During workouts, the athlete's body is exposed to a great amount of stress and strain. The body will consume a great amount of energy during these times. For optimal functioning, the muscles in the body must be sufficiently strong and contain sufficient energy to withstand the vigorous demands placed on it during workouts.

The body needs plenty of energy during intense physical activities. The energy comes mainly from carbohydrates. They are stored in the muscles as glycogen and provide the fuel required for the short intense burst of energy. More glycogen is used up in more intense and longer duration activities. You'll have to stop exercising when your glycogen is depleted as your energy levels will be way down. To maintain sufficient glycogen in the muscles, you'll need to eat enough carbohydrates. Experts says that for every pound you weigh, you'll need 3.6g of carbohydrates daily. Therefore, if you're weighing 140lbs, you'll be needing 504g of carbohydrates everyday.

Protein is required for muscle building as it is the basic building material for muscle tissue. Athletes, especially those doing strength training, will need plenty of protein to build those muscles. The recommended daily protein requirement for serious strength athletes is 0.6 to 0.8 grams per pound of body weight.

Besides carbohydrates and protein, fat is also an essential nutrient. Fat provides fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins to the body. Moreover, a moderate amount of energy is also provided by fat. But it is not healthy to consume too much of it. Unsaturated fat should provide only 20% to 25% of your total calories requirement for each day.

Athletes should be well hydrated. In addition to the normal requirement of drinking 8 glasses of water everyday, they should also drink before, during and after workouts to replace the fluid lost during exercises. To ensure that you are well hydrated for workouts, drink 2 cups of fluid 2 hours before each workout. During the workout, you should drink 4 to 8 ounces of fluid every 15 to 20 minutes to keep yourself hydrated. After the workout, drink 16 ounces of fluid to replace fluid lost. If you want to be more precise, weigh yourself before and after workouts. You should drink 16 ounces of fluid for each pound lost during the workouts.

During prolonged period of workouts lasting more than 1 hour, sports drinks and energy bars can be used to keep you energized. Besides replenishing energy loss, sports drinks can also keep you hydrated during the exercises. After the workouts, you should consume some carbohydrates and protein to help in the repair and rebuilding of muscle tissue as well as to replenish glycogen stores.