Hockey

Hockey is a high-intensity, maximal-outburst activity, and hockey players expend a tremendous number of calories in practice and in competition. Hockey has both aerobic and anaerobic components, but the majority of the energy supply appears to come from anaerobic systems. The fuel sources for hockey — glycogen (the form in which carbohydrates are stored in the body) and require optimal carbohydrate intake.

Fueling the body at frequent, regular intervals with appropriate amounts of food will enhance strength, speed and stamina. The American Dietetic Association has recommended 5 to 7 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight per day. Without sufficient carbohydrate intake, glycogen will become depleted regardless of the make of the required calories from protein and fat. In addition, inadequate calories intake makes

Without sufficient carbohydrate intake, glycogen will become depleted regardless of the make of the required calories from protein and fat. In addition, inadequate calories intake makes optimal synthesis of phosphocreatine (a source of energy in muscle contraction) difficult.

It is also important that hockey players should prevent energy deficits as it would compromise attention and weaken the swing. Ideally, the player should finish a small to moderate pregame meal rich in complex carbohydrates to make sure he has the glycogen stores to get through his workout. Multigrain breads, vegetables, beans and rice all work well.

Plan for at least two hours to digest the food. Moreover, as the average distance covered by a typical hockey player is approximately 9 km which is covered in long hours and is often played in direct sunlight and summer season in India, could result in both low blood sugar and dehydration that would negatively influence coordination and concentrations. To avoid this, the player should maintain a sipping protocol with a sport beverage or a fruit juice.

After a workout or game, the player should have an optimal “window” of 30 minutes to 90 minutes to replenish protein which the player had used during intense exercise, the players should make sure that their post-game meal is rich in protein, fairly low in fat so it’s easy to digest and contains some easily digested carbs to replenish glycogen.

Foods to consider include whey protein shake, egg toast, sandwiches and cereal. Intense training, particularly resistance or strength training increases the player’s protein needs. A general recommendation for most people is at least 1.5 g of protein per kg of body weight. For professional players, it is important to replenish protein stores at every meal, but particularly after an intense workout.

While regular food works fine, it can take longer to digest. A protein shake or drink is easy to digest, and you can consume it quickly during the “window.” It also allows you to carefully achieve an optimal balance between protein and carbs after a workout.

Train low: means to perform your training under low glycogen levels.

Compete High: Means competing under high glycogen levels.

TRAIN LOW COMPETE HIGH is a fuelling practice that some serious players use-sometimes unknowingly when they do double workouts and fail to refuel well after the first workout. The glycogen content present in the body plays a huge part in how long we can sustain performance over a long event. In theory training low stimulates the body to signal different pathways that support energy metabolism.

Training in a glycogen-depleted state can promote the body to be more efficient at utilizing fat and potentially spare glycogen during endurance exercise. Basically, it’s to develop a more efficient engine for endurance exercise. Yes; training low does have advantages, but not all the time.

“A good general rule of thumb for those wanting to play around with the train low concept is to train low during low intensity workouts and train high during high intensity workouts”.

Keep in mind that training in this low state too often may interfere with our ability to train hard. Whatever your sport is, remember to eat responsibly, with carbohydrate as the foundation of each meal and protein as the accompaniment. Consuming carbohydrate also allows for the replenishment of muscle glycogen after exercise. In a land mark study by exercise physiologist Dr. J. Bergstrom and his colleagues (Bergstrom et al. 1967), researchers compared the rate at which muscle glycogen was replaced in subjects who exercised to exhaustion and then ate either a high – protein, high – fat diet or a high- carbohydrate diet. The subjects on the high protein, high fat diet (similar to an Atkins –type diet with abundant steak, eggs, hamburgers, tuna salad, peanut butter, and cheese) remained glycogen depleted for five days. The subjects on the high – carbohydrate diet totally replenished their muscle glycogen in two days .This result shows that protein and fat are not stored as muscle glycogen and that carbohydrate is important for replacing depleted glycogen stores.

1. Players should consume about 450 ml of fluid approximately 1 to 1.5 hours before physical activity. After this fluid consumption, players should institute a sipping protocol (about half a cup every 10 to 15 minutes) with the sports beverage they will consume during their game. This will help ensure that exercise begins with blood sugar and blood volume at a good level.

2. After the last meal and before the beginning of exercise, foods that have a long gastric emptying time (i.e., foods high in fat, protein and fiber) should be avoided, as should unaccustomed foods and beverages.

3. Thirst is an important emergency sensation indicating the body cannot tolerate a great deal more fluid loss; but players should not rely on thirst as the primary indicator of when to drink. When the thirst sensation first occurs, players has already typically lost 1.5 to 2.0 liters of fluid.

4. Before thirst sets in, players should drink a carbohydrate-and sodium-containing solution at fixed and well-practiced intervals. Care should be taken to not over consume fluids during physical activity, particularly fluid devoid of sodium, as these may increase the risk of developing hyponatremia.During exercise; players should consume a beverage that provides about a 6% carbohydrate solution and a sodium concentration of between 100 and 200 milligrams per cup.

5. After physical activity, players should consume sufficient fluids to regain a good state of hydration, as indicated by clear urine .This should be done as soon as possible after the exercise is over. As a guide, the difference in body weight before and after exercise is an indication of the amount of fluid that was not replaced during exercise. 500 g of body weight is equivalent to 450 ml of fluid. A good training program will attempt to add sufficient fluid to the training regimen so as to avoid a significant weight (i.e., body water) loss.