This excerpt from NSCA’s Guide to Sport and Exercise Nutrition discusses carbohydrate loading strategies for athletes to achieve optimal athletic performance.

The purpose of this article is to give an overview and theoretical framework on the concept of periodized nutrition—with an emphasis on adequate carbohydrate intake to enhance performance.

Before sports nutritionists and coaches begin prescribing unconventional eating recommendations to athletes, it is important to consider the scientific evidence supporting a low-carbohydrate diet for boosting athletic performance.

Dietary fat has both long-term and short-term effects on an athlete and athletic performance. “Fat loading” as a strategy to improve athletic performance remains unproven.

The purpose of this article is to help both personal trainers and clients with seven main concepts within exercise physiology that will improve training effectiveness and assist in explaining the body’s response to exercise.

The extent to which a special operator’s training schedule can be planned in advance is often limited due to their unpredictable operational demands. However, there may be opportunities to plan for specific training during certain periods.

Although it may be possible to increase skeletal muscle levels of carnitine by combining it with relatively large amounts of carbohydrates repeatedly throughout the day, or by taking it with choline, there is limited data that shows that carnitine is a fat-burner that results in significant reductions in fat mass.

The goal of this article is to promote professional dialogue and broaden the knowledge of ways to use nutrition and recovery techniques to work with the physiological changes that come throughout the menstrual cycle.

In this episode, we catch up with 2014 NSCA Assistant College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year, Caitlin Quinn, about her current position at Toyota Racing. Quinn shares her path from working for over a decade in collegiate athletics at Florida State University to taking a leap into unfamiliar territory in National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon. Learn about her needs analysis for working with youth developmental drivers, as well as physiological, behavioral, and nutritional factors that impact racing performance. This episode shares an alternative view on strength and conditioning culture and the expectations that we place on ourselves as coaches. Quinn opens up about creating harmony between professional and personal lives, as well as seeking out the best environment to continue development as strength and conditioning professionals. You can connect with Caitlin on Instagram: @thequinn.44 | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

There are many factors, both personal and environmental, that play a role in the success of a training and diet program for an individual client. This article looks at the factors to be aware of and some solutions to finding the best fit program for an individual client.