Nutrition
Iamsurethatyouhaveheardthesayingthat“youcannotouttrainabaddiet.”Wellyoucan’toutplay
oroutliveoneneither.Nutritionisaverycriticalcomponenttoyourtraining,playing&living.Thefood
thatweeatplaysapartinhowhard&howwellyouareabletotrain&perform.Foodwillalsohowwell
thatwerecoverfromaworkoutaswell.Mostofthesportsthatweplay(field&courtsports)are
anaerobicinnaturethereforerequiresglycogenasamainenergysource.Thismeansthatyoursport
andthewaythatyouaretrainingforitisfueledbycarbohydrates(thesebreakdowntoglycoseinthe
bodyafterconsumption).Thismeansthatcarbohydratesshouldbeaprimaryfoodsourceforyour
workouts.Wealwayswantgoodchoicesofcourse,butdon’tgethunguponfaddiets,supplements,etc.
Ifyouwanttotrainandperformatahighlevel,thenyouintaketheproperfuel.
Carbohydrates
Asstatedabove,Carbohydratesaregoingtobeamajorfoodsourceforyourdailyworkouts.
Carbohydratesarebrokendowninto2categories:ComplexCarbohydrates&SimpleCarbohydrates.Itis
importanttoconsumeadequateamountsof“ComplexCarbohydrate”inmealspriortoworkoutsand
competitiontofueltheactivitythatisrequired.Youshouldalsoconsumesome“SimpleCarbohydrates”
priortoactivitytoprovideyoutheproperamountofenergytotrain.SimpleCarbohydrateshoweverwill
playabigrolewhenconsumedafteraworkoutbecauseitwillhelprestoremuscleglycogenreserves
whichwillhelpaidinmusclerecovery,andreducepostworkoutfatigue.
ExamplesofComplexCarbohydrates:
Potatoes,Bread,Rice,Pasta
ExamplesofSimpleCarbohydrates:
Fruit,Sugar,EnergyBars
“Brow”vs.“White”&“WholeGrain”vs.“WhiteBread”
Essentiallywholegrain&“brown”breadsandpastascontainlessrefinedcarbohydratesthereforethe
bodydigeststhemmoreslowly,releasingsteadieramountsofenergyoveralongerperiodoftime.
Therefore,thethoughtisthateatingwholewheat,wholegrain,“brownbread,rice&pastaismore
beneficialinpositivelyimpactingonesathleticperformanceandtheiroverallhealth.Ontheotherside
ofthat,“SimpleCarbohydrates,”eatingregularpastaorwhitebread,whitericehasthetendencyto
spikeyourinsulinlevelswithinthebodycausingaquickreleaseofenergyandthereforecausinga
“crash.”Withallofthissaid,theyarestillagoodsourceofcarbohydratesandifyouneedtoeatwhite
breadorwhiterice,itisnotgoingtokillyou.
Fats
Fatreallygetsabadrap.Everyonewantstogetasleanaspossible,especiallyasyoursportseason
approaches.Beingleanisgreat,howeveryoudon’twanttototallyremoveFatfromyournutrition.Fat
actuallyplaysanimportantroleinyourrecoveryandgrowthfromyourworkouts.Itisalwaystrickyto
howmuchandwhatparticularsourcesshouldbeconsumedforatrainingprogram.Itisinyourbest
interesttoavoidfoodsthatarehighinSaturatedFatsandfocusonconsumingfoodsthatconsistof
UnsaturatedFats.Avoidfoodthatisfried.FriedfoodisveryhighinSaturatedFatsthatyourbodydoes
notneed.
