Nutritional Guidelines for Athletic Performance

Knowing the basic nutrition requirements and combining them with proper training are the two most important factors for athletes to achieve peak performance levels. Nutritional Guidelines for Athletic Performance: The Training Table addresses these needs on a comprehensive basis from a training table perspective. Offering practical guidelines for practitioners and athletes, the book focuses on the key macronutrients that fuel daily metabolism and exercise training and explores differing needs for various athletes and their individual goals.
Topics discussed include:
General principles and physiology of caloric intake for all major macronutrients and how this pertains to both active and sedentary individuals
Energy demands and nutritional requirements for strength-power athletes and elite competitors in endurance sports
Protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamin, and mineral needs of athletes
The importance of optimal fluid and hydration during exercise
How to determine body weight for a desired body fat percentage, recommended calorie consumption, dietary suggestions, and useful meal planning tools for a wide variety of caloric needs
The difference between energy intake and energy expenditure and how athletes can eat to build muscle, lose fat, and optimize performance
Scientific strategies on how to time exercise and food intake to more effectively replenish glycogen, increase protein synthesis, and blunt protein degradation
How the physiological changes that accompany aging change nutrient needs and guidelines for older athletes on maximizing performance and maintaining health
Structuring a diet containing appropriate amounts of macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fat) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) can be a daunting task. This text adequately addresses how athletes can do so in an effe

Lem W. Taylor IV, PhD, FISSN, CISSN, is currently an assistant professor of exercise physiology and Director of the Exercise Biochemistry Lab at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas. Dr. Taylor is also the current president of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. He has participated in numerous clinical studies investigating the effects of various sports supplements and nutritional interventions and their effects on the areas of body composition and performance. This research involvement has led to several presentations at the ISSN, ACSM, and NSCA annual meetings as well as numerous publications in various research journals, published abstracts, and authored chapters in both mainstream and reference books in various areas of exercise physiology and sports nutrition. He also serves as a journal reviewer for multiple outlets and is a member of the editorial boards for various journals in the areas of exercise science and sports nutrition.

Introduction: The Role of the Training Table. Caloric Demands of Sport. Energy Demands: Sedentary versus Active Individuals. Energy Demands for Endurance Athletes. Energy Demands for Strength-Power Athletes. Meal Planning for Athletes. Role of Individual Nutrients. Protein Needs of Athletes. Carbohydrate Needs of Athletes. Fat Needs of Athletes. Micronutrient Needs of Athletes. Fluid Needs of Athletes. Other Training Table Considerations. Calorie Needs for Improving Body Composition. Calorie Needs for Inducing Muscle Hypertrophy. Nutrient Timing for Optimal Adaptation and Recovery. Carbohydrates: What We Know about Low versus High Levels for Athletes. Nutrition for the Aging Athlete. Index.