Fuel Your Workouts

Getting back into fitness after the summer can be a challenge.

- Eve Boggenpoel

Even with the best of intentions, annual holidays, al fresco socialising and looking after the kids during the school break can mean your training schedule goes on the back burner, leaving you with reduced fitness and looking a little less toned than you’d like!

If you’ve been struggling to meet your pre-summer fitness goals or simply aren’t seeing the gains you’re looking for in your workouts, it could be time to rethink your diet. Finding the right fuelling strategy for your training sessions can boost endurance, build muscle and help you recover quicker. We spoke to three top sports nutritionists to help you discover your perfect workout fuel, whether you’re doing HIIT, resistance or long runs.

SPINNING

When you perform high-intensity endurance exercise, your body breaks down glycogen (stored carbohydrate in the muscles) as well as fat to fuel your muscle cells. The greater the intensity, the higher the proportion of glycogen used. ‘Starting your workout with full glycogen stores will allow you to exercise hard for around 45-60 minutes before you need to refuel,’ says Anita Bean, registered nutritionist and author of The Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition (Bloomsbury Sport, £18.99). Given that a one-hour, fast-paced Spin class can burn up to 600 calories, you need to make sure you’ve eaten sufficient carbohydrates in advance.

FUEL UP FOR SPINNING