In my last post, "The need for recreational athletes to increase and maintain fat-free-mass, " I aimed to debunk the "calories in and calories out" idea and talk about the general protein requirements for recreational athletes to maintain fat-free-mass or lose body fat. In this post, I will write about different body types and the energy requirements for aerobic and anaerobic activities.
When working with recreational athletes, it's important to understand their body type and the energy demands of their training and competitions. In a future post, I want to write about the protein demands for different sports. Still, it's critical to understand that exercise frequency, volume, and intensity impact the macronutrient (protein, carbohydrate and fat) intake requirements.
Macronutrient intake and body types.
Depending on your chosen physical activities, there is always going to be an optimal body type. Attributed such as height, weight, leg length, torso length, arm length, etc., can be a determining factor in athletic performance. Body types are typically defined as:
Ectomorph - long arms/leg, thin, delicate build, lightly muscled, has trouble gaining weight (distance runner, basketball player, etc.)
Endomorph - shorter arms/legs, upper arms and legs are more developed, smaller hands and feet, gains muscle easily (shot-put, discus, hammer throw, etc.)
Mesomorph - upside-down triangle shape or hourglass for women, well-developed arms/legs, gains muscle easy, powerful build (100m sprinter, weightlifter, etc.)
Certain sports have weight classes, like boxing, MMA, and Olympic weightlifting. There are positions in team sports that require different attributes like strength, speed, or agility - these attributes are often a combination of talent and body type. Depending on your chosen sport, or the position you play, there seems to be an optimal body type. There are certain attributes we can't control, they're down to our genetics, but there are some attributes we can control by the way we train and the food we eat.
Even though a particular body type can enhance performance, there are physiological “outliers”, people who naturally possess freakish skill and talent. Your body type doesn't always dictate your athletic performance, and most recreational athletes are not aiming to go to the Olympics. Your body type is not a limiting factor to how you want to train, but you can increase your physical performance by paying attention to what you eat
One of the easiest visual comparisons we can make is the body types of endurance runners and sprinters. Endurance athletes (more aerobic energy system driven) are often ectomorphs, and sprinters (anaerobic energy system) are often mesomorph.
The nutritional demands of aerobic activities are different from the nutritional demands of anaerobic activities.
Certain body types are often hard or easy gainers. An ectomorph can have trouble gaining fat-free-mass or losing body fat, whereas a mesomorph may gain fat-free-mass and lose body fat much easier. It makes sense that the nutritional demands for each body type and goal will be different. A 75kg ectomorph trying to gain fat-free-mass will often need a higher protein intake than a 75kg mesomorph trying to gain fat-free-mass.
What are the energy demands of your sport?
The energy demands of running a marathon, sprinting 200m, playing a team sport, or Olympic lifting are all very different. The body type of the athletes and the energy system demands of their sport is different, and so are nutritional demands. A marathon runner will not eat the same diet as a powerlifter or a 200m sprinter.
There are three main energy systems at play in life and sport. It's important to note that all three energy systems are working at all times, but one is always more dominant.
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) is the main energy currency of the body
The aerobic energy system provides most of the energy production for any activity lasting longer than 60 seconds, regardless of the intensity level. If it lasts longer than 60 seconds, the aerobic energy system will provide most of the Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). The aerobic energy system is also responsible for recovery in between explosive bursts and producing the energy necessary to sustain everyday life.
The anaerobic energy systems, both alactic 10-12 seconds (also known as the phosphagen system) and lactic 30-60 seconds (also known as the glycolysis system), provided most energy production for any activity lasting less than 60 seconds that is performed at high intensity.
Cyclic sports, such as running, are a good example of energy system demands because the intensity level is easier to measure than mixed-modal activities.
It's important to note that all three energy systems are working at all times, but one is always more dominant. As soon as the duration goes above 60 seconds, the aerobic energy system will always be the dominant one. If your workout interval lasts longer than 60 seconds, you're doing a moderate-to-low intensity aerobic workout, not a high-intensity anaerobic workout.
The need for energy
Each sport/activity can be broken down into three different components in terms of energy requirements:
Rate of energy production - how rapidly energy (ATP) is generated during the work period.
Low rate: Endurance sports (marathon, triathlon, 1500m)
High rate = High power (weightlifting, track and field, powerlifting).
Maximum Rate = Anaerobic (lactic) drivenDuration of energy production - the duration or intensity of the activity increased energy demands.
