Chapter 12-13

Question 1

What should be taken before exercise?

Answer 1

Food consumed before physical activity should aim to increase carbohydrate levels.
They should also be low in both fat and fibre, as this can take longer to process and metabolise and can cause stomach upsets.

Question 2

What is Carbohydrate Loading

Answer 2

• Carbohydrate loading is a nutritional strategy used by athletes to maximise the stores of glycogen in their body before endurance-based physical activity.
• As we know, carbohydrates take less oxygen to break down than fats, and therefore athletes are able to work at a higher intensity while they are using glycogen as the predominant fuel.

- Carbohydrate loading should also be combined with tapering, which is a drop-off in training levels. This allows glycogen stores to build up by 200 to 300 per cent, which can give the athlete an advantage over other competitors. 
When glycogen (carbs) is being used as the main fuel source, ATP is able to be produced more quickly than it is when triglycerides (fats) are being used. Fats also take a greater amount of oxygen to be broken down, leaving less oxygen available for the working muscles (as compared to glycogen).

Question 3

Glycaemic Index

Answer 3

The Glycaemic Index (GI) ranks foods, on a scale from 0 to 100, on how quickly they raise blood sugar levels over a two hour period.
Before long-duration physical activity, foods with a low GI should be consumed, as they will release their energy more slowly. During physical activity (such as a marathon) foods with a medium-to-high GI level should be eaten, as they will release energy more quickly.

Question 4

Nutrition – After Physical Activity

Answer 4

Immediately after physical activity, increased amounts of blood (than usual) are still being pumped to the working muscles and muscle cells are still receptive to glycogen, so refuelling will be extremely effective. The sooner that these foods can be gotten in to the body, the less time that full glycogen replenishment will take. For example, if high-GI foods (high in carbohydrates) are consumed immediately after physical activity (within 30 minutes), full glycogen replenishment can happen within a day. If these foods aren’t consumed until three hours after physical activity, full glycogen replenishment can take up to three days!

Question 5

Hydration

Answer 5

Hydration is extremely important during physical activity. One of the key ways of regulating body temperature is through sweating, which results In the loss of plasma from the blood. To replace this plasma, it is very important we hydrate- through the use of sports drinks and water.

Question 6

Sports Drinks

Answer 6

Sports drinks are an ideal fluid to consume during and after training and competition sessions, allowing the athlete to replace fluid and electrolyte losses, and simultaneously providing additional source of carbohydrate fuel = carboydration. In many situations, sports drinks are a better choice than water by promoting better fluid intake than water and increasing retention of fluid consumed post-exercise by reducing urine losses.

Question 7

Hypotonic Sports Drinks

Answer 7

Hypotonic sports drinks have a low osmolality (number of particles), meaning they have a low concentration of carbohydrates and electrolytes. Due to this, it is absorbed quickly and is used when hydration, rather than refuelling, is a priority. Hypotonic sports drinks should be used before an event.

Question 8

Isotonic Sports Drinks

Answer 8

Isotonic sports drinks have a medium level of osmolality and offer a balance between refuelling and rehydration. Isotonic sports drinks are usually used during an event.

Question 9

Hypertonic Sports Drinks

Answer 9

Hypertonic sports drinks have a high level of osmolality, meaning they have a high concentration of carbohydrates and electrolytes. This means they are absorbed more slowly than the other two types of sports drinks, and should be used when refuelling is a priority. Hypertonic sports drinks are usually used after an event to top up muscle glycogen stores. If consumed during an event, hypotonic or isotonic drinks also need to be consumed.

Question 10

Ways to avoid Dehydration

Answer 10

• Acclimatisation – Acclimatising means that the body becomes used to a different environment (e.g. hot or humid weather). At least five days training in hot or humid conditions can lead to an athlete’s body becoming used to the different conditions, and may become better at reducing sweat levels and conserving fluid.
• Heat Training – Can lead to the body becoming more tolerant to hot conditions and less likely to become dehydrated.
• Modify Training – On an extremely hot or humid day, training should be modified to reduce the chances of dehydration
• Wearing Correct Clothing
• Use of Ice Packs
• Hydration

Question 11

Carbohydrate Gels

Answer 11

Carbohydrate gels are basically dehydrated sports drinks. They contain extremely concentrated carbohydrates. Carbohydrate gels should be used during extreme endurance events, such as a marathon, to ‘top up’ carbohydrate supplies, or immediately after an event to allow carbohydrates to be replenished quickly.
Carbohydrate gels is that they must be taken with water or else they will take too long to be absorbed and won’t be very effective. When taken with water, gels are very similar to a sports drink, but they can be easier to carry.

Question 12

For what athletes is carbohydrate gels useful

Answer 12

Useful for athletes
• Requiring post-exercise recovery supplement supplying carbohydrate and some protein
• Rapid recovery between events or games in multi-event competition
• Undertaking heavy training load, growth or aiming to increase muscle mass
• Needing energy and carbohydrate as part of a pre-competition carbohydrate loading regime

Question 13

Caffeine Supplementation

Answer 13

Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system (CNS), which can allow for more effective neural transmission. Caffeine is also believed to have a glycogen sparing effect. Glycogen sparing is an aerobic training adaption that allows fats to be used earlier during physical activity, therefore saving glycogen for higher-intensity efforts when it is needed. Caffeine is also believed to delay/reduce fatigue levels in the muscle.

