Energy Systems Approach to Nutrition and Supplementation for Olympic Weightlifting
Olympic weightlifting is one of the most athletic activities an individual can participate in. Like all sports, both training and nutrition are critical to athlete success; therefore this article aims to provide additional nutrition and supplementation information to fuel the unique energy demands of it.
Needs analysis: Brief Summary
There are few, if any, examples within sport 100% reliance upon a single energy system. Olympic weightlifting is an explosive, high power output sport. It includes a near exclusive reliance upon energy production systems that are optimized for speed of fueling such as ATP-PCR.
Figure 1. Energy Systems and Exercise Summary (download PDF to see figure 1)
Energy Systems Approach to Nutrition for OL
Total ATP (energy) supply is aided by glycolytic and aerobic energy production pathways especially in regard to training sessions that involve intermittent effort and exertion for multiple hours. Athletes may meet their nutritional needs using a variety of dietary approaches. An important factor for nutrition for Olympic weightlifting incorporates ensuring adequate energy intake to support the volume associated with complementary exercise completed during training sessions. Therefore the best dietary approach is one that consistently meets the athlete’s needs while allowing them to meet their own improvement goals. After total energy intake needs are met, regardless of dietary approach, another important target should be to ensure primary energy system(s) that fuel performance are well-supplied. For Olympic lifters, ATP-PCr is a potential priority nutrition target to provide sufficient substrate to optimally sustain and replenish the major energy system fueling performance.
A Brief Review of Adenosine Triphosphate Phosphocreatine
The ATP-PCr energy pathway supplies energy at the highest rate possible in human muscle for exercise lasting 10 seconds or less. Creatine (Cr) is an important compound that is critical to increased energy production via ATP-PCr. In order to fuel explosive activities such as Olylifting, PCr may is rapidly cleaved allowing a phosphate to pair with free ADP, creating ATP, an immediate direct source of energy within muscle cells.
Free Cr generated via this process maybe recycled for further energy production in addition to improving performance and recovery following high intensity exercise. Additionally, Cr has been shown to improve buffering capacity and muscle relaxation, both of which facilitate performance benefits. Creatine is a priority nutrient that supports peak Olympic weightlifting performance through improved ATP-PCr metabolism.
Priority Nutrient, Creatine
Since ~95% of the creatine pool resides in skeletal muscle, most animal products inherently contain creatine. However, creatine concentration varies. As a general rule plants and animal-based products, such as milk, contain only trace amounts. Well-balanced diets that include an array of animal products have shown to provide more total creatine compared to variants of calorie-matched vegetarian/vegan diets. This is an important consideration for the plant-based athlete who wants to obviate creatine deficiencies caused by the diet.
Most omnivores consume approximately one gram of creatine through their daily intake, while another gram is synthesized endogenously. Thus the overall pool available is about two grams, daily. Supplementation increases the available pool of creatine two or threefold, which in turn increases the concentration of creatine that may be present in the muscle to facilitate ATP generation, buffering, and muscle relaxation. Nonetheless, while meat-containing diets are less likely to cause creatine deficiencies compared to vegetarian/vegan lifestyles, creatine supplements may provide performance advantages for virtually all Olympic weightlifters.
Athletes that consume animal products, specifically meat, benefit from a submaximal dose of creatine. However, achieving the ergogenic dosage of creatine associated with a loading phase (~25g/day) through whole foods represents an unrealistic challenge. It would require consuming unrealistic quantities (~8-15lbs raw weight) of higher creatine-containing meat sources such as herring, ground beef, or chicken breast on a daily basis.
* download PDF to see Figure 2
Creatine content in select food groups. Graph generated from values presented previously Williams (1999); Miroslav & Navratil (2011); Dahl (1963)
Creatine supplementation: Rationale and Strategy
Creatine supplementation is safe and can significantly increase and maintain enhanced creatine within the muscle indefinitely. This is why the phosphagen system is the crucial first-tier response for anaerobic energy demands in Olylifting. Skeletal muscle saturated with creatine will be more successful in ATP production during high intensity anaerobic exercise. Increased creatine within the muscle also enables bypass of the slow mitochondrial steps in energy production when peak power is needed for explosive activities.
Creatine loading and maintenance protocols highlighted below:
Loading Phase: For the first 7 days, take 5g creatine x 5 times/day (Total = 25g/day)
Maintenance Phase: After loading, take 5g creatine x 1 time/day (Total = 5g/day)
Foregoing the loading phase extends the time to peak saturation (~25-28 days vs. 7 days), but it will also minimize potential weight gain effects. The end saturation is the same following approximately four weeks of consistent supplementation, regardless, and the cost difference is minute, therefore it is individual athlete preference whether to supplement with larger doses during the loading phase for athletes (Figure 2).
