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Sports Nutrition
Over the past several weeks, we’ve received a number of nutrition-related questions. While those questions were answered in private, we thought “you know what, if one person needs an answer to it, others probably do too.”
To dive deeper into some of these questions, I’ve asked my friend and colleague - Darin Huslander - to make sense of these topics.
This past summer, we saw an influx of tennis players join our fitness programs. Many tennis players simply play tennis during the summer months - so having them join our off-court sessions was a good thing. A typical schedule for these players would see them hitting for about 1.5-2 hours per day and spending another 3-4 days with us in the gym.
While it’s great to see tennis players getting after it in the weight room, we spotted an unwanted trend amongst the group. Fatigue. But not the fatigue you’d normally encounter after 2 hours of tennis or a gruelling match. No, this was more of a general type of fatigue. One that’s typical amongst tennis players (especially juniors) but isn’t always easy to pinpoint it’s root cause.
There was a time, not too long ago, that everyone was advocating the use of sports drinks to aid hydration, electrolyte replenishment and overall sporting performance. I saw it with my own eyes. As a performance coach in an academy setting, I would travel the junior circuit, going from tournament to tournament. Youngsters would be gulping down neon coloured Gatorades yet could barely see over the net.
But then, a wave of anti-sugar marketing ads began coming to light. And all of a sudden, sugar-free sports drinks became the norm (if you were seen with a ‘regular’ Gatorade, you’d receive a long, evil stare from coaches, parents and other players).
It was a hot, muggy summer’s day in 2010. After winning the 2nd set, the momentum was on my side going into the 3rd. I had never beaten my opponent, ‘Stan the Man’ as we called him (no not Wawrinka...but a very good player nonetheless). But I felt confident. I was moving well, dictating play...and I continued the good play until 4-1 in the 3rd. And then, after hitting an attacking forehand, I felt my right leg completely seize. I hit the ground, gasping for air, trying not to scream. But the pain was too much. My opponent came rushing over to my side of the court, along with fellow players and spectators...I knew what it was though, this wasn’t the first time I had experienced this sort of pain….it was a cramp.
