Sports Fitness > Sports Injuries

Although athletes do need a little more protein than less active teens, it is a myth that they need a huge daily intake of protein to build large, strong muscles. Amino acid supplements won't help either. Muscle growth comes from regular training and hard work.We do not usually think of fats as being healthy, but athletes especially need to take in enough fat from their meals every day.

Small amounts or dark colored urine can indicate dehydration. Eating a balanced diet is another key to sports nutrition. The right combination of fuel (calories) from carbohydrates, proteins and fats gives you energy for top performance. The most important fuel source, carbohydrates come in fruits, vegetables, pastas, breads, cereals, rice and other foods, and should provide about 60 to 70 percent of daily calories.

Freestyle swimming too much or with poor technique, i.e., rotating your arm inward at the top of your stroke. Also: You're reaching too far overhead when you serve a tennis ball or using too much weight on behind the neck, military or incline presses.What's going on is that one of the tendons attached to your rotator cuff is being pinched between your upper arm bone and shoulder bone.

Carbohydrate intake: Your body may use protein for energy if you exercise with low levels of muscle glycogen or if you do repeated training sessions without eating more carbohydrates. When you start with enough muscle glycogen, protein supplies about 5 percent of energy.

Add hamstring exercises, like lying leg curls, to your exercise program. Soreness under or around the kneecap. The pain intensifies when you squat or climb stairs. Walking downstairs is more painful than climbing up.You're running on concrete or uneven surfaces in wornout shoes, or you're cycling on a seat that's too low or in a gear that's too high.