FUELLING YOUR PERFORMANCE: ENERGY SYSTEMS, MACRONUTRIENTS AND MEAL PLANNING

When am I supposed to eat carbs? Only right after a workout? Or are those bad for me? I’ve heard of this other diet where you only eat fat; should I try that? A few pro climbers swear by plant-based diets...maybe they’re onto something! What are branched-chain amino acids again?? In our new book, Peak Nutrition, Chef Maria Hines and I have taken a deep dive into what it means to fuel for performance. 

Choosing what to eat and when to eat it can feel overwhelming, especially if you have performance goals in your sport. If you find yourself staring down an aisle of supplements at the grocery store, remember that humans eat food, not nutrients. Eating less processed food and more whole ingredients is a great first step toward feeling good and performing your best. 

Food is made up of nutrients, and how they move through the body is determined by how these nutrients are structured in the food we eat. To understand macronutrients, how our bodies use them for energy, and how to plan meals with the ideal proportions of macros, keep reading!

What are Macronutrients? 

Macronutrients are the fuels that provide energy, typically measured in calories, for us to move around and do the things we like to do. Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins are the three major types, and the food you eat determines the amount of each macronutrient your body takes in.

• Carbohydrates range from simple to complex and are found in foods like whole grains, legumes, sweet potatoes, fruits, and sugar. Carbohydrates are eventually broken down into glucose in the bloodstream. They are then stored as glycogen and broken down again into glucose when needed for energy during higher intensity exercise. 
• Fats are found in foods like olive oil, nut butters, avocados, fatty fish, and coconuts. Our body is great at storing fats to use as an energy source during regular daily activity, long duration / low activity exercise, or during rest periods during interval training. The simplest form of fat is a fatty acid, and our body joins fatty acids to store them as triglycerides.
• Proteins are found in foods like lean meat, fish, eggs, greek yogurt, hemp, or soy, all of which are digested into smaller amino acids when they enter our bodies. Amino acids are used for energy, to synthesize hormones, repair tissues, or make up other bodily structures.

How Does Food Become Energy?

Adenosine Triphosphate, or ATP, is the body’s energy currency. ATP carries energy for every baseline process in the body; you need a constant stream of ATP to keep climbing, walking uphill, or even just working at your computer. Energy is transferred into ATP from the foods we eat, and we are typically using energy stored from yesterday’s meals. This is why good daily eating habits are critical and why you need to eat enough calories!

Our bodies can only store enough ATP for a few seconds worth of maximal exercise. Any longer than that, and we have to generate ATP ourselves. The body uses three different systems to generate ATP; each creates ATP at a different rate and kicks in depending on whether oxygen is available in the system. All three systems are present during exercise to a varying degree, depending on the intensity. 

• ATP-PCR System (Anaerobic): This is the fastest energy we have available, but it only lasts a few seconds. This is an anaerobic system, meaning ATP is generated without oxygen present. This system powers max level, 1-2 climbing moves.   
• Glycolytic Pathway (anaerobic): This system kicks in at the same time as the ATP-PCR system, but it takes a bit longer to generate ATP. The glycolytic pathway uses stored glycogen in the muscles, glucose in the bloodstream, and glycerol from triglycerides (fats) to regenerate ATP. This is also an anaerobic system; it kicks in when you are gasping for breath during higher intensity exercise. When there is limited oxygen in the system, energy is transferred by burning glucose, which results in muscle fatigue from a surplus of hydrogen ions. Bouldering and sport climbing fall into this category.
• Oxidative Phosphorylation (Aerobic): We can’t sustain anaerobic energy transfer for too long; eventually we have to slow down, stop gasping for air, and introduce oxygen into the system. The oxidative phosphorylation system can generate ATP for a long time and is the main energy system used in endurance sports. The process that creates the most ATP in this system is called the Krebs Cycle. This process is initiated by two key enzymes: pyruvate (formed from amino acids) and acetyl-CoA (from fatty acids.). Multi-pitch and alpine climbing are primarily fueled by this system.

What Should I Eat?

We need carbohydrates to provide glucose for anaerobic activity, proteins and fats to form amino acids and fatty acids used during aerobic activity, and proteins to repair muscle tissues. Each day our bodies need a balance of all three macronutrients to adequately fuel our training and recovery. A good starting point would be to consume 20-30% protein, 30-40% fat, and 30-40% carbs. 

Depending on your activity level, age, size, and sex, you’ll have different energy needs. Calculate your basal metabolic rate (BMR) to determine the minimum calories you need for baseline daily activities. Then add your energy expenditure during exercise to figure out your total calorie needs per day. The total calories will be then broken down into fats, proteins, and carbs. It’s essential to get enough calories! Try not to cut calories. And aim to fuel more on rest days.

One helpful tool for measuring your macronutrient percentages is the “hand method.” This avoids the need for scales and complex calculations regularly. Plus it’s roughly proportional to body size! Using this method, aim for 1-2 palms of lean protein, 1-2 thumb tips of healthy fats, and one fist of colorful veggies and/or fruits in each meal. Most meals should also have 1 fist of slow-digesting, high-fibre carbs.

You may want to tweak the macronutrient portions recommended above, depending on your sport. For example, trail runners have much higher aerobic needs than boulderers, so they would likely need higher percentages of carbohydrates. By contrast, a sport climber or boulderer may need more protein.

When Should I Eat?

Timing your intake of carbs and proteins can be helpful for optimal performance and recovery. Eating carbs before and/or after training can help athletes, especially female athletes, perform better. Carbs eaten around workouts can be faster-digesting, with simpler sugars and starches. Try to choose whole foods as the main source of carbs as much as possible! A 50-50 or 75-25 carb and protein drink can help replenish muscle glycogen and repair muscle and can be consumed during or immediately after a heavy workout. 

Important note: don’t be afraid of carbs! Here are some favorites to eat at the crag: fruit, dried fruit, plain yogurt or Greek yogurt, honey, peanut butter, and any other fun snack. You can check out Peak Nutrition for more delicious ideas on what to take with you while you are active outside. 

Building Food Habits

There’s no silver bullet meal plan that will magically transform your athletic performance. Focus on incorporating good habits into your lifestyle, rather than quick fixes. The Peak Nutrition Anchors provide a good starting point to help you build awareness of your hunger. Start by working on one of the following anchors for two to four weeks. Once you feel consistent with that one, add the next.

• Anchor One: Eat slowly and to 80 percent full.
• Anchor Two: Eat whole foods.
• Anchor Three: Switch to water or zero-calorie drinks. 
• Anchor Four: Eat balanced macronutrient meals. 
• Anchor Five: Eat local and organic. 
• Anchor Six: Get to know your eating habits. 
• Anchor Seven: Experiment. 

Focus on the process of developing a positive relationship with food - the results will come later! Behavior change is key to creating habits to support your athletic goals. For a complete roadmap to building food habits, dive into the Peak Nutrition book!