Exercise and nutrition, which are among the environmental factors, play an important role in the protection and improvement of health. These two basic components are also influenced by each other. Maintaining performance in exercise, achieving targeted outputs and preventing injuries are only possible when accompanied by appropriate nutrition. For this reason, it is extremely important that the diet specific to the type, duration and intensity of exercise is created by experts.
Considering the type and intensity of exercise, the rate of contribution of macronutrients, including CHO, to energy or the recommended gram amount per kilogram is specified by the authorities. At the same time, protocols have been established for the planning of nutrition before, during and after training. Guidelines for sports nutrition, which are still used today, focus on recovery, prevention of injuries and maintenance of performance. However, the expected outcomes from different types of exercise remained in the background.
With the practice of genetic and cellular studies, the cellular response to exercise has begun to draw attention. Recent studies reveal that the observed changes in signaling pathways are affected by exercise type, substrate availability, and especially CHO accessibility. For this reason, it is thought that exercise-specific nutrition should be more dynamic.
Contrary to classical recommendations, it is stated that CHO accessibility is not required in all exercises, and low glycogen availability in endurance training may increase training adaptation.
In current studies, it is recommended that endurance training such as cycling and running should be performed in the fasting phase with low muscle glycogen. Low CHO intake prior to endurance exercise supports mitochondrial biogenesis by activating cellular signaling, specifically the p38 MAPK pathway. However, it is known that starting with adequate glycogen storage in resistance exercises positively affects hypertrophy. Therefore, a training session-specific CHO periodization strategy is recommended. In addition, low muscle glycogen for weight exercises negatively affects muscle building by preventing the recovery in muscle mass.
It is difficult to create a nutrition plan based on the type of exercise. For this, it is very important to get support from sports dietitians who are experts in the business.
