Fuel: Eat Right Before You Train
Fuel: Eat Right Before Your Martial Arts TrainingBy Dasha Libin |
Because it takes longer to digest, the fat you eat provides a low-level energy supply that unfortunately includes the potential for gastrointestinal upset during training and competition. The protein you eat helps you feel satisfied. The actual fuel you need to function, however, comes from carbohydrates, which support your body with the energy you need to sustain a full and productive training session. There are three types of carbohydrates you should be familiar with: low, medium and high glycemic. The higher the glycemic index, the faster the food will cause a rise in your blood sugar, which creates a burst of energy and then a letdown or even a crash that can ruin your workout. So unless you want to gas just as you’re trying to pass the guard or unleash a barrage of punches, your pre-training food choices should consist of low-glycemic carbohydrates such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, peanuts and carbohydrate-rich drinks such as those found in Gatorade’s Elite Series. When it comes to nutrition before a high-intensity workout, timing is crucial. The closer you get to your start time, the smaller your meal should be. A full meal can be taken approximately four hours before training, after which the amount of food you eat should decrease—to a half portion two hours before and then a snack one hour and 15 minutes before start time. Recommendation: Four hours before you hit the mats, down some whole-wheat pasta and tomato sauce, along with a piece of fruit and some water. You’ve just filled your gas tank. Two hours later—during which you’ve done other things and burned some energy—eat a bowl of All-Bran cereal with banana slices and milk. You’ve topped off your tank. An hour or so before you get down to business, focus on carbohydrates and fluids—think natural fruit smoothies, granola, apples, bananas or whole-grain Fig Newtons. You’ve just filled your tank all the way up to the gas cap. If you’ll be training for much more than an hour, you’ll benefit from an octane boost. Pick up a bottle of Gatorade’s Carbohydrate Energy Formula and down it 15 to 30 minutes before training. It contains 79 grams of easily digested carbohydrates, which will help sustain your energy level and enable you to maintain optimal output for hours. As a martial artist, you have an exceptionally high variety of energy demands. For the best performance, think carefully about what your pre-training meal should be and experiment to determine what works the best for you. Once you have the winning formula, your body will benefit by being able to go longer, faster and harder. Next month, I’ll discuss post-training nutrition, which is essential if you want to minimize your recovery time and maximize your gains. (For more nutrition and fitness advice, check out the latest issue of Black Belt. Dasha Libin has a master’s degree in sports science with a specialty in performance enhancement. She works as the strength-and-conditioning coach at Anderson’s Martial Arts Academy. She’s a certified full instructor in jeet kune do concepts and Philippine martial arts under Paul Vunak and Thomas Cruse and a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Vitor Shaolin Ribiero. For more information, visit andersonsmartialarts.com.) 
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