Anaerobic Metabolism for High-Intensity Bursts and Power

Athletes in power events such as weightlifting, hammer throw, and shot put must maximize their potential for success by improving muscular strength, speed, and power. Power development is a function of the maximum amount of energy that a muscle can produce quickly and is largely dependent on the distribution and trained state of type IIa and type IIb muscle fiber. These muscle types can quickly produce power by simultaneously recruiting more fibers than type I fibers are able to recruit; type I fibers are more associated with endurance sports. Since athletes in power sports follow training regimens that increase their muscle mass, they have unique nutrition requirements for supporting or enlarging this mass. These athletes must consume enough energy so the nutrients, including protein, needed to support this larger mass are available for anabolic use and are not catabolized to meet energy requirements. In addition, eating strategies must be carefully planned so the consumed energy is available for muscular use at the time the muscles are in greatest need. Some power sports require “making weight,”-while others place a premium on gaining weight. However, the resultant weight loss or weight gain should always value the maintenance or increase of muscle mass. This chapter presents the full spectrum of nutrition tactics power athletes can employ to meet the specific needs of their sports, whether it is to increase mass to be a more competitive lineman on a football team, or to make weight for a wrestling competition.

Nutrition Tactics for Power Athletes

Anaerobic Metabolic Pathways

A Sampling of Sports Relying on Anerobic Metabolism