Can The Refeeding Days Strategies Apply to Elite Soccer Players?

Introduction

On soccer it is common athletes want to reduce their body fat percentage because they think feel light in the pitch [1]. and even knowing that a high carbohydrate diet is usually recommended both on training days and matches [2]. including currently established carbohydrate periodization strategies [3,4]. combineategies that combine high carbohydrate intake with a low percentage of body fat becomes interesting for this athlete because, during the off-season periods, the elite soccer players tend to reduce their performance after training cessation [5]. Into another sports, like strength sports for example, the athletes can benefit from a refeed strategies, especially during undertaking severe energy restriction combined with a specific training protocol [6,7]. something strategies that could correlate with soccer by reducing caloric intake to avoid gain in fat percentage during off-season and offering high carbohydrate intake in some days for keep performance. Therefore, the objective of this work is opined about the possibility of refeeding days strategies being applied to elite soccer players by hypocaloric diets without to harm their performance.

Discussion

Actually, has been proven that hypocaloric diets with low carbohydrate consumption for short periods were able to decrease body fat and waist circumference in elite soccer players without harming their performance [8]. However, this low total carbohydrates intake, in the long term, may lead the athlete to lose energy and to worsen their sport performance. Besides that, a recent study in resistance-trained individuals showed that periods of continuous energy restriction interrupted by short refeed periods, i.e., the refeeding days strategies, may help to reduce compensatory metabolic responses and improve weight loss efficiency, maintain the performance [9]. This way, although they are recommendations not yet used for elite soccer players, the refeeding days strategies can be used in any sports, including soccer, where the athlete want to lose fat percentage without lose performance, this occurs by implementing one or two days and hand over a high carbohydrate and energy intake (generally at or slightly above body weight maintenance levels), thereby providing a break from the consecutive days of energy restriction [10].

Conclusion

As there are still no publications on refeeding days for elite soccer players, the author brought through Table 1 a dietary recommendations proposal using refeeding days strategies already proposed to resistance athletes [6,7,11,12]. correlating them with applications involving energy and macronutrient intakes for elite soccer players previously published [13]. This way, it can be observed the refeeding days strategies commonly applied to resistance athletes can be applied to soccer players during soccer off-seasons to help them lose body fat percentage without impairing their performance during the trainings. However, clinical studies that prescribe diets for a considerable sample are necessary for these recommendations’ scientific basis and their real implications for soccer.

Table 1: A proposal of refeeding days strategies to elite soccer player.

Abbreviations: CHO: carbohydrates; PTN: protein.

Acknowledgements

I always thank my parents and my friends who cheer daily for my success.

Statement of Authorship

The author declares that he was the only one to idealize, write and promote this innovative research.

Funding sources

The author declares to have no funding for this research.

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