Long duration = almost entirely aerobic driven energy production
Short duration, low intensity = almost entirely aerobic driven energy production
Short duration, high intensity = almost entirely anaerobic driven energy productionWork to rest ratio - Variation between the length of work periods and rest.
High peak power and longer rest - greater anaerobic contribution.
Short rest periods and/or longer work periods = higher level of aerobic contribution
These variables define the unique environment the body faces as it must generate the energy to meet physical activity demands. How you fuel each of these energy systems plays a critical role in your performance.
The macronutrient demands of your training/sport?
Every cell in the body needs energy, not just during physical activity. Your brain, organs, glands, cells, etc.. all require significant energy levels to function correctly. Energy comes from the macronutrients that you eat. The body is designed to adapt to a different environment and different sources of energy, but certain activities can often be fuelled more effectively by certain macronutrients.
Different energy sources (carbohydrates, fats and protein) can produce different levels of entry outputs at different rates. Some energy sources produce instant power, while others are slow burners. Different energy systems rely on different fuel sources. The body can only produce ATP in two different pathways:
With oxygen (aerobic)
Without oxygen (anaerobic)
The macronutrient demands of physical activity are commonly debated. As mentioned above, there are always “outliers” who seem to perform a particular sport while being fuelled in a very different way to most recreational athletes. For example, some endurance athletes can perform well on a ketosis (low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diet) while most struggle to do so. Many endurance athletes can train on a LCHF diet and perform better on competition day by adding in more carbohydrates and eating less fat.
Aerobic Energy Production
The aerobic energy system produces the energy (ATP) necessary to support life 24/7/365 thought your entire life. You are aerobic right now while reading this blog. You're breathing and using oxygen to make ATP. The three main stages of aerobic energy production are:
Glycolysis
The Krebs Cycle
The Electron Transport Chain
Each stage can produce a greater ATP, but there is a cost in the time taken to do so. The aerobic energy system is designed to deliver low levels of energy over a long period of time. While this process is longer than those involved in the anaerobic energy system pathways, the aerobic system produces more ATP molecules per molecule of substrate, making it more efficient.
The aerobic system is the most adaptable energy system in that it can produce ATP from carbohydrates, fats and protein. It is also the most adaptable when it comes to room for improvement because there are so many components to the aerobic system that can be trained to increase overall aerobic fitness.
Anaerobic Energy Production
The anaerobic glycolysis system is the most misunderstood of all energy systems. This is because this system is most often associated with high levels of fatigue and high lactate levels - a byproduct of the anaerobic lactic system.
The anaerobic glycolysis system produces a relatively high proportion of the body’s energy for around 30 seconds of high-intensity activity. After 30 seconds, the lactic system quickly plateaus and decreases until its contribution is minimal. The glycolysis system's primary role is to generate higher levels of force and power over longer periods of time than the phosphocreatine system.
The anaerobic glycolysis energy system is fuelled by carbohydrates (glucose). Fat can not be burned in an anaerobic environment (without oxygen), and hence it's not a fuel source for anaerobic activity. This has lead to the idea that lower intensity exercise (cardio) in the so-called "fat-burning zone" is the best way to burn fat. I'm afraid I have to disagree because the aerobic energy system is also responsible for recovering energy between anaerobic bursts. This is one reason why High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and resistance training are a far more effective tool for fat loss than cardio. Even tho the anaerobic energy system produces energy without oxygen, the recovery between sets/intervals is driven by the aerobic (fat burning zone) energy system. If you want to know more about this, you might like to research post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC).
Anaerobic lactic training (glycolysis energy system) should last no longer than 30-40 seconds with long rest periods of 2-4 minutes between intervals. Remember, the aerobic system is always contributing a greater and greater % of the energy the longer the work period continues (see running distance table above). It's impossible to separate the anaerobic and aerobic energy systems.
The high power output of the Phosphocreatine energy system (ATP-PC) (also known as the anaerobic alactic energy system) cannot be sustained for longer than 10-12 seconds. The anaerobic alactic system can produce ATP at the fastest rate because it utilises the fewest chemical steps. It also uses phosphate as a substrate, which contains much more chemical energy than carbohydrates (glucose). This high energy output places high levels of acute stress on the nervous system and quickly depletes localised ATP stores in the muscles, and requires long rest periods between repeated efforts. The nervous system takes far longer to recover than the muscular system, and this is why you see many Olympic weightlifters taking 6-10 minutes rest between their heavy sets in training.
