Training Load and Carbohydrate Periodization Practices of Elite Male Australian Football Players: Evidence of Fueling for the Work Required

• Harry E. Routledge ^[1] ; Stuart R. Graham ; Rocco Di Michele ; Darren J. Burgess ; Robert M. Erskine ; Graeme L. Close ; James P. Morton
  1. [1] Liverpool John Moores University

     Liverpool John Moores University

     Reino Unido

     
• Localización: International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism, ISSN 1526-484X, ISSN-e 1543-2742, Vol. 30, Nº. 4, 2020, págs. 280-286
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • The match activity profile data of Australian Football (AF) are well documented (Coutts et al., 2010; Dawson et al., 2004; Wiseby et al., 2010) and are greater than those observed in other invasive field team sports, such as soccer and rugby league (Varley et al., 2014). Given the high-intensity intermittent nature of AF match play and training, it follows that carbohydrate (CHO) and muscle glycogen are likely the predominant substrate for energy production (Routledge et al., 2019). Accordingly, the current CHO recommendations for invasive team sports advise high CHO availability (>6 g/kg) in the day prior to match play (Burke et al., 2011) and an intake of 30–60 g/hr during match play to maximize physical, technical, and cognitive performance (Burke et al., 2011).

    In contrast to ensuring high CHO availability before and during competition, accumulating data over the last decade suggest that deliberately completing carefully selected training sessions with reduced CHO availability may lead to greater adaptive responses of skeletal muscle (Bartlett et al., 2015; Hawley & Morton, 2014; Impey et al., 2018). Indeed, the concept of “fueling for the work required” has recently been suggested as a practical framework for which to apply nutritional periodization strategies to both endurance (Impey et al., 2016, 2018) and team sport athletes (Anderson et al., 2017). Such strategies are intended to promote components of training adaptation (e.g., activation of regulatory cell-signalling pathways), but yet, also ensure adequate CHO (and energy) availability to promote competitive performance, reduce injury risk, and aid recovery (Burke et al., 2011).

    We have recently reported that professional rugby league (Bradley et al., 2016), rugby union (Bradley et al., 2015), and soccer players (Anderson et al., 2017) habitually adjust daily CHO intake in accordance with the upcoming workload. To the authors’ knowledge, however, the habitual CHO feeding strategies of AF players across weekly microcycles comprising both game play and training sessions have not yet been reported. With this in mind, the aims of the present study were to quantify (a) the periodization of physical loading and daily CHO intake across an in-season weekly microcycle of AF and (b) the quantity and source of CHO consumed during game play versus training.