Correlation between the consumption of carbohydrates and calories with the physical performance of adolescents practicing tennis

Abstract

The practice of physical exercises leads to an increase in caloric expenditure and consequently to a greater daily energy requirement so that there is no fall in physical performance, especially when it comes to high performance athletes who have extensive and exhaustive training routines. Tennis is not an exception for such characteristics, as it is characterized by departures of various intensities and duration, with intermittent stimuli and repetitive movements. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the carbohydrate intake and the daily energetic value that the athletes of tennis consumed had influence on the physical performance in aerobic power test. Eight tennis athletes, men, aged between 11 and 15, participated in the study. The following evaluations were performed: anthropometric (weight and height), body composition through electrical bioimpedance (BIA), a physical test (Yo-Yo Endurance Test Level 1) and finally an evaluation of food consumption (three hours on differentiated days, two being during the week and one at the end of the week). Subsequently, the variables were presented as mean and standard deviation. Athletes' body fat was 15.2 ± 4.8% while the estimated VO₂ Max was 45.3 ± 5.8 ml / kg / min. When correlating the carbohydrate and calorie consumption with the VO₂ Max of the athletes, no statistically significant values were found. In summary, the athletes presented anthropometric data above the recommended for the sporting modality in question and adequate consumption for carbohydrates only, since calories, protein and lipids were above the recommendation.