96306 Recovery and Nutrition for High Performance Sport
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Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Description
This subject examines the role of recovery and nutrition in high performance sport. Firstly in module 1, the subject’s content focuses on developing a theoretical comprehension of fatigue and recovery to create a strong understanding and evaluation of methods surrounding the monitoring, interpretation, and reporting of appropriate interventions. Students also learn to optimise the selection of assessment protocols, critique methodologies appropriate to the athlete and evaluate the decision making process present in athletic settings and environments. In addition, students learn to adapt to industry recovery issues and solve critical problems in high performance sport. In the second Module, content focuses on fundamental nutrition principles that includes the role of energy balance and macronutrient availability and manipulation for training adaptation, preparing for competition, optimising body composition and nutrition troubleshooting for high performance sport practice. Here students learn how to diagnose and problem-solve various industry issues/scenarios, educate key stakeholders and develop strategies to optimise behaviour change. In addition, content focuses on contemporary topics and evidence-based nutrition practice to benefit athlete health and performance.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| A. | Critically evaluate methods surrounding the monitoring, interpretation, reporting of appropriate recovery and nutrition interventions. |
|---|---|
| B. | Critically evaluate current evidence related to training, competition and recovery nutrition and translate into practical recommendations for use within high performance environments. |
| C. | Sensitively and effectively communicate with a range of stakeholders in diverse social, cultural and multidisciplinary sports settings. |
| D. | Select optimal assessment recovery and nutrition protocols and methodologies appropriate to the athlete or team and the situation and solve critical problems in high performance sport. |
| E. | Analyse and evaluate principles for safe and effective practice to improve performance and reduce risk in a sports setting by adopting a critically reflective and self-aware accountability, as well providing ongoing feedback on observable and/or measurable performance outcomes. |
| F. | Formulate specific development goals and objectives whilst upholding the ethical practice and the values of sporting excellence, fairness and athlete safety and wellbeing. |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes specifically to the following graduate attributes:
- Translate ongoing personal and professional development into practice through research, critical thinking, and reflection. (1.1)
- Synthesise expert knowledge and skills to solve real-world problems in high performance sport, guided by evidence-informed practice. (2.1)
- Model socially-responsible, legal, and ethical behaviour within interdisciplinary high performance sport environments. (3.1)
Teaching and learning strategies
This subject incorporates a range of learning activities to engage students. The student learning journey will take place online, in Canvas. Modules will give students the opportunity to view content at a time and location that suits their busy schedules. They will also provide an equivalent learning outcome to the traditional face-to-face lectures, whilst giving students added flexibility with their learning. They will focus on understanding recovery and nutrition concepts, characteristics of effective interventions and operating and succeeding in high performance environments. Students will develop expertise and synthesise contemporary evidence to prescribe recovery and nutrition techniques and employ those relevant to high performance sport practice. They will also learn ways to positively affect behaviour change. These activities will require collaboration with others, preparation work and various interactive mediums (e.g. Zoom).
Feedback will be provided to students throughout the session via several mediums. Each week students will complete online tasks and peer feedback will be central to the review of this content in the module activities. The subject coordinator will also provide feedback and discussion about these formative tasks where appropriate, and they will lead debriefing discussions within online forums on Canvas. The tutorial activities and these forums provide the opportunity for students to receive low-stakes feedback. There will be a high concentration of low-stakes feedback in the early weeks of each module to enable students to understand the foundation concepts of the subject, and equip them with the knowledge and confidence to approach the more complex cases covered in the second half of each module. The assessment items will be marked using a rubric which will be provided to students, along with written feedback about their work.
Content (topics)
Module 1: Recovery for the high performance athlete
- Welcome and introduction to the subject; conceptual examination of recovery
- Understanding recovery: theoretical frameworks for effective recovery plans, what are you recovering from, where and how does recovery fit in?
- Refueling: hydration and nutrition in the context of recovery
- Sleep: theoretical and sport context, measuring sleep quantity and quality with and without technology, effects of improvements and loss of sleep, sleep solutions for enhanced recovery
- Common recovery modalities for high performance sport: practical aspects of blending science and reality, active/passive therapies, compression cryotherapy, cold water immersion, practical approaches to measuring and monitoring recovery
- Designing purposeful recovery interventions: how and when to choose the right protocol, behaviour change, case studies
Module 2: Nutrition for the high performance athlete
- Nutrition for body composition: nutrition fundamentals for high performance sport; energy intake, expenditure and balance, relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-s); differing effects of training
- Nutrition and training adaption I: carbohydrate restriction and periodization; volume and intensity
- Nutrition and training adaption II: endurance and resistance exercise requirements; protein intake and energy deficit; individual versus team sports
- Troubleshooting nutrition situations in high performance sport: travelling with athletes; catering; dietary requirements; budget development and service delivery
- Nutrition education: translating evidence into practice; behavior change and education strategies
- Contemporary focus: gut health - general health and immune function; exercise and gut health/exercise induced gastrointestinal issues
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Recovery online discussion forums
| Intent: | The intent of this assessment is for students to contribute to three online discussion forums throughout the module. These discussion forums will focus on contemporary recovery topics and allow students to reflect on their own experiences as well as learn from others. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): A and E This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): .2 and 2.1 |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 15% |
| Length: | 250 words per post |
| Criteria: | Weighting: 15% (3 x 5%) |
Assessment task 2: Recovery assignment
| Intent: | There are numerous tutorial activities throughout the module where interactive scenarios will be undertaken as a learning method, and these will equip students with an understanding of the kind of activities undertaken during a typical practitioner recovery scenario. Specifically, students will choose from a range of recovery case study scenarios which will be provided to them, and they will design a recovery intervention/protocol specific to the chosen case study. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): A, C and D This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): .1, .2, 1.1 and 2.1 |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 35% |
| Length: | 2500 word report or a 10 -15 min (recorded/screenshare) video presentation (students can choose between these two submission types) |
Assessment task 3: Video blog contribution
| Intent: | The intent of this assessment is for students to contribute to three video forums throughout the module. These activities will focus on contemporary nutrition topics and allow students to reflect on their own experiences as well as learn from others. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): B and E This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): .2, 2.1 and 3.1 |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 15% |
| Length: | 3 x 5 min video (1 x 5 min video per topic) |
| Criteria: | Weighting: 15% (3 x 5%) |
Assessment task 4: Coach/athlete education presentation
| Intent: | The intent of this assessment is for students to utilise the skills learnt in the subject and apply them to a practical scenario. The aim is for students to synthesise information from a range of nutrition and performance case studies, along with the knowledge gained from the semester, to form a practical education session for a set of coaches or athletes. |
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| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): A, B, C, D, E and F This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): .1, .2, .2, 1.1, 2.1 and 3.1 |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 35% |
| Length: | 15 minute live Zoom presentation to UTS subject staff, but aimed towards an audience of coaches or players as outlined in each case study. |
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