Competitive sport is aiming at improved performance and establishing new records. An improvement in efficiency is not only dependent on talent but also on an additional heavy and ambitious training.
Best-Balanced Nutrition
In these extreme stress situations a best-balanced nutrition is and extending physical and mental activity. To meet the athlete’s special needs “nutritional research” has become a science of its own and has developed objective methods of measurements which confirm our statements and understanding concerning the importance of a well balanced nutrition for the athletes performance. A well-balanced nutrition is based on the sufficient supply of proteins as well as fat carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. A well-balanced supply with all the nutrients is essential for the athlete’s success and performance. An insufficient supply or wrong dosage of only one of these nutrients might have a disastrous impact on the athlete’s performance. The reason for stressing especially the importance of protein is the fact that the traditional food contain carbohydrates and fat in sufficient amount but do not contain enough high quality proteins, vitamins, and minerals and it is difficult to increase the amount of protein in traditional food.
Organism’s Capability
We have to keep it in our mind that the organism is only capable of digesting not more than 8000 calories. The increased athlete’s demand however may come to about 10000 calories per day. That’s why the top-level athletes have to meet his increased daily demand by supplying his body with easy digestible proteins concentrates. Furthermore under the extreme conditions of athlete the normal appetite is decreasing and thus energy need is more than that. Such an energy lack has dramatically negative effect on your training efforts, as I will illustrate in the following.
Muscle Mass & Proteins
For the weightlifter it is most important to achieve his maximal power which is closely tied to increase of muscle mass. He muscle mass contains especially proteins. That means an increase in muscle mass is closely linked to constant and sufficient supply of proteins.
Muscle Mass Increase, Energy Flow Increase
Moreover the increased muscle mass has to be constantly replaced and supplied with energy. First of all we have to make a difference between animal proteins and plants proteins. Plant proteins are derived from, soy, mais, wheat and rice. Animal protein source is derived from meat, fish, milk, eggs, and yeast, just to mention the most important sources of proteins. Both sources are of proteins are very important for the human nutrition. However the animal protein is of much higher nutritional quality than the plant proteins.
Human Body Composition
The higher nutritional value of animal protein is determined and caused by the so called amino acids profile which is superior to that one of the plant proteins. Amino acids are the keystone of the protein and thus the keystone of life. They are essential components of all-important organs in human body. The importance of the proteins and amino acids is illustrated by the fact that the human organism consists up to 70% out of proteins. The amino acids can be compare with puzzle stones. If you put them together you will get the protein.
Amino Aids
Approximately 20 different structures of amino acids are known. The more simple structures are known as non-essential amino acids. These are the amino acids, which can be built by the body. The more complicated structures are called the essential amino acids. These essential amino acids of which there are 8 can not be produced by the body and therefore, they have to be added to the food. Decisive for the quality of a protein is the number and the balance of the essential amino acids.
How Does the Mechanism Work
First of all protein is intake is transported forward to the stomach. Here the protein is attacked by the main enzyme which we call pepsin and is denaturalized by the acidity. The protein, which originally looks like a ball of wool, is strengthened out and then transported forward to the intestinal track. In the intestinal track the enzymes split the protein in to each individual amino acid. From here the amino acids are transported to the liver.
In the liver some of the amino acids are metabolized, deposited and transferred in to the blood stream.
The blood circulation transfers the metabolized amino acids substances in to the tissue cellular system and built up an amino acid deposit. The tissue can be compared with a huge deposit warehouse from which the different activities and functions of the body are supplied with their necessary raw materials, in our case with the essential amino acids.
As we have already described, the body forms different structure out of the amino acids. Thus the body does build up the muscle tissue as well as the totally different “connective tissue” of which the tendons are built. Moreover the body builds the enzymes which accelerate the digestion and which are after that again divided in to amino acids and deposited in to the tissue pool where they are kept ready for further functions. The tissue pool is of predominant importance for the athlete’s performance. As long as the pool is filled up with amino acids the protein synthesis is working at its optimum.
As soon as the amino acids pool decreases or is empty, the body has to attack and decompose or eat its own tissues in order to refill the pool. At this point I would like to enhance the crucial meanings of the amino acid pool as well as the protein supplements. The pool has a certain warehousing effect and supplies the body at normal conditions for up to 24 hours with amino acids. But under extreme conditions as they apply to a weightlifter’s training the content of the pool is much earlier burnt up and exhausted, thus causing a heavy need in the pool. In order to level this need and refill the pool, the body has to decompose and eat the body tissue. The results are decreases of muscle mass, a situation which well known as over training.
