Carbohydrates
As previously mentioned in the introductory page, hockey is a sport that involves short intermittent bouts of high intensity shifts that can last anywhere from 30-85 seconds (1-3). Because of these high intensity and short duration bouts, the energy derived by your body to allow you to skate, stick-handle, body-check etc, is primarily coming from the anaerobic (lack of air) breakdown of carbohydrates, to produce ATP (the dominant form of energy in the body) (5).
Further to this point, carbohydrates for elite hockey players will be their major fuel source, and therefore proper intake of carbohydrates at various times before a game will help to optimize your performance, and avoid fatigue. Carbohydrate ingestion post-game is also important as it will properly prepare your body for the next game/practice/training session.
Further to this point, carbohydrates for elite hockey players will be their major fuel source, and therefore proper intake of carbohydrates at various times before a game will help to optimize your performance, and avoid fatigue. Carbohydrate ingestion post-game is also important as it will properly prepare your body for the next game/practice/training session.
Total daily CHO intake for an elite hockey player (5)
CHO ingestion before, during, and after a hockey game (5)
Why are Carbohydrates so important to hockey performance? (5)
- Again as mentioned earlier hockey is a high-intensity sport, with intermittent bursts of energy. Fats are another primary source of energy for humans, however fats cannot be oxidized fast enough at high intensity exercise (like hockey), to provide the necessary energy to support muscle contraction, therefore, hockey players are heavily reliant on carbohydrates (5). Having ample carbohydrates before the game will allow your optimal performance, as well as delay the onset of fatigue; carbohydrate ingestion during the game will allow you to remain sharp and at your best performance, and lastly ingestion of a large portion of carbohydrates after your game will help replenish lost glycogen stores as a result of your game, and help you prepare effectively for any subsequent games/training sessions/practices.
- Again as mentioned earlier hockey is a high-intensity sport, with intermittent bursts of energy. Fats are another primary source of energy for humans, however fats cannot be oxidized fast enough at high intensity exercise (like hockey), to provide the necessary energy to support muscle contraction, therefore, hockey players are heavily reliant on carbohydrates (5). Having ample carbohydrates before the game will allow your optimal performance, as well as delay the onset of fatigue; carbohydrate ingestion during the game will allow you to remain sharp and at your best performance, and lastly ingestion of a large portion of carbohydrates after your game will help replenish lost glycogen stores as a result of your game, and help you prepare effectively for any subsequent games/training sessions/practices.
Types of Carbohydrates?
- Complex carbohydrates = CHO's from Fruits/vegetables that take the body longer to breakdown, but do not cause a large fluctuation in our blood glucose levels.
- Pastas are a good 3-5 hour pre-game meal as long as they do not contain too much fats or protein. Use lean meats if you are adding them to say a tomato sauce spaghetti, and add vegetables to your sauce. You can also incorporate a salad to increase you CHO load as well (5).
- Choose high Glycemic index (GI) foods (link below) for the most part unless it is less than 1 hour before the game, as this may alter your blood glucose too much and lead to adverse effects (5).