*Download PDF to see Figure 3. Creatine Content Within Muscle Diet and Supplementation Variations
Many companies are now trying to shorten the loading phase window by making various creatine pills or powder forms (anhydrous, monohydrate, micronized, HCl, esters). Various creatine moieties will always yield PCr within the muscle, irrespective of the way that it is delivered or packaged. The recent trends in powder formulations have been the result of efforts to increase oral availability of creatine; however, properly dissolved creatine is the most important factor that influences biological availability. For best results dissolve creatine in a warm beverage, such as tea, or even coffee.
Creatine Supplementation: Weight Class Considerations
Some athletes fear that creatine supplementation causes detrimental weight gain. Fortunately, many research studies have specifically evaluated this important question. Average weight gain is less than ~1kg. Creatine supplementation induces a favorable shift whereby fluid is shuttled to the intra-cellular water compartment due to osmotic changes present in muscle cells. Once inside the cell, creatine efflux back to the outside is inhibited by its polarity, which forces water to passively diffuse into the cell to normalize creatine concentration; cellular volume increases are dose-dependent. Creatine supplementation and water volume shifts have been investigated as a potential source of increased thermoregulatory risk in heat; in fact the opposite has been reported as creatine may have a positive influence on core body temperature and heart rate response.
Cells saturated with creatine may trigger anabolic responses via the proposed cell-swelling mechanism. Mechanoreceptors on the cell surface sense the ICW expansion and signal cell growth though satellite cell differentiation and mTOR. For athletes of greater training age, increases in strength are influenced heavily by changes in muscle mass or cross-sectional area. Anabolic stimulus contributed via creatine consumption in diet or supplements may provide additional benefit in experienced Olympic lifters. Similarly, smaller athletes have been shown to have greater relative changes in creatine content within the muscle which may provide some enhanced exercise fueling compared with larger athletes.
*Download PDF to view Table 1: References: Bufford (2007); Hultman (1996); Greenhaff (1994)
Bottom Line
Nutrition and supplementation can have huge impacts on athlete performance. Especially athletes that perform within weight class distinctions. Modulating creatine intake through diet and/or supplementing creatine can delay fatigue effect, aid recovery, and increase power output; especially later stages of high-volume training sessions or in various training phases which rep ranges are increased. Special care should be taken to consider the dominant energy system which fuels Olympic weightlifting performance as a guide for fine tuning nutrition and supplementation practices
Needs analysis: Brief Summary
- Exercise duration is < 2 seconds per lift
- High metabolic demand and power output during lift
- Primary Energy System = ATP + Creatine Phosphate (PCr)
- Extended cumulative training session duration
There are few, if any, examples within sport 100% reliance upon a single energy system. Olympic weightlifting is an explosive, high power output sport. It includes a near exclusive reliance upon energy production systems that are optimized for speed of fueling such as ATP-PCR.
Figure 1. Energy Systems and Exercise Summary (download PDF to see figure 1)
Energy Systems Approach to Nutrition for OL
Total ATP (energy) supply is aided by glycolytic and aerobic energy production pathways especially in regard to training sessions that involve intermittent effort and exertion for multiple hours. Athletes may meet their nutritional needs using a variety of dietary approaches. An important factor for nutrition for Olympic weightlifting incorporates ensuring adequate energy intake to support the volume associated with complementary exercise completed during training sessions. Therefore the best dietary approach is one that consistently meets the athlete’s needs while allowing them to meet their own improvement goals. After total energy intake needs are met, regardless of dietary approach, another important target should be to ensure primary energy system(s) that fuel performance are well-supplied. For Olympic lifters, ATP-PCr is a potential priority nutrition target to provide sufficient substrate to optimally sustain and replenish the major energy system fueling performance.
A Brief Review of Adenosine Triphosphate Phosphocreatine
The ATP-PCr energy pathway supplies energy at the highest rate possible in human muscle for exercise lasting 10 seconds or less. Creatine (Cr) is an important compound that is critical to increased energy production via ATP-PCr. In order to fuel explosive activities such as Olylifting, PCr may is rapidly cleaved allowing a phosphate to pair with free ADP, creating ATP, an immediate direct source of energy within muscle cells.
Free Cr generated via this process maybe recycled for further energy production in addition to improving performance and recovery following high intensity exercise. Additionally, Cr has been shown to improve buffering capacity and muscle relaxation, both of which facilitate performance benefits. Creatine is a priority nutrient that supports peak Olympic weightlifting performance through improved ATP-PCr metabolism.
Priority Nutrient, Creatine
Since ~95% of the creatine pool resides in skeletal muscle, most animal products inherently contain creatine. However, creatine concentration varies. As a general rule plants and animal-based products, such as milk, contain only trace amounts. Well-balanced diets that include an array of animal products have shown to provide more total creatine compared to variants of calorie-matched vegetarian/vegan diets. This is an important consideration for the plant-based athlete who wants to obviate creatine deficiencies caused by the diet.