The Weightlifter’s High Protein Demands
An increased demand for digestive enzymes due to his higher food intake
(Absorption of food) In this connection it is of special interest that extra intake of
enzymes causes some problems.
Enzymes cause very often-allergic reaction. That’s why a lot of detergent soaps have been withdrawn from the market recently.
The enzymes are very quickly paralyzed by acidity in the stomach. Various tests with animals came to conclusion that the enzymes increase the efficiency for only up to 2%. That means, if you take just 102 grams proteins instead of 100 grams, you will get the same efficiency without the risk of allergic reaction. Of high importance is the slowly increasing production of digestive enzymes by an increased intake of protein. That means you should take proteins on regular bases in order to sustain the body capability of metabolizing a high amount of protein.
We know that weightlifter has got much more muscle mass and weight than the average person. That’s why his need for replacement / compensation is much higher. Such a high replacement demand is caused by the fact that the more intensive muscle work destroys mechanically more muscle mass, which has to be replaced.
The high amino acid level in the tissue pool causes a certain impact meaning that the high amino acid level is stimulating, an urge to build new and additional muscle mass.
The amino acids are also a part of the energy depot. There is not only an amino acid pool but also a carbohydrate pool and fat pool supplying the energy for the athlete’s need.
The main difference between these pools is the fact that only the tissue pool is capable of storing 18 to 20 times more amino acids than carbohydrate and fat. This means especially for the weightlifter that he has to supply his body constantly with a protein-enriched food in avoids to any lacks. This means that by a sufficient supply of protein you can avoid a decrease of muscle mass. Summarizing let me once again strain the extreme importance of the tissue pool for your body’s function. You always keep your pool at filled level all the time, i.e. 24 hours a day.
You May Ask Why 24 Hours
Even a pool deficit for just 1-hour has a negative impact on your performance and will cause a significant decline of the athlete’s efficiency. In other words keeping your body in good shape means give your body what it is asking for.
Constant Supply of Proteins
Your body is asking for a constant supply of protein in order to keep its pool at a constantly filed level. That means instead of having your daily protein intake by just one heavy protein, you should have the same amount of intake by several smaller proteins before, during and after your workout. Last but not least you have to take into consideration that a too heavy protein intake in just one meal is quite a load for the stomach.
Significant B Vitamin
In this context the vitamins especially the B vitamins are of particular significant. Out of vitamins we get the co enzymes. These co enzymes as you know are important for the metabolism of the amino acids. In comparison to normal daily dosage of vitamins the athlete’s need this quantity 2 > 3 times more than the normal dosage.
Special Need of Proteins for a Weightlifter
If there is shortage of just one amino acid, the value of the whole protein will be negatively effected. Just think of an old beer barrel with just one board being too short. Even if the other boards are long enough, the one will limit the holding capacity of the whole beer barrel short board is compared to limiting amino acid. The biological value of a protein is determined by its limiting amino acids.
Amino Acid Demands
In order to determine the daily amino acid demand. We have to take into consideration that the optimal amino acids profile for the young people is different to that the adults. Moreover, the elder people have a different amino acid demand than middle aged people.
Growth of Children
A weightlifter in training gets an increase of muscles. Normally the muscle growth is typical for the phase of growth of children and juveniles and is finalized in the phase of adultery. The means, in order to meet the weightlifter’s demand for muscle growth, the weightlifter need the same amino acids profile as a child. Typical as well as for children is a higher demand of essential amino acids lysin and methionin.
NPU or Biological Value
The biological value of protein is determined as measured by its NPU value. The protein intake and conversion of this protein in to body protein determine the NPU value. For example, if you eat 100 grams protein and if all 100 grams of this protein are converted to body protein, the biological value or NPU value of the protein will be 100.
I must admit that this example is a little theoretical because the body does not convert the total intake of protein but also build his digestive enzymes out of the protein and moreover, this optimal conversion does only apply to optimal conditions. If the body protein pool is already filled up, not all the protein will be converted to body protein. Nevertheless a high quality protein is essential for the athlete’s nutrition.
Save Your Body and Eat Proteins
A heavy workout causes a high-energy loss and only a protein with high NPU value can prevent the body from attacking and eating its body tissue.
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