Why we need to eat to perform
Well i'm no expert, but over the past few years i've invested time and money into learning the role of nutrition when it comes to training and competing, especially in Powerlifting. Knowing how much food needs to be consumed each day and the fitting amount for an individual prior to a training session. Because our main goal is to increase muscle mass, increased strength and be fueled before lifting heavy weights.
Surely eating dirty to get bigger and make gains will suffice? Mostly Wrong, ensuring you hit all targets for both micro and macronutrients can be a big contributor to performance. But if there comes a point of under eating and not able to fulfil the remaining calories for your day, then you may want to fill those calories with more satiating foods.
While we are participating in exercise or strength sports, some may under look the importance of nutrition and the need for adequate amounts of food to perform and for the body's ability to recover at a much quicker pace. We need to fuel our bodies before each session to be at our best. As an athlete, you could honestly have the best training program in the world, but if your nutrition isn't matching then you are doing yourself a disservice.
Most novice lifters may not have the basic understanding of nutrition or knowing how to educate oneself on where to start. My advice first up is to get in contact with a sports dietitian to assist and help educate. If that's not possible, use the internet and do some research on sports nutrition, how to calculate your daily caloric intake and how to track food. The amounts of food will vary depending per person and different lifestyle factors.
Some advice - Start with the basics:
eat well balanced meals full of whole foods with a decent serving of protein, a serving of good carbohydrates and fats.
Drink plenty of water
Incorporate 3-5 serves of vegetables daily
Incorporate 2-3 serves of fruit daily
Incorporate wholegrains and omega 3 fats into your diet
Limit but dont restrict processed foods
Dont be afraid of carbohydrates and make sure you have enough before training.
How do you know if you need to be in a surplus or deficit?
Coming into a competition, there is no harm for someone to be in a slight caloric surplus. The athlete (unless cutting weight to get to a weight class) would benefit from this to optimise performance in the last few blocks of training. Being in a surplus can also help with fatigue management (if all other stressors are managed), stress, mood swings and irritability and also recovery.
Athletes needing to cut weight for competition will need to be in a deficit but can maintain strength with a higher protein target. Performance may be affected - depending on the individual.
Surplus - onwards from a >5% increase of total calories on top of maintenance calories. To gain muscle we must be in a surplus. This may also result in some fat gain if the surplus is large.
Deficit - onwards from a >5% decrease of total calories from maintenance calories. To drop body fat and weight we must be in a caloric deficit. Working with a dietitian or sports nutritionist will be best to get the best results.
So, What should you eat and when before a training session?
Getting in a meal of simple carbohydrates and a serving of protein roughly 60-90mins before any session is best to have a positive effect on performance. This allows the body to digest the food and not have too much of a discomfort while training.
If you aren't able to get a meal in 1-1.5hrs before hand, try to have a meal with complex carbs 2-3 hours prior then some easy digestible snacks like bananas, jam sandwiches, muesli bars, lollies, gatorade etc 45-60mins. ( I am all about the snack life)
What about Post training?
A decent serving of protein should be consumed in a rough 2hr window post training, as well as a serve of complex carbohydrates to follow.
Other things not to be overlooked that go hand in hand with nutrition include:
Sleep - BIIIG factor to make a priority in your life.
Sleep plays a vital role in our health, if you are not getting enough sleep it can affect us in many ways. It can take away our recovery time, play a part in injury risk management, strength decrease and performance, motivation and also energy levels. The ideal number of hours of sleep for the average adult is 7-9 a night.
Hydration - Hydration is also very important, its ideal to get in an adequate amount of water throughout the day. Try to have some upon waking up, then with each meal and also pre workout to make sure the muscles are also hydrated. Dehydration has alot of negative impacts on the body.
Supplementation -
Creatine - There are many benefits to consuming creatine in regards to muscle growth. It can help increase intra muscular water content and improve athletic performance.
Caffeine - A stimulant to help increase performance, to help create the hyped and alert feeling and sensation.
