Synopses & Reviews
“In my opinion the weakest link in endurance performance is an athlete’s nutrition. This can be easily corrected, however, with Monique’s new book. She has demystified how to eat day by day and for the moments that count in a race and presented all of this information in an incredibly clear and adaptable way. Athletes of all levels will be able to fine-tune their diet and finally perform at their top level. I wish this book had been written during my career!” — Mark Allen, six-time Ironman Triathlon World Champion
Newly updated and extensively revised, Monique Ryan’s second edition of Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes will equip you with a smarter plan for personal nutrition. Get the information you need to make better choices on a daily basis, be strategic about the timing and portions of the foods you eat, and choose the fuel that will work best for your favorite endurance sport.
Creating a sport-specific diet involves more than drawing up a list of foods and meals. Use this book to:
• Make an accurate assessment of your body composition
• Lose body fat and build muscle
• Better time your food intake
• Identify the best sports nutrition products
• Learn the real facts about vitamins and minerals
• Plan wholesome, balanced meals with sample menus and convenient shopping lists
This new edition includes expanded post-training nutritional recovery, a new chapter on nutrition for rowing, and a larger format to accommodate more than 100 tables and figures that make it easier than ever to make a plan that will work for you. Discover for yourself the difference that a smart nutrition plan will make in your training and competition.
Monique Ryan, MS, RD, LDN, has provided endurance athletes with winning advice on the science of food for more than 20 years. She is a consultant to the complete spectrum of athletes from newcomers to world-class professionals. She is also the founder of Personal Nutrition Designs, based in the Chicago area.
Review
“Ryan demystifies the dietary cosmos, offering easy ways to eat for optimum performance.” — Triathlete magazine
"Monique has helped guide me to become an Olympian and World Champion in the sport of cycling. To find that competitive edge, take the next step by adding the nutritional component to your daily training regime. A great place to start is by reading Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes." — Kristin Armstrong, 2009 and 2006 World Time Trial Champion, 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist, Two-Time U.S. National Time Trial and Road Race Champion
"In my opinion, the weakest link in endurance performance is an athlete’s nutrition. This can be easily corrected, however, with Monique’s book Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes. She has demystified how to eat day to day and for the moments that count in a race and provided information in an incredibly clear and adaptable way so that athletes of all levels will be able to fine tune their diet and finally perform at their top level." — Mark Allen, six-time Ironman World Champion
"I have always believed that the top Ironman athletes train very similarly, and that winning or losing comes down to nutrition and mental toughness. Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes sets the standard for getting you fueled to the finish line." — Tim DeBoom, Two-Time Ironman World Champion
"Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes is a must-read whatever your competitive goals may be. This book will serve as a complete source for all your nutritional inquiries." — Alan Culpepper, two-time Olympian, two-time U.S. 10K champion, three-time U.S. Cross Country Champion
"Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes is a comprehensive nutritional guide. Monique Ryan provides valuable information that helps athletes maintain their energy levels and maximize their ability to perform in endurance events." — Dede Demet Barry, 2004 Olympic Silver Medalist, former U.S. National Criterium and Road Race Champion
"Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes offers an accurate and clear direction for today's competitive rowers. The information complements how I handled my diet as an athlete and the direction I offer both light and heavyweight rowers today." — John Riley, Two-Time U.S. Olympic Rower, eleven-time U.S. National Champion, former U.S. National Team Coach
Synopsis
Endurance athletes regularly push their bodies to the limits with strenuous training regimens that demand smart nutrition. This book provides sound nutritional guidelines to boost athletic performance in triathlon, cycling, swimming, distance running, cross-country skiing, mountain biking, cyclo-cross, and adventure racing. First, Monique Ryan creates an excellent all-purpose sports diet. Based on the building blocks of a balanced diet — carbohydrates, proteins, fats, as well as fluid, vitamin, and mineral requirements — the diet forms the foundation of the endurance athlete's good health. Individual chapters then offer detailed nutritional advice for athletes training and competing in specific sports. Ryan offers healthy approaches to losing body fat and building muscle and clearly explains the different nutritional needs of training, racing, and recovery. Also included in this practical, easy-to-use guide are tips on meal planning, shopping lists, sample menus, advice for vegetarians, and a review of popular ergogenic aids.
Synopsis
Monique Ryan distills nearly two decades of experience counseling athletes on their nutritional needs into this comprehensive yet accessible book. She discusses both general principles -- useful for endurance athletes in any sport -- as well as specific guidelines for those involved in triathlons, cycling, mountain biking, swimming, distance running, and more. The book's three sections cover the basics of building a healthy diet, training nutrition, and sports-specific nutrition.
