The Performance Zone: Your Nutritional Action Plan for Greater Endurance & Sports Performance
by John Ivy, PhD & Robert Portman, PhD
Book Review – Washington Running Review
John L. Ivy, PhD, is chairman of Kinesiology and Health Education at The University of Texas at Austin. He is an expert on the topic of sports nutrition and received his PhD in exercise physiology. He has published over 150 papers on the effects of nutrition on physical performance and exercise recovery.
The book contains 8 chapters:
- Chapter 1: The Performance Zone
- Chapter 2: Working Muscles
- Chapter 3: Fueling Muscles Before and During Exercise
- Chapter 4: Muscle Recovery After Exercise
- Chapter 5: Fueling Muscles After Exercise
- Chapter 6: Your Nutrition Action Plan
- Chapter 7: Sport-Specific Nutrition Tips
- Chapter 8: Nutritional Supplements and Drugs
Review:
Ivy and Portman offer 2 fundamental reasons why sports drinks composed of carbs+protein are superior to carbohydrate-only sports drinks: (a) enhanced performance and (b) enhanced recovery.
The basic concept is that supplying carbs combined with protein produces a more dramatic insulin surge, which, in turn, is the key step in building muscle strength and recovery. The authors also state that, in order for this to occur, it is important to supply these nutrients within 45 minutes (preferably, within 15-30 minutes) after strenuous exercise stops. Thus, The Performance Zone explains the concept of “nutrient timing”, which is the title of another book by authors Ivy and Portman.
What I Learned:
One of Dr. Ivy’s research assistants at the Dept. of Kinesiology came and spoke at a Tri Zones Training work out in 2005 or 2006. I was fascinated by the “science” behind exercise nutrition. A lot of the book was over my head, but I read and absorbed the concept that I needed to make changes to the way I fuel myself before, during & after exercise. The concept of “recovery” was entirely new to me at that time. This was when Endurox & Accelerade were first hitting the market and the idea of adding protien to recovery drinks was becoming more popular.
I re-read the book in September 2012 as I’m trying to fine-tune my nutrition and hydration for optimal performance. Now that I am participating in 60+ mile bike rides and Intermediate distance triathlons, I need to be more focused on exactly what and when I’m consuming during these activities. I actually understood a lot of it this time! I am able to calculate how much I burn during a workout, what calories I’m taking in, and what I need to add. I have not been having simple carbs after a long workout, but I am very diligent about having 30-50gm of protein. My sports drink is a customized formula by Infinit and it has 250 calories per serving, including 60g carbs + 3g of protein. I am now calculating what I need to have within 15 minutes of my workout to increase my insulin levels in my blood to switch gears metabolically. It’s hard to retrain my brain to do this since I’ve spend years focused on losing weight & NOT eating simple carbs/sugars and working on stabilizing my blood sugar levels.
This is not an everyday diet change, but is something that I incorporate into workouts that are longer than 1.5hr.
The book has a lot of good information and even applying a small portion to your routine should make an impact on you.
synergizesuccess :: συνεργός + επιτυχία 