Presentation on Nutrient Timing

1. Eating Up the
Competition
Understanding Nutrient Timing and
Metabolic Flexibility
By Trevor Bennion, BS, ACSM HFS CET

2. Nutrient Timing
• Timing your nutrient intake relative to exercise
for optimal systemic response and physiologic
adaptation.

3. Nutrient Intake and the Body’s
Response
• Metabolism
– Substrate availability and use
• Hormonal Response
• Postprandial Lipemia
• Nervous Response
– Directed blood flow

4. Known Acute Responses to Exercise and
Food Intake
Nutrient Response Exercise Response
Intake
Amino acids Protein Synthesis Hypertrophy ↑[TST], [GH]
Protocol
6-8% CHO solution Gastric emptying Moderate – ↑ Core Temp. and
in water Vigorous Exercise fluid loss
Lipids Postprandial Exercise up to Mobilization of
lipemia lactate threshold free fatty acids
Large meal Parasympathetic Muscle contraction Muscle pump, and
response, blood blood flow to
flow to gut active muscle
Burger, M., & Burger, T. (2002) Neuromuscular and hormonal adaptations to resistance training: Implications for
strength development in female athletes. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 24(3), pp. 51 – 59
Achten, J., M. Gleeson, and A. E. Jeukendrup. Determination of the exercise intensity that elicits maximal fat
oxidation. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 34:92-97, 2002.

5. Known Acute Responses to Exercise and
Food Intake
Nutrient Response Exercise Response
Intake
Amino acids Protein Synthesis Hypertrophy ↑[TST], [GH]
Protocol
6-8% CHO solution Gastric emptying Moderate – ↑ Core Temp. and
in water Vigorous Exercise fluid loss
Lipids Postprandial Exercise up to Mobilization of
lipemia lactate threshold free fatty acids
Large meal Parasympathetic Muscle contraction Muscle pump, and
response, blood blood flow to
flow to gut active muscle
Burger, M., & Burger, T. (2002) Neuromuscular and hormonal adaptations to resistance training: Implications for
strength development in female athletes. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 24(3), pp. 51 – 59
Achten, J., M. Gleeson, and A. E. Jeukendrup. Determination of the exercise intensity that elicits maximal fat
oxidation. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 34:92-97, 2002.

6. Do Protein Shakes Work?

7. What About for Endurance Athletes?

8. Limiting Factors in Maintaining
VO2max
• pH balance
• Glycogen availability
• Hydration
• Will power

9. Metabolic Flexibility
• The trainability in the body to use higher
amounts lipids for energy longer.

10. Sedentary (≤ 3 mi/wk aerobic ex)

11. Active (~10 mi/wk aerobic ex)

12. Very Active (≥ 25 mi/wk aerobic ex)

13. UnderstandingExercise.blogspot.com
Check out my blog for references and notes on
todays lecture.