Synopsis
Ryan distills nearly two decades of experience counseling athletes on their nutritional needs into this comprehensive yet accessible book. Includes photos, charts, tables, appendixes with sample menus, shopping lists, vegetarian information, and much more.
Synopsis
For any endurance athlete who is committed to better performance, smart nutrition can make the difference between setting a new PR or bonking into a disastrous race result. The fastest athletes are the ones who consider their daily nutrition as carefully as their workouts. Even small improvements in nutrition can deliver better training and faster recovery.
Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes is your complete reference for every question on fueling, post-workout recovery nutrition, weight loss, ergogenic aids, vitamins and minerals, and supplements. This nutritional bible for endurance athletes demystifies sports nutrition, debunking myths and misconceptions to explain the principles that fuel athletes to better performance.
Certified sports nutritionist and dietician Monique Ryan examines the building blocks of an effective, high-quality diet, showing you how to balance your diet to support your training and how to hydrate for any type of workout or weather.
Ryan explains optimal diets for each endurance sport: running, cycling, triathlon as well as mountain biking, cyclocross, swimming, and rowing. For each sport, Ryan explains what to eat, how much, and when during normal training and on race day. You’ll learn what to eat before and during workouts, how to balance your body’s hydration and salt levels, and what foods will help you recover fastest.
Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes also provides invaluable guidance on:
- meal planning with sample menus and typical shopping lists,
- how the glycemic index of foods can improve fueling and recovery,
- how to avoid sports-related vitamin and mineral deficiencies,
- which sports nutrition products are effective,
- how to improve your power-to-weight ratio.
Improving your performance means improving your nutrition. Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes is your guide to better nutrition and your comprehensive reference for all questions on nutrition for endurance sports.
Synopsis
Monique Ryan, MS, RD, LDN, CSSN is an internationally recognized sports nutritionist with nearly 30 years of professional experience helping elite and age-group endurance athletes and professional, major-league sports teams to optimize their nutrition. She is founder of Chicago-based Personal Nutrition Designs and the best-selling author of Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, Performance Nutrition for Winter Sports, Performance Nutrition for Team Sports, and Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition. Ryan has worked with USA Triathlon, USA Cycling, Synchro Swimming USA, the Timex Multisport Team, Chicago Fire MLS Soccer Team, and four professional cycling teams. She is often interviewed in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Runner’s World, Fitness, Men’s Journal, Men’s Health, Outside, and Oxygen.
About the Author
Monique Ryan works in the Chicago area.
Table of Contents
Contents
Introduction vii
PART I
YOUR DAILY PERFORMANCE DIET: Optimal Food and Fluid Choices for Endurance Training and Health 1
Chapter 1 Daily Hydration Essentials: Drinking It In 5
Chapter 2 Energy Nutrients for Optimal Health and Performance: Building a Solid Nutrition Base 15
Chapter 3 Vitamins, Minerals, and Electrolytes: The Nuts, Bolts, and Spark Plugs of Your Diet 41
PART II
YOUR TRAINING DIET: Fine-Tuning Your Diet for Top Performance 67
Chapter 4 The Daily Training Diet: Eating for Optimal Recovery 69
Chapter 5 Timing Food and Fluid Intake for Training and Competition: Fine-Tuning Your Food Plan for Optimal Performance 115
Chapter 6 Weight, Muscle Building, and Changing Body Composition: Boosting Your Strength-to-Weight Ratio 155
Chapter 7 Ergogenic Aids: Separating Fact from Fiction 181
PART III
SPORT-SPECIFIC NUTRITIONAL GUIDELINES: Putting Your Sports Nutrition Plan into Action 203
Chapter 8 Nutrition for Triathlon 205
Chapter 9 Nutrition for Road Cycling, Mountain Biking, Track Cycling, and Cyclo-Cross 229
Chapter 10 Nutrition for Distance Running 251
Chapter 11 Nutrition for Swimming 267
Chapter 12 Nutrition for Rowing 281
Chapter 13 Nutrition for Adventure Racing 295
Appendixes
Appendix A Glycemic Index of Foods 309
Appendix B Comparison of Vitamins and Minerals 313
Appendix C Comparison of Sports Nutrition Products 317
Appendix D Creating the Optimal Training Diet 321
Appendix E Sample Menus 331
Selected Bibliography 341
Index 349
About the Author 358