ConsumegoodsourcesofFatsuchas:
PeanutButter,AlmondButter,Avocados,AssortedNuts,CoconutOil
Protein
Proteinisaveryimportantmacronutrientforthebody,howeverdon’tgethunguptheHigh
Protein/LowCarbohydrateDiets.Manybelievethathighprotein/lowcarbohydratedietsarethebestfor
becomingleanandbuildingmass(muscle).Theproblemwithlowcarbohydratedietsisthat1)ithinder
yourperformanceasanathleteandduringyourworkouts2)Proteinisveryimportantforrecovering
fromintensestrengthtrainingbuttoomuchcanbeawasteoftime,moneyandenergyonthebodyasit
hastoprocessit.Remember,Carbohydratesfuelyourbody!Wecannotstressthisenough.
Themoreintensethatyourtrainingbecomes,themoreproteinyoushouldbeputtingintoyourbodyto
keepupwiththeprogressivebreakdownofyourmuscles.TheNationalStrengthandConditioning
Associationrecommendsthatadvancestrengthtrainingathletesshouldconsume1.5-2.0Gramsof
ProteinperKilogramofBodyWeightperDay.Howeverthereisalsoresearchthatsuggeststhatintense
strengthathletesshouldconsumeasmuchas2.2GramsperKilogramofBodyweightofProteinperDay.
Example:
BodyweightinPounds÷2.2=BodyweightinKilograms
BodyweightinKilogramsx2.0=ThenumberofgramsofProteinyoushouldconsumeeachday.
150lbs÷2.2=68.18Kilograms
68.18x2.0=136GramsofProteinperDay
ExamplesofHighQualityProtein:
Eggs(thewholeegg),Fish,Meat,Poultry,Dairy
NutrientTiming
Forthetypeoftrainingthatyouareabouttodo,youwillneedtomakesurethatyouareeatingthe
rightfoodsthroughoutthecourseoftheday,firstandforemost.Secondly,eatingtherightkindoffoods
attherighttimeofthedayiswhatisgoingtogiveyouthemostbenefitandyourbestgains.This
particularpracticeisknownasNutrientTiming.Essentiallytherearepropertimesforanathleteto
consumetheproperfoods.These“TimingWindows”willvarydependingonyourparticularschedule
lookslikeasfaraswork,class,andworkouts.HerearesomeguidelinestohelpwithyourNutrient
Timing:
1. Breakfastshouldconsistof70%Carbohydratesand30%ProteinandFattogetyourmetabolism
going.
2. Lunchshouldconsistof50%Carbohydrates25%Proteinand25%Fattohelpyoumaintain
properenergylevelsthroughouttheday.
3. Approximatelyandhourbeforeyourworkout,eataPreworkoutSnack;GreekYogurt,nuts
and/orapieceoffruit.
4. DrinkaPostWorkoutProteinShakeoreatsomethingthatcontainsapproximatelya4:1
CarbohydratetoProteinRatio.Don’tbeafraidtoeatsomethingthatishighincalories
immediatelyafteryourworkout.ThiscanbeknownasthePowerHour.Eatahighcaloricmeal
withinthefirsthourofworkoutcompletion.Yourshakeorfoodcanbeasmuchas800ormore
calories.Takeadvantageofthistime.
5. YourDinnershouldbelean:Approximately40%Carbohydrates,20%Fatand40%Protein.This
shouldbeconsideredaRecoveryMealfromtheDay.
Theseareguidelinesthatwillhelpyouachieveandmaximizeyourgainsfromyourworkouts.Remember
thesearegeneralguidelinesandtheyaresubjecttochangeifanathletehasspecificweightgainor
weightlossgoals.Thismayrequiresomemanipulationofcaloricintakealongwithdifferentintakeof
carbohydrates,protein,fats.
NationalStrengthandConditioningAssociationRecommendationsforDailyMacronutrientIntake:
•
•
•
55-65%Carbohydrates
20-30%Fats
10-20%Protein
“Byobtaining55to65%oftotalcaloriesfromCarbohydrates,aresistanceorpowertrainingathletecan
ensurehavingnear-optimalenergy”–DonavonL.Fogt,PHD.,NSCAGuidetoSportandExercise
Nutrition,pg.30
Thesimplestwaytofigureoutyournutritionistousecommonsense.Thereisalotofinformationout
therebutyouknowwhatisgoodforyouorwhatisreallybadforyou.Youshouldknowtoavoidfried
foods,fastfoodsandeatqualitysourcesofprotein,goodcarbohydrates,andunsaturatedfats.Eatsalot
offruitsandvegetables.
