Sports Training & Nutrition Resources (06)

Best Energy Bars
The market for energy bars is ever-increasing. From the original high-carbohydrate Power Bar, to bars with a 40-30-30 ratio of carbs to protein to fat such as the Balance bar, this article gives you the basics if you are in the market for a bar to meet your needs. There is also a section on high-protein bars such as Met-Rx Protein Plus, and supplement bars like GeniSoy bars. This is a good resource to do some background reading and learn which bar will be best for your sports nutrition needs.

How Bicyclists Avoid Bonking
Bonking is a common cycling term for a variety of symptoms caused by low blood sugar. It can cause extreme exhaustion, mental confusions, hallucinations, feeling uneasy and passing out. A cyclist can experience any or all of these symptoms during the course of a bonk. The brain runs entirely on sugar. The blood stream has sugar for the brain, but only enough to last a few minutes while biking. The sugar supplied to brain comes from the liver's production of sugar. When the liver is deprived of the energy required to make or convert sugar for the brain, bonking is the result.

Get a Handle on Your Big Back Pain
Here's a web site that is devoted to back pain—its causes, symptoms and treatment options, including chiropractic care. In BigBackPain.com’s main section, you’ll find tips on how to prevent back strain—through proper lifting techniques and posture, along with the right mattress to own, and post-injury exercises. There’s a wealth of information on chiropractors and their treatment options, and other alternative treatments including spinal injection, inversion, decompression, massage and laser therapy. The site includes detailed information on the anatomy of the spine, and once diagnosed, you can visit the site for knowledge about conditions such as sciatica, herniated discs, osteoporosis, scoliosis, fibromyalgia, and even whiplash.

Water: The Best Sports Drink?
This article discusses water as being the most critical for growth, muscle development and overall health. Since muscles are nearly 70 percent water, even a small loss of fluid will affect their function. Nerves control muscles. The electrical stimulation of nerves and contraction of muscles occurs due to the exchange of electrolytes dissolved in water across the nerve and muscle cell membranes. If you are low on water or electrolytes, as many triathletes run low in a race, muscle strength and control are weakened. A water deficit of just 2 to 4 percent of your body weight can cut your strength-training workout by as much as 21 percent, and your aerobic power by as much as 48 percent. Water is integral, as is electrolyte replacement for athletes.

Heart Rate Monitors for Endurance Training
Every athlete should have a heart rate monitor to help them achieve their best training results. Heart rate monitors (HRMs) revolutionized the endurance sport coaching business. HRMS are responsible for a new accuracy and specificity in coach/athlete communications that's not possible by simply describing workouts in terms of RPE (relative perceived exertion) or 'feel,' according to this article, which can help an athlete find their targeted heart rate. The monitor simply keeps track of numbers, indicating whether a triathlete needs to push harder, maintain speed and strength or slow down.

Endurance Diet for Athletes
The Athletic Performance Diet hasn't changed much, because there are not many other avenues to fueling the body most efficiently. A diet consisting of 60-65% carbohydrate, 20-25% fats, and 15-20% protein is the proper ratio of macro nutrients for most athletes and has been for years. A well-trained endurance athlete would not last very long on a high protein diet, because their glycogen stores would quickly become depleted and they would no longer have the energy or reserves to train effectively. There is little controversy in athletic nutrition when compared to the general population. The "big picture," according to the article, is to try to make sure each meal has carbohydrates, fats, and protein in the right proportions. Make sure your diet is balanced and consistent, which will help with athletic performance.