Question 14

Protein Supplementation

Answer 14

Are generally used by athletes who are looking to increase muscular power and strength. They aim to:
• Provide the material to construct and repair muscle cells
• Provide the 20 necessary amino acids to support the immune and endocrine systems
• Increase the transmission of nerve signals around the body
• Help to achieve the rebuilding of glycogen

Question 15

Creatine

Answer 15

Most beneficial for athletes
• Involved in repeated short maximal efforts with brief recovery periods
• Engaged in short interval Training
• Undertaking high intensity resistance training seeking to increase protein synthesis

Question 16

Recovery

Answer 16

Aim – to restore the physical condition of the athlete

Essential to allow for regular training, which can lead to the increased likelihood of chronic adaptations occurring

Question 17

Hydrotherapy

Answer 17

Is a term given to recovery processes that involve water. These include
•	Contrast water therapy (hot and cold)
•	Cryotherapy (cold)
•	Thermotherapy (heat)
•	Pool or Beach Sessions

Question 18

Contrast Water Therapy

Answer 18

Involves the alternate use of hot and cold water submersion. The hot water will cause vasodialation (increase in diameter in blood vessel), and the cold water will cause vasoconstriction ( a decrease in diameter of blood vessel).
- Hot water (vasodialation) increases blood flow to the muscles while cold water (vasoconstriction) will decrease blood flow to muscle

Question 19

Constrast Water Therapy leads to

Answer 19

• Increased removal of waste products
• Increased supply of oxygen and nutrients
• Decreased inflammation and swelling & decreased likelihood and severity of DOMS
• Increased circulation
• Increased Range of Motion
• Increased perception of Recovery

Question 20

Cyotherapy

Answer 20

Involves the use of cold to cool the body and includes ice packs, cool water immersion/ ice baths
Can be applied directly after the athlete has suffered a soft tissue injury

Question 21

Cyotherapy leads to

Answer 21

• Decreased acute inflammation from muscle damage
• Reduce feelings of pain
• Reduce swelling around muscles
• Reduce muscle spasms
• Decrease blood flow to muscles
• Decreased tissue and core temp, therefore decreasing sweating and lessening effects of dehydration

Question 22

Thermotherapy

Answer 22

Thermotherapy involves the use of heat to enhance recovery. This is usually done through the use of a spa bath.
Normally applied 72 hours after cynotherapy for soft tissue injuries.
Note- Heat also increases inflammatory response and should be avoided immediately after sustaining a soft tissue injury
Heat promotes increased blood flow which will increase the delivery of oxygen rich blood and nutrients to the muscles, while also increasing the removal of waste products

Question 23

How does thermotherapy enhance recovery

Answer 23

• Decreases muscle spasm and stiffness
• Increase muscle elasticity and joint range of motion
• Increase Neural Transmission
• Aiding relaxation

Question 24

Pool or Beach Sessions

Answer 24

Immersion in water causes an inward and upward displacement of body fluid towards the center of the body, resulting in a compressive effect caused by hydrostatic pressure.

Question 25

How does Pool/Beach sessions enhance recovery

Answer 25

This compressive effect assists recovery by

• Reducing muscle swelling (which can compress localised cappilliaries, reducing O2 delivery and enabling more cellular damage to occur)
• Increasing blood flow, and therefore increasing the delivery of oxygen and nutirents and removal of wastes

Question 26

Compression Garments Help to

Answer 26

Help to
•	Increase blood flow and therefore improve the delivery of osygen and nutrients and removal of wastes
•	Reduce Venous Pooling
•	Reduce muscle swelling
•	Reduce the severity of DOMS

Question 27

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy & Hyperbaric Chambers

Answer 27

Are ‘capsules’ filled with 100% oxygen
Hyperbaric chambers are used during recovery from an injury, generally a soft-tissue injury
The use of HBOT will:
• Increase the speed of recovery, including injury
• Reduce swelling
• Stimulate new blood vessel growth
• Shorten the inflammatory response process
• Help prevent infection

Question 28

Believed benefits of massages

Answer 28

• Increased blood flow, therefore increasing
• Delivery of oxygen and nutrients and
• Removal of waste products
• Decreasing muscle tension
• Increasing the sense of wellbeing
• Decreasing the perception of fatigue
• Increasing the range of joint motion
• Decreasing muscle stiffness
• Decreasing anxiety
• Reducing the impact of DOMS
• Decreasing Muscle oedema

Question 29

Sleep and Rest

Answer 29

Rest is an important contributor the the repair and recovery process and during sleep the whole body gets a chance to fully rest, both physiologically and psychologically. Sleep is essential for recovery, as this is when the body performs its repairs and adaptations. Sleep increases the ability of the body to repair muscles that may have been used during physical activity.
A lack of sleep has been shown to decrease emotion control and focus, and lead to mental confusion and frustration, all of which can negatively impact performance.

Question 30

Adequate sleep will allow perfomers to compete and their optimum by

Answer 30

• Increasing focus and concentration
• Improving preoccessing abilities, especially in open environments
• Increasing perseverance when strategies appear to be working
• Improving arousal level and control of emotions
• Improving memory and use of templates
• Increasing thought sequences