Sports Nutrition Physiology and Anatomy

Discover skeletal muscle anatomy, including tissue types, connective tissue organization, fiber structure, and the roles of nerves and blood vessels in voluntary contraction.

Explain how skeletal muscle contracts via the sliding filament mechanism, where calcium releases troponin and tropomyosin to expose actin binding sites, enabling myosin cross-bridges and ATP-driven power strokes.

Learn how adenosine triphosphate acts as the body's energy currency and how food energy is converted into ATP to fuel muscle contractions via three energy pathways.

Explore the three energy systems—phosphocreatine/ATP system, anaerobic glycolysis of glycogen, and aerobic breakdown of glucose and fat—and learn how energy yields, lactate, and intensity shape their use in exercise.

Explore how immediate energy (ATP-phosphate creatine), anaerobic glycolysis, and the aerobic system activate in parallel to fuel exercise, with soccer illustrating glucose and fat fueling the aerobic system.

Discover how muscle endurance relies on fiber types, especially slow-twitch type one fibers, with mitochondria, myoglobin, and endurance training driving adaptations via PGC-1α.

Explore skeletal muscle power in explosive sports, defined as force times velocity, and see how type two fibers and energy stores drive rapid contractions and performance.

Explore how regular training and leucine-activated protein signaling via mTOR builds muscle size, including the two hypertrophy types—myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic.

Explore how the cardio respiratory system delivers oxygen to working muscles and removes carbon dioxide. Learn how cardiac output, capillary density, and hemoglobin influence VO2 max and endurance.

Explore how total daily energy expenditure breaks down into basal metabolic rate, the thermic effect of food, and physical activity, using mets and pal to estimate energy needs.

Explore the Schofield equation to estimate basal metabolic rate and apply physical activity factors to determine daily energy needs for different genders and activity levels.

Master estimating an athlete's daily energy requirement by combining BMR and PAL with exercise energy expenditure. Use met scores to quantify cycling or running costs, illustrated with practical examples.

Learn how to monitor energy intake to maintain energy balance in athletes using food records, 24-hour recalls, and diet history or food frequency questionnaires, with their pros and cons.

Learn how athletes manage energy balance to lose body fat while preserving muscle by creating a safe energy deficit through diet, training, and protein ingestion.

Explore low energy availability and relative energy deficiency in sport (rats), its causes, and how energy balance affects metabolism, bone health, and athletic performance.

Clarify the differences between sports, exercise, and physical activity by highlighting competition, purpose, and intensity, and by using met scores and examples to classify activities.

Explore how the body's three energy systems power different athletic activities. Identify five athlete types—strength, sprinter, power sport, endurance, and team sport—and tailor nutritional strategies to each.

Apply the three level sports nutrition pyramid to build a balanced athlete’s diet, optimize energy intake, macronutrient timing, hydration, and targeted supplements for performance and recovery.

Build a solid foundation in sports nutrition, physiology, and anatomy to optimize performance through a balanced nutrition and activity approach, and plan further study in this field.