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Theory Lesson Resources�Lesson 5�Nutrition and resistance training: Myths and recommendations

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What aspects of nutrition do you think are important for resistance training?�

ACTIVITY 1

For most adolescents, nutrition for resistance training is similar to the Australian Dietary Guidelines and Australian Guide to Healthy Eating

Resource: Information sheet about Nutrition for the Adolescent Athlete

ACTIVITY 1 – Collaborative Mind Map – Nutrition and RT ⌚ 10 min.

Mind map on board as a class - What aspects of nutrition are important for resistance training?

Nutrition for resistance training in adolescents aligns with the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. Refresher on AGHE

AGHE for children and adolescents

AGHE brochure

AGHE plate

Inquiry question: Why may some adolescents require different nutritional intake? Some adolescents who are doing more resistance training may need to think about other aspects of nutrition to support their training. For example, consuming adequate fuel / energy, adequate hydration, foods to fuel their body before training, foods for recovery.

See information sheet: Nutrition for the Junior Athlete

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Australian Dietary Guidelines

Achieve and maintain a healthy weight, be physically active, and choose nutritious foods and drinks to meet energy needs
Enjoy a wide variety of foods from all of the food groups
Limit foods high in saturated fat, added salt, added sugars, and alcohol
Care for your food; prepare and store it safely

ACTIVITY 1

Resource: Information sheet about Nutrition for the Adolescent Athlete

ACTIVITY 1 – Collaborative Mind Map – Nutrition and RT ⌚ 10 min.

Mind map on board as a class - What aspects of nutrition are important for resistance training?

Nutrition for resistance training in adolescents aligns with the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. Refresher on AGHE

AGHE for children and adolescents

AGHE brochure

AGHE plate

Inquiry question: Why may some adolescents require different nutritional intake? Some adolescents who are doing more resistance training may need to think about other aspects of nutrition to support their training. For example, consuming adequate fuel / energy, adequate hydration, foods to fuel their body before training, foods for recovery.

See information sheet: Nutrition for the Junior Athlete

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Fruits and vegetables

Grains and cereals

ACTIVITY 1

Healthy eating for resistance training

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Meat and alternatives

Dairy and alternatives

Fats and oils

ACTIVITY 1

Healthy eating for resistance training

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Who needs specialised advice on nutrition during a resistance training program?

All adolescents participating in a resistance training program (jumping on the spot)
Elite adolescent athletes (squat hold)

ACTIVITY 1

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The Australian Dietary Guidelines provide suitable advice for adolescents who participate in general physical activity, including resistance training
Special issues of sports nutrition begin to emerge for those who have a high-level of participation in sport
Elite adolescent athletes are advised to receive individualised support from accredited sports dietitians

Nutrition for the Junior Athlete

ACTIVITY 1

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ACTIVITY 2

Resistance training and nutrition

There are a lot of myths and misperceptions when it comes to nutrition and resistance training. Lets see how you go identifying the myths from the facts!

ACTIVITY 2 – Myth Busters – Nutrition and RT ⌚ 15 min.

Quiz

students to step forward/ back if agree or disagree with dietary misperception. Examples of misperceptions: supplement recommendations for adolescents, pre workout supplements, protein intake, sports hydration drinks, fad diets (e.g., keto/ high fat diets, clean eating, IIFYM), diet variety (e.g., meal prep and diet rigidity). After each question inquiry/probing questions should be asked to the students as to why they agreed or disagreed and evaluate how they came to this decision. Slide show to critique resistance training nutrition myths and misperceptions to enhance decision making, problem solving and health literacy skills.

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Young people need protein supplements and pre-workout to make the most out of resistance training and build muscle��

ACTIVITY 2

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Adolescents need to eat a lot of protein to build muscle during a resistance training program ��

ACTIVITY 2

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Focusing on how the body looks during and after resistance training can be negative to a young person’s mental health

ACTIVITY 2

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Ketogenic or high fat low carbohydrate diets improve resistance training outcomes in adolescents��

ACTIVITY 2

While there may not be severe performance declines for athletes who exercise at low intensities, athletes who need to include moderate to high intensity exercise during their training or competition (most athletes) can compromise the quality of training sessions and performance by following a low carbohydrate diet. During moderate-high intensity exercise the body is unable to use fat as a fuel quickly enough and requires carbohydrate to produce energy. When recovery time between training sessions is short (<8-12 hours) the negative impacts can be even worse. Inadequate carbohydrate intake has also been linked with decreased immune function in athletes and can compromise maintenance (and increase) of lean mass.

There are many different approaches that can be used to manage weight. Low carbohydrate diets may be useful in some situations when there is no need for quality or high intensity training (e.g. during injury periods). But, to avoid compromising performance, athletes who want to exercise at a moderate-high intensity during training sessions or in competition should include quality carbohydrate in their diet and the amount of carbohydrate eaten should be matched to their training and physique goals.

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Sports drinks (e.g. Powerade or Gatorade) are �the best option for hydration during resistance training

ACTIVITY 2

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Including a variety of foods from each of the food groups is recommended in resistance training

ACTIVITY 2

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Critiquing Nutrition Information

10 Red Flags of Junk Science

Recommendations that promise a quick fix
Dire warnings of danger from a single product or regimen
Claims that sound too good to be true
Simplistic conclusions drawn from a complex study or information
Recommendations based on a single study or source
Dramatic statements that are refuted by reputable scientific organisations
Lists of “good” and “bad” foods
Recommendations made to sell a product
Recommendations based on studies without peer review
Recommendations from studies that ignore individual or group differences

ACTIVITY 3

Resources: 10 Red Flags of Junk Science Worksheet and Article 1 (the same information sheet as the one for activity 1) and Article 2

ACTIVITY 3 – Critiquing Nutrition Information ⌚ 15 min.

Teacher introduces 10 red flags of junk science in evaluating nutrition information. Nutrition misinformation can have harmful effects on health and wellbeing. Following fad diets or trends may have a negative impact on your resistance training goals. It is important to be able to critique nutrition information to determine if it is reliable. The 10 red flags for junk science is a useful tool to be able to assess if nutrition information you find online is reliable.

In small groups, critique 2 online information pieces of differing quality. Use Nutrition for the Adolescent Athlete (from Activity 1) and Nutrition for the Young Athlete as second article. Have a brief group discussion about critiques and comparisons between the two.

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Homework

If you are on social media (e.g. Instagram), follow one of the pages listed below
Note what changes you observe in your feed, content, advertisements and pop-ups

Sports Dietitians Australia
Australian Institute of Sport