Workouts, Muscle Building, Fat Loss & Bodybuilding Articles

Get Your FREE Acount on Workout-X™ Social|Activate Your FREE Account on Workout-X™
Learn From Our Experts

Nutrition For Cheerleading, Part 2

November 9, 2005 Print This ArticleShare

Author: Trainer-X

Daily Nutritional Needs

Athletes in general must keep liver glycogen stores filled. Liver glycogen is the primary energy fuel. When the stores are low, focus and timing begin to suffer. Cheerleaders need a moderate amount of protein to repair the Type II muscle fibers that get damaged by powerful movements.

For athletes, the American and Canadian Dietetics Associations recommend 55 to 58 percent of calories be CHO, 12 to15 percent protein and 25 to 30 percent fat (1). These are the same requirements for sedentary individuals. However, there has been a growing body of evidence that protein and fat requirements may need to be altered for active individuals, especially when 15 percent of the diet is protein (1,2,9,10). In order to avoid muscle loss, the protein and fat requirements have been slightly altered here for the recommended training diet as described below.

The Training Diet – your daily nutritional plan.

The In-Season Training Diet – your daily nutritional plan.

During the season, a training diet should be comprised of 55 percent CHO, 30 percent protein and 15 percent fat. The goal of the training diet is to provide adequate energy for recovery and tissue repair quickly and efficiently, without adding body fat. For simplicity, if you ate 2,000 calories a day, 55 percent of that is 1,100 calories from CHO, which is equal to 275 grams of carbohydrates (there are four calories of CHO per gram; thus, 1100/4 = 275 g of CHO per day. For protein, there are four calories of protein per gram also). For some it is easier to keep track of grams than calories.

Protein

Some research suggests that protein should be 1.6-1.8 g/kg bodyweight (bodyweight in kg = bodyweight in pounds / 2.2 kg) per day (9) or as high as 2g/kg bodyweight per day in athletes (10). The Recommended Daily Allowance of 0.8g/kg bodyweight per day protein is based on what is healthy for the average sedentary individual, which is not necessarily enough for athletes.

The additional protein is crucial not only for muscle repair, but also as an additional energy source. Lacrosse is an intense game, and the body may start using its own muscle as an energy source if it is strained. Because it is so difficult to build and maintain muscle, athletes should be careful not to lose it.

Fat

Keep fat intake to about 20 percent of your total calories, consisting primarily of essential and monounsaturated fats. Essential fatty acids are a type of fat that the body cannot create from fish and walnuts. Monounsaturated fats, which are fats with one binding site, can come from olive or canola oils, seeds and/or avocados.

For someone consuming 2,000 calories a day, the fat intake should be about 400 calories. This is equal to about 44 to 67 grams (each fat gram contains nine calories).

You may be tempted to ingest as little fat as possible, however, this is also unhealthy. Keeping your fat intake to less than 15 percent may have a harmful effect by inhibiting absorption of those vitamins that dissolve in fat, and it has no effect on improving your body fat percentage.

Pre-Competition Meal

The primary purpose of the pre-competition meal is offset fatigue during the game.

There is no one-size-fits-all prescription for the pre-competition meal. Different people react differently to the same foods. Athletes should try to find food that won’t cause GI distress and will help to maintain focus and endurance.

With all the tumbling involved in the sport, cheerleaders shouldn't risk wearing their food during a competition. A few guidelines:

  • Eat low-glycemic foods, such as whole grain cereals, certain fruits, sandwiches made with whole wheat bread, etc., approximately two to three hours before a competition. The closer to your match, the smaller the meal. This will help sustain blood-sugar levels.
  • Keep protein and fat intakes low because they slow digestion.
  • Avoid bulky foods, like raw fruits and vegetables, dry beans, peas and popcorn, which can stimulate bowel movements.
  • Avoid gas-forming foods such as vegetables from the cabbage family and cooked dry beans.
  • Drink 400 to 600 mL (14 to 22 oz) of fluid two to three hours before exercise depending on tolerance (1).
  • Do not try new foods just before a match. Eat foods familiar with your digestive system.
  • Some athletes prefer to use their favorite foods, which may give them a psychological edge.

During Competition or at a Game

In cheerleading, the demands on performance can be intense. The following are a few things to keep in mind.

Nerves can be jittery throughout the competition, and the temptation increases to grab for something like Mountain Dew or Red Bull. But these can skew the sense of hunger. Munch on small bits of high-carbohydrate foods, such as bananas, trail mix or meal-replacement bars that are easily portable and convenient.

Although eating as directed above will allow you to top off glycogen stores coming into the event, you still have to contend with two potential enemies: 1) dehydration, especially in heat and humidity and 2) rapid glycogen utilization and depletion.

Dehydration

When competitions are longer than expected, you can amass large sweat losses. A cheerleader’s rate of fluid loss will depend on the environmental conditions, intensity of play, acclimatization, aerobic fitness, hydration status, age, and gender.