WaterConsumption
Drinkingtherightamountofwaterandkeepingyourbodyhydratedisthemostimportantthingthat
youneedtodo.Keepingyourbodyhydratedwillhelpreducetheriskofinjury,andaidintherecovery
fromworkoutsandcompetition.
Yourbodyis60%Water,thereforeitisimportanttokeephydrated.Thereisnotasingleorganismthat
cansurvivewithoutit.LikelegendaryStrengthCoachCharlesPoilquinsays,“Hydrationisthegreatest
determinantofstrength.A1.5%dropinwaterlevels,translatestoadropof10%ofyourmaximal
strength.”
Simplyput,thebestoffenseisthebestdefense.Hereisaguidelineoftheproperamountofwater,and
when.
•
Yourbodyweightinpounds(lbs.)x0.5-1.0=theamountofouncesofwaterthatyoushould
drinkinaday
Example:150lbs.x1.0=150ouncesofwaterperday
•
•
About2hourspriortoworkingoutdrink15-20ouncesofwater
15-30minutesbeforeworkout,drink10-16ouncesofwater
Trytodrinkapproximately16ouncesofwatereveryhourratherthantryingtodrinkmassamountsat
onetime.
Foodsourcesofcarbohydrate:
Grains
(Barley–pearl,potorhulled),Brownrice,buckwheat,bulgur,teff,millet,oatmeal,oatbran,
wildrice,amaranth,quinoa,popcorn(plain),sproutedgrain
Bread
Wholegraincrackers
Beans (black, black-eyed, kidney, white, navy, lima, pinto) and lentils
Fruit:
Apple
Apricot
Cherries
Cranberries (not dried)
Grapefruit
Grapes
Honeydew melon
Kiwi
Mango
Orange
Peach
Pear
Pineapple
Plum
Raspberries
Rhubarb
Strawberries
Watermelon
Vegetables (the following vegetables are higher in carbohydrate)
Beets
Carrot
Corn
Peas, green
Potato, sweet or white
Pumpkin
Rutabaga
Squash, summer
Squash, winter
Vegetablesthatdonothavealotofcarbohydrate:
Arugula
Asparagus
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage, green or red
Cauliflower
Celery
Collard greens
Cucumber
Eggplant
Green beans
Kale
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Onions
Peppers
Radish
Spinach
Tomato
Watercress
HealthyFats
Avocado
Nuts(almonds,Brazilnuts,cashews,hazelnuts,pecan,macadamia,walnut)
Nutbutters(thenaturalkind,notaddedsalt,sugarorhydrogenatedoil)
Seeds(chia,hemp,flax,pumpkin,sesame,sunflower),tahini
Oil(olive,canola,butter,olive,avocado)
Foodsourcesofprotein:
Turkey (breast, leg, thigh)
Chicken (breast, leg, thigh)
Pork (loin, chop, sirloin, tenderloin, Canadian bacon)
Beef (brisket, chuck, eye round, filet mignon, flank steak,
ground (extra lean)
Fish (mackerel, herring, salmon, sea bass, snapper, swordfish,
tilapia, tuna, cod, shrimp, scallops, crab lobster, clams)
Eggs, whole or egg whites
Greek yogurt (non fat, 1% or 2%)
Cottage cheese, (non fat, 1% or 2%)
Tofu firm
Protein powder (although whole foods are encouraged, you get more nutrients from food than
from supplements). Protein powders can be a convenient way to meet your protein needs. If you
choose a vegetarian protein powder, like rice or hemp you will not be getting all the amino acids.