Nutrient Timing

Using cutting-edge research studies from leading sports science laboratories, Nutrient Timing shatters myths and misconceptions about how to provide optimum nutrition to working muscles. It shows that when the right combination of nutrients is delivered at the right time, one can activate his/her body's muscle machinery to increase muscle strength, improve endurance and increase lean muscle mass.

Sports nutrition has evolved beyond what to eat and how much to eat to now include the question of when to eat. A hot topic in sports nutrition, nutrient timing is a dietary concept that takes into account time as a missing dimension in athletic performance and recovery. Not only is the consumption of nutrients in ideal amounts and proportions important, but the timing with which they are administered is also of prime importance—the right nutrients at the ideal time to affect performance and muscular growth. Nutrient Timing: Metabolic Optimization for Health, Performance, and Recovery presents the most authoritative text to date that scientifically examines the contemporary topic of nutrient timing. Worldwide research continues to rapidly explore the metabolic impact of nutrient timing and how its proper application may help to improve performance. With contributions from scientists and practitioners in the field, this book gathers the latest evidence-based information on this cutting-edge area. The chapters cover macronutrients—carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids—and their role in sporting activity, as well as an examination of vitamins and minerals. The core of the book focuses on pre-exercise, mid-exercise, and post-exercise considerations for both resistance and aerobically mediated activity. Using the models presented, individuals may improve performance, promote optimal adaptations to training, maximize recovery, and facilitate healthy interactions with their environment. The final chapters of the book describe future concepts in nutrient timing, including the impact of protein source in the context of timing, how nutrient timing can fit in with a comprehensive recovery program, and the application of the ideas discussed in unique populations such as the aged, the military, and populations interested in weight loss. This text provides solid data from the scientists themselves, giving researchers, teachers, coaches, and medical and health care professionals the necessary information they need to accurately and effectively determine how nutrients can impact certain outcomes and, most importantly, how to practically apply this knowledge.

Optimize training, enhance recovery, and improve performance with Performance Nutrition: Applying the Science of Nutrient Timing. Based on the most current research in nutrient timing, Performance Nutrition blends theory with applied content and real-life examples to help nutritionists, athletes, and coaches design nutrition plans based on each athlete’s individual needs and the specific demands of the sport. While other texts may provide a brief discussion of nutrient timing as a tool for improving sport performance, Performance Nutrition: Applying the Science of Nutrient Timing focuses solely on this newly developing facet of sport nutrition. Distinguished authors Krista Austin (a physiologist and nutritionist) and Bob Seebohar (a sport dietitian and USA Triathlon elite coach) share their extensive practical experience with athletes at all levels from recreational through professional. They provide specific nutrient timing recommendations for a wide range of sport types, including endurance, strength and power, combative (weight classified), and team sports. In particular, you will learn information on using nutrient timing theory to counteract altitude, heat and humidity, cold exposure, and air pollution. A chapter devoted to competition-day guidelines will help you keep your athletes hydrated, energized, and ready to perform. Plus, nutritional timelines, highlighted in special callout boxes and placed at the edge of the page for quick reference, offer visual plans of what athletes should eat in the hours leading up to and during competition. Practical and user friendly, this text also includes “In Practice” application exercises, mini-case studies, and four extended case studies to assist in translating the information to your own practice. Incorporating nutrient ingestion timing into your athlete’s training program can promote enhanced recovery, create positive training adaptations, improve body composition, support immunity, and ultimately enhance performance. With Performance Nutrition: Applying the Science of Nutrient Timing, you will gain the foundational knowledge and practical techniques to develop individualized nutrition programs to improve training, performance, and recovery.

As an athlete, you’re likely bombarded by advice from coaches, trainers at the gym, and teammates and friends about what you should be eating, how much, and when. You probably even get advice from people on social media who have never even met you! Whether you’re an endurance runner, a team sport competitor, or a strength and power athlete, Nutrient Timing: Fueling Strategies to Unlock Peak Performance gives you science-backed advice that has been translated into practical recommendations to help optimize your training, boost performance, and accelerate recovery. Learn why nutrient timing matters and how to identify your specific timing needs. Find carb, protein, fat, fluid, and supplement recommendations—for before, during, and after training or competition—that are specific to your situation, activity level, and sport. Use the sample nutrition plans and case studies for various sports and situations to help facilitate the implementation of those recommendations. Get time-saving food prep and meal planning tips to help keep your unique nutrition plan on track. And if your goal is to gain muscle, lose fat, or recover from an injury, that’s covered as well. If you want to train hard, perform to the best of your ability, recover quickly, and maintain a competitive edge over your opponent, let Nutrient Timing be your guide. It will give you insight into the ideal types of nutrients to consume, their quantities, and their timing to enhance your performance and achieve your goals. Earn continuing education credits/units! A continuing education exam that uses this book is also available. It may be purchased separately or as part of a package that includes both the book and exam.

Explains how nutrient timing can affect performance, describes how athletes can manipulate food intake to maximize the results of their training, and includes a nutrient guide applicable to any athlete with any performance goal.