During hot and humid days, the body can lose up to three liters of water per hour. This water loss creates an unacceptable four to six pounds of weight loss each hour. This is detrimental to performance because weight loss as small as one to two percent of body mass (one to three pounds for a 150-pound individual) can lead to impaired blood volume, stroke volume, cardiac output and oxygen consumption. Therefore, it is important to keep fluid intake high during exercise. You should focus on consuming two liters of water an hour to prevent dehydration.

Glycogen Depletion

Glycogen depletion varies with the intensity of the competition and aerobic fitness level. Although liquid carbohydrates can help restore lost glycogen, it is never replenished as fast as it is lost.

To remedy both problems, bring a water bottle containing a solution of six to seven percent carbohydrate and electrolytes, such as Cytomax, Heed, or Hammer Gel if your team does not already. The more a player plays, the more he may need to drink, therefore, do whenever possible.

Still, something is better than nothing. It is important to consume carbohydrates in order to prevent performance decrease. For matches longer than an hour, a carbohydrate-electrolyte drink, rather than water, is recommended. If in doubt, try testing a drink during a practice match. If you feel good, go with it during competition.

Recovery Meal

Consume 1.5 g/kg bodyweight of CHO-rich, low fiber foods and beverages within 30 minutes or as soon as possible after a game and again every two hours for four to six hours to replace glycogen stores (1). This may be difficult when traveling, but failing to do so will encourage under-recovery and potential muscle wasting.

After physical activity lasting longer than an hour, the body best restores lost glycogen when carbohydrates and protein are consumed together in a ratio of 4:1 (6) or 3:1 (7,8), rather than simply consuming carbohydrates alone. Furthermore, the combination of CHO and protein has the added benefit of stimulating amino acid transport, protein synthesis and muscle tissue repair, all of which will further speed recovery and re-energize you for your next competition.

Products such as Endurox R4 by Endurox and Recoverite by Hammer Gel will provide both nutrients. When in a bind another option is drinking 20 oz. of low-fat chocolate milk post-exercise.

It is better to consume the “meal” as a liquid in order to facilitate recovery faster, and follow with a variety of whole-foods between two and four hours later.

Return to the normal Training Diet at the next meal.

Do NOT FORGET the post-competition meal!

Alcohol

The temptation of binge drinking may come more after a match for a celebration of victory, building team morale or a gathering to ease the pain of defeat. A sensible amount will not hinder performance or health. In general, this means one drink for women and two for men.

But alcohol intake can interfere with the game and post-exercise recovery (3-5).

Get a post-exercise meal and fluids in first before drinking any alcohol. This way, less alcohol will have a tendency to be absorbed into the bloodstream and pass into the small intestine with the rest of the food.

Avoid any alcohol 24 hours post-exercise if you have any soft tissue injuries or bruises.

Alcohol and injuries are a bad combination, and it may actually increase swelling, bleeding and delay recovery (3-5).

References

  1. Nutrition and athletic performance – Position of the American Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine. J Am Diet Assoc.;100:1543-1556, 2000.
  2. Kraemer, W.J., J.S. Volek, K.L. Clark, S.E. Gordon, T. Incledon, S.M. Puhl, N.T. Triplett-McBride, J.M. McBride, M. Putukian, W.J. Sebastianelli. Physiological adaptations to a weight-loss dietary regimen and exercise programs in women. Journal of Applied Physiology, 83, 270-279, 1997
  3. El-Sayed, M.S. Effects of alcohol ingestion post-exercise on platelet aggregation. Thromb Res. Jan 15;105(2):147-51. 2002.
  4. Peters, T.J., S. Nikolovski, G. K. Raja, T. N. Palmer, P. A. Fournier. Ethanol acutely impairs glycogen repletion in skeletal muscle following high intensity short duration exercise in the rat. Addict Biol.;1(3):289-95. 1996.
  5. Burke, L. M., G.R. Collier, E. M. Broad, P.G. Davis, D.T. Martin, A. J. Sanigorski, M. Hargreaves. Effect of alcohol intake on muscle glycogen storage after prolonged exercise. J Appl Physiol. Sep;95(3):983-90. 2003
  6. Williams, M. B., P.B. Raven, D. L. Fogt, J. L. Ivy. Effects of recovery beverages on glycogen restoration and endurance exercise performance. J Strength Cond Res. Feb;17(1):12-9. 2003.
  7. Zawadzki KM, Yaspelkis BB 3rd, Ivy JL. Carbohydrate-protein complex increases the rate of muscle glycogen storage after exercise. J Appl Physiol. May;72(5):1854-9. 1992.
  8. Ivy, J. L., H. W. Goforth, Jr., B. M. Damon, T. R. McCauley, E. C. Parsons, T. B. Price. Early postexercise muscle glycogen recovery is enhanced with a carbohydrate-protein supplement. J Appl Physiol. Oct;93(4):1337-44. 2002.
  9. Lemon, P.W. Beyond the zone: protein needs of active individuals. J Am Coll Nutr. Oct;19(5 Suppl):513S-521S, 2000.
  10. Tipton, K. D., R. R. Wolfe. Protein and amino acids for athletes. J Sports Sci. Jan;22(1):65-79. 2004
Back to top

Latest Related Articles By Topic:

Nutrition Health