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Director (The Rejuvention and wellness Center of Tampa), Personal Trainer, Soccer Coach.
Eddie has 10 years of professional soccer experience along with
10 years in the health and fitness industry. He has his Certified Personal Trainer certification with NSCA (National Strength and
Conditioning Association) ans is also a USSF “A” license Coach. Other qualifications include a NSCAA National Premier Diploma
and a KNBV Soccer Diploma along with a CPR/AED certifications.
Email: eddie@tamparejuvenation.com
Post-Workout Nutrition for the High School Athlete
Every athlete wants to gain a leg up on the competition, and high school athletes are no different. Supplements and recovery drinks are popping up everywhere, and so are people’s theories about them. Many high school athletes have access to, and use, such supplements as recovery drinks. Many high school administrators are fearful of any substance that could be involved in any form of litigation and are hesitant to allow them to be used in a school setting.
The National Strength and Conditioning Association standard 9.1 states that strength and conditioning professionals must not prescribe supplements that are harmful or illegal to athletes and only recommend or provide those supplements that have been bylaws the process of providing or recommending supplements may or may not be appropriate. In addition to the National Strength and Conditioning Association and state guidelines, high school administrative policies to follow as well. A high school student views a protein-recovery drink as relatively safe; however, the school administration may see it as potentially harmful as a supplement. Several studies have focused on the importance of recovery nutrition and maximal protein uptake timing. Ready-to-drink protein shakes are an example if immediate nutrition; however, high school cafeteria items may provide the same results.
Research has found that an excellent recovery may be as simple as a childhood favorite. “Chocolate milk contains an optimal carbohydrate to protein ratio, which is critical for helping refuel tired muscles after strenuous exercise and can enable athletes to exercise at a high intensity during subsequent workouts.” (1) These findings suggest that, with all the products available on the market, regular chocolate milk may actually be better for an athlete’s recovery from glycogen-depleting exercise. This information certainly surprised coaches and athletes.
A larger double-blind, placebo controlled study by Chromium et al. (2) investigated the effects of a 10-week strength training program and recovery drinks. Their study used a commercial recovery drink that contained creatine, whey protein, amino acids, and carbohydrates for the supplement group and a carbohydrate only drink in the control group. In their findings, they observed little to no difference in the two; however, a trend to higher fat free to mass gain in the commercial drink was noted that warrants further research. In addition to these findings, no improvements were recorded in a 1-repetition max bench press, a leg press, muscular endurance, or anaerobic power. These findings suggest that it may not be the type of recovery drink being ingested, but rather the timing of the recovery drink that is important because both groups were given their drinks immediately after training.
Protein supplementation is effective at promoting increases in fat free mass and muscle endurance during the initial stage of resistance training program (4). This finding pertains specifically to whey protein and casein protein, both ingredients in recovery drinks. Additional research by Coburn et al. (3) found that whey protein plus creatine increased fat free mass more than in a control group but noted a limitation in the study because there was no dietary analysis to determine protein intake before or after the supplements were given.
Athletes need to refuel their bodies after exercise to replenish, repair, and grow properly. In the high school community, this activity can become difficult with so many layers of administration and uncertainty. However, the aforementioned information lets us look at a high school-friendly alternative to post-workout recovery nutrition. After reading the results of these studies, I visited our high school cafeteria and recorded the nutritional information of a carton of chocolate milk and a single serving of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. One serving of fat-free chocolate milk contained 140 calories, 27 g of carbohydrates, and 8 g of protein. One serving of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich contained 320 calories, 33 g carbohydrates, 9 g of protein, and 16 g of fat. The totals for this recovery meal are 460 calories, 60 g of carbohydrates, 17 g of protein, and 16 g of fat and costs $1.20. Other than the possibility of a nut allergy*, I can see absolutely no interference on behalf of any national, state, or school administration policies with the practice meal as a means of recovery as well as a source of weight gain by eating this meal between classes. The other additional bonus is that our lunch room carries this food on its a la carte line, so it is readily available any time the a la carte line is open. The school day is over at 2:20 p.m. and our after-school training program runs from 3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. Many of our athletes are stopping by the a la carte line and buying 2 of each, they have a snack before the training session. This provides 920 calories, 120 g of fat for $2.40. This money comes from their school lunch accounts.
Obviously, some recovery options work better than others depending on one’s situation. Athletes need education about the importance of post-exercise recovery nutrition, and this may be a healthy, safe alternative to recovery drinks.
*Nut allergy alternatives may include substituting a 3 oz serving of tuna, which contains approximately 150 calories and 25 grams protein.
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