Most omnivores consume approximately one gram of creatine through their daily intake, while another gram is synthesized endogenously. Thus the overall pool available is about two grams, daily. Supplementation increases the available pool of creatine two or threefold, which in turn increases the concentration of creatine that may be present in the muscle to facilitate ATP generation, buffering, and muscle relaxation. Nonetheless, while meat-containing diets are less likely to cause creatine deficiencies compared to vegetarian/vegan lifestyles, creatine supplements may provide performance advantages for virtually all Olympic weightlifters.
Athletes that consume animal products, specifically meat, benefit from a submaximal dose of creatine. However, achieving the ergogenic dosage of creatine associated with a loading phase (~25g/day) through whole foods represents an unrealistic challenge. It would require consuming unrealistic quantities (~8-15lbs raw weight) of higher creatine-containing meat sources such as herring, ground beef, or chicken breast on a daily basis.
* download PDF to see Figure 2
Creatine content in select food groups. Graph generated from values presented previously Williams (1999); Miroslav & Navratil (2011); Dahl (1963)
Creatine supplementation: Rationale and Strategy
Creatine supplementation is safe and can significantly increase and maintain enhanced creatine within the muscle indefinitely. This is why the phosphagen system is the crucial first-tier response for anaerobic energy demands in Olylifting. Skeletal muscle saturated with creatine will be more successful in ATP production during high intensity anaerobic exercise. Increased creatine within the muscle also enables bypass of the slow mitochondrial steps in energy production when peak power is needed for explosive activities.
Creatine loading and maintenance protocols highlighted below:
Loading Phase: For the first 7 days, take 5g creatine x 5 times/day (Total = 25g/day)
Maintenance Phase: After loading, take 5g creatine x 1 time/day (Total = 5g/day)
Foregoing the loading phase extends the time to peak saturation (~25-28 days vs. 7 days), but it will also minimize potential weight gain effects. The end saturation is the same following approximately four weeks of consistent supplementation, regardless, and the cost difference is minute, therefore it is individual athlete preference whether to supplement with larger doses during the loading phase for athletes (Figure 2).
*Download PDF to see Figure 3. Creatine Content Within Muscle Diet and Supplementation Variations
Many companies are now trying to shorten the loading phase window by making various creatine pills or powder forms (anhydrous, monohydrate, micronized, HCl, esters). Various creatine moieties will always yield PCr within the muscle, irrespective of the way that it is delivered or packaged. The recent trends in powder formulations have been the result of efforts to increase oral availability of creatine; however, properly dissolved creatine is the most important factor that influences biological availability. For best results dissolve creatine in a warm beverage, such as tea, or even coffee.
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Creatine Supplementation: Weight Class Considerations
Some athletes fear that creatine supplementation causes detrimental weight gain. Fortunately, many research studies have specifically evaluated this important question. Average weight gain is less than ~1kg. Creatine supplementation induces a favorable shift whereby fluid is shuttled to the intra-cellular water compartment due to osmotic changes present in muscle cells. Once inside the cell, creatine efflux back to the outside is inhibited by its polarity, which forces water to passively diffuse into the cell to normalize creatine concentration; cellular volume increases are dose-dependent. Creatine supplementation and water volume shifts have been investigated as a potential source of increased thermoregulatory risk in heat; in fact the opposite has been reported as creatine may have a positive influence on core body temperature and heart rate response.
Cells saturated with creatine may trigger anabolic responses via the proposed cell-swelling mechanism. Mechanoreceptors on the cell surface sense the ICW expansion and signal cell growth though satellite cell differentiation and mTOR. For athletes of greater training age, increases in strength are influenced heavily by changes in muscle mass or cross-sectional area. Anabolic stimulus contributed via creatine consumption in diet or supplements may provide additional benefit in experienced Olympic lifters. Similarly, smaller athletes have been shown to have greater relative changes in creatine content within the muscle which may provide some enhanced exercise fueling compared with larger athletes.
*Download PDF to view Table 1: References: Bufford (2007); Hultman (1996); Greenhaff (1994)
Bottom Line
Nutrition and supplementation can have huge impacts on athlete performance. Especially athletes that perform within weight class distinctions. Modulating creatine intake through diet and/or supplementing creatine can delay fatigue effect, aid recovery, and increase power output; especially later stages of high-volume training sessions or in various training phases which rep ranges are increased. Special care should be taken to consider the dominant energy system which fuels Olympic weightlifting performance as a guide for fine tuning nutrition and supplementation practices
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Alex Buga BS (Biology) is a graduate student in the Kinesiology Department at The Ohio State University. His current research project is focused on weight-loss variability and augmenting weight-loss in overweight individuals using an array of weigh-in and dieting strategies. He aims to graduate with a Master’s degree and continue on working toward a PhD. Rich LaFountain, Ph.D. CSCS, CISSN is a postdoctoral researcher at The Ohio State University. His research interests include investigations of human health/performance through diverse diet and training interventions. Rich has previously written articles and book chapters, and co-authored manuscripts on a broad range of topics including sports nutrition, supplementation, tactical performance nutrition, and strength and conditioning. |
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