Note: while the anaerobic alactic system does not produce lactate, the anaerobic lactic system is working simultaneously, so lactate is being produced.
It makes sense that bigger, stronger muscles generate more power due to their storage capacity for phosphocreatine. The ATP-PC system is the most genetic and the least adaptable of the energy systems. Only marginal increases in alactic fitness can occur in response to increasing the storage capacity of phosphocreatine. Training methods targeting the alactic system must only last 3-6 seconds at maximum intensity, followed by rest periods of 1-3 minutes or more.
For a physical activity that requires explosive and powerful muscle contraction, there is a lot of interest in maximising phosphocreatine in the muscles to boost performance. If you have more phosphocreatine in a muscle, you can endure a longer period of intense muscle contraction before the muscle is fatigued and loses power. To increase the levels of anaerobic phosphagen fitness, one must increase muscle fibres' size and contractile ability.
Creatine is most abundant in red meat, pork, poultry, and fish. There is much less in dairy, eggs, and shellfish. Creatine is mostly stored in muscle meat; organ meats such as liver, heart, and kidney have very little. Wild game meat and organic grass-fed meat contain high levels of creatine than grain-fed meat. Your protein quality is important, and athletes should invest in eating good protein sources before spending money on supplements.
Creatine monohydrate will help you regenerate ATP faster during high-intensity exercise, allowing you to maintain a higher power output for longer. The recommended daily intake is around 5g, and it’s best to take post-training to replenish stores. Studies have also shown that taking creatine with carbohydrates increases the uptake in the muscle tissue. For this reason, a low carb diet may not be the best choice for recreational athletes who want to maximise their explosive muscle power.
If you would like to know more about supplementing with creatine, I recommend checking out examine.com.
What's the best diet for recreational athletes?
The mainstream fitness advice of "eat less and move more" is bad advice for recreational athletes. The physical demands of "moving more" require us to eat more, not less. The amount of food, and the macronutrient balance, needed to stay healthy and perform at your best must consider your age, gender, body type (weight, height, etc.), genes, health status, goals, physical activity level, and energy system demands.
It makes very little sense for a recreational athlete to follow a low-calorie diet, intermittent fast, follow a ketosis diet, eat low-carb, eat low-fat, or a low-meat diet for an extended period of time. There are certain times when a specific diet can be useful for correcting hormonal imbalances, improving gut health, or making a certain weight class. These specific diets are best followed for a short period of time to achieve a certain goal. Often, athletes will accept a decrease in physical performance while following a restrictive diet because once the short-term nutritional goal is accomplished, both health and physical performance will increase.
There can also be certain underlying health issues (e.g. autoimmune diseases) that require a specific diet. Recreation athletes who suffer from underlying health issues may notice performance improvements by following a specific diet that removes foods that are badly tolerated and cause unwanted symptoms for the individual.
No one diet is right for everyone. The right diet should be based on many individual factors. The food we eat contains information that speaks to our genes, not just calories for energy. Science tells us that obesity is ultimately the result of a hormonal imbalance, not a caloric one. It's not about "eating less". It's about eating more of the right foods that nourish and fuel the body and mind. It's not about "moving more," it's about how movement supports your health and encourages positive adaptation, not fatigue.
By "eating less and moving more", you're fu**ing up your hormonal balance and sending bad information to your genes. It's time to start eating foods that support your health and performance and ignore mainstream fitness advice to "cut calories." It's time to take ownership of your health, nutrition, training, recovery, and mindset.
In my next post, I want to write about how stress impacts your fat-free-mass and your protein intake.
Are you a recreational athlete who wants to stay active, strong and healthy for as long as possible?
Recreational athletes often struggle to sustain optimal health and wellbeing by following mainstream health & fitness advice. These guys and gals work hard to stay fit and healthy, and yet, they succumb to health-related problems just like everybody else. They can be carrying unwanted body fat, experiencing fatigue, having trouble sleeping, noticing anxiety, struggling with digestive complaints, and not performing or recovering like they know they can.
I empower recreational athletes to take ownership of their recovery, nutrition and stress management with sustainable lifestyle practices. We work together to build the habits and routines you need to manage stress, improve sleep, balance hormones, resolve digestive issues, promote a healthy body composition, and fuel your energy demand.