Welcome back to Event Fuelling Part (2)!
To perform your best in training or competition, it’s essential to understand how your body’s energy systems work. We began to cover this in Part 1, but in this article, we’ll dive into how the different energy systems power various types of sport more specifically.
Let’s recap, there are 3 main systems we have already discussed:
- The creatine phosphate system which is useful in short bursts of max intensity efforts.
- Anaerobic glycolysis is the system that shifts into gear once the creatine phosphate system is depleted. This is useful for exercises lasting between 5-30 seconds and repeated efforts within a short period of time.
- For efforts beyond the 30-60 second mark, we see the aerobic glycolysis system taking control (“Air”-obic because we need oxygen for this system to work). This system takes longer to work but generates a lot more energy than the other two.
Every sporting event is different and has its own set of energy requirements. However, they can be grouped into broad terms according to their activity pattern. Understanding which energy systems each sport uses will inform what nutrition intervention is required to meet the demands of the sport. So, lets explore this further!
Explosive Events
Explosive events involve a single burst or explosive action like sprinting, jumping, throwing, and Olympic weightlifting. They require a quick & powerful burst (usually lasting under 10 seconds). These types of events rely on the creatine phosphate system. While not much energy is burned in the event itself, athletes still need to fuel properly during training, where repeated efforts shift into other energy systems.
Supplements may also be extremely beneficial in this space – refer to some of our other posts.
Speed Events
Speed events involve the maintenance of a high intensity for a slightly longer duration such as middle-distance running, rowing, swimming, and cycling (lasting 15-120 seconds). During this type of activity the body depends on about 50% anaerobic and 50% aerobic energy. The longer the event, the more oxygen your body uses. Refuelling after these efforts is key, especially if you have multiple efforts in a day.
Endurance Events
Marathons, triathlons, and road cycling are all endurance events which involve repetitive actions maintained over a longer duration, which uses primarily the aerobic energy system. This type of activity burns a lot of carbohydrates at a rapid rate, and athletes risk running out of fuel if they don’t follow the right nutrition plan. “Hitting the wall” or “bonking” happens when you run out of carbs and the body struggles to switch fuels.
Ultra-Endurance Events
A natural extension of the endurance event is the ultra-endurance event. During these races, athletes will begin to shift to burning fats through the aerobic system which will provide them with even more energy in the long term. This is due to fats being an extremely efficient and almost endless fuel source, and also due to the lower intensity of ultra events. Once again though, it will still be essential to train the body for this, practice race nutrition pre-event and still fuel adequately pre- and during- the event to avoid the dreaded bonk.
Intermittent Events
Intermittent events are inconsistent when it comes to intensity or duration in competition. An athlete may be sprinting one minute and walking the next – so there is no way to precisely predict the activity profile of the event. However, what we do know is that the athlete will tend to maintain a high intensity throughout and will make use of all three energy systems mentioned so far. These events include team sports, combat sports and racquet sports.
Cross training circuits such as CrossFit events generally fall into this domain as well, unless they involve maximal lifts/sprints (see explosive events above) or longer “chipper” style workouts (see endurance events above). Athletes are often asked to perform multiple workouts in a single day which are extremely taxing on the body’s energy supplies. Restoring lost energy stores is a priority in between these events.
These events are heavily glycogen, therefore excluding carbohydrates when trying to compete is likely to have a poor effect on performance rather than anything positive.
So What’s Next?
Knowing which energy system your sport relies on helps you plan your event nutrition. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, so it’s about adapting your intake to meet your energy needs and recovery goals.
If you’re unsure whether your nutrition strategy is helping you perform at your best, consider speaking to one of our dietitians.
