrate!

Unlike fat, carbohydrate is not stored throughout the body. Carbohydrate is taken up by the muscles and liver and converted into glycogen. Glycogen can be used to form ATP and in the liver it can be converted into glucose and transported to the muscles via the blood. A heavy training session can deplete carbohydrate stores in the muscles and liver, as can a restriction in our diets. Carbohydrate can release energy much more quickly than fat. It is our bodies preferred fuel.

However advances in knowledge how our bodies use fuel has made an interesting discovery.

For years athletes have been overloading on carbohydrates in order to give themselves enough energy to complete a training session. It has kind of become one of those unspoken facts. BUT, if you have adequate stores of glycogen in the muscles prior to a workout why do we need to ‘Carb load’. The fuel is there, ready & waiting. If we carb load with saturated muscles & liver, all that carbohydrate will be stored as fat. As I have already explained, fat is not the ideal fuel for an intense workout. So again I ask you.

Why preload?

If you have full glycogen stores you will have enough energy for roughly an hours intense workout. Then they will be depleted. Ideally this is the time we need to replenish. Then you will need fast simple carbs such as Dextrose or tricarb. This will help replenish some of the depleted reserves quickly. After that more complex carbs can be used in conjunction with protein & fats.

If you are an endurance athlete 20 mins into your workout is about the right time to start replenishing. This will give your body time to convert the fuel available as your muscles are depleted.

So the trick here is, balance. Recharging enough without overdoing it. This is where more often than not, it will all go horribly wrong. People (especially women) tend to vastly overestimate how many carbs they need.

Unfortunately there is no magic formula for this, it will require some attention to workout intensity v’s carb intake. A little experimentation and some patience.

So rather than focusing on what energy foods are best, focus on when and why and how much.

So now I’ve explained how to use the gun, it’s up to you what ammunition you use and where you aim it.