It’s important to understand that while yes, the choice you make for your pre-game meal can have a huge impact on your ability to perform just hours later, it’s just as important to look at the contribution the last few days’ worth of eating can have on the game you’ll play today. Pre-game meals are usually given such focused attention because it is usually the last thing you put into your body before taking the field. However, if we were to look at weight training in the same way, we’d mistakenly think that the rebound that you just grabbed was a direct result of the last set of squats you did in the workout the day before the game.
Do you think that’s true? Of course it’s not. The fact that you were able to out-leap three or four other guys to pull that ball down had more to do with the consistent efforts and hours you’ve been putting in in the weight room for the last eight months to gradually build up your lower body strength and power with hundreds of sets of squats…not to mention lunges, step-ups, and plyometrics. You see? So, in much the same way, while your pre-game meal is significant and important, how you’ve eaten and fueled your body on a consistent basis leading up to that day has just as much, if not more of an impact on how much energy you’ll have in today’s game.
Consistently good eating habits provide your muscles with several days’ worth of glycogen building nutrients. It’s much easier for your muscles to absorb and store this key energy source when it’s delivered with steady doses of usable glucose as opposed to flooded with it from some pre-workout or pre-game gimmicky “Super Carbo Charger Sugar Shock Extreme” drink. Eating right for days leading up to your game is much more effective than short-term attempts to “do the right thing” last minute.
That said, what I’m trying to accomplish by the time you’re done reading is to make you realize that this glycogen depot is not only best built overtime, but that building it isn’t as hard as you may think. Remember, it’s the small changes that will ultimately lead to big differences, especially when it comes to the energy you’re able to bring to competition each and every time you suit up.
Now while the pre-game meal won’t necessarily lead to large increases in this stored form of energy, the right one will:
- Stabilize the blood sugar levels you’ve maintained up to that point in the day (with your timed eating), preventing any roller coaster like peaks or dips in your energy levels during the game.
- Provide some immediate usable energy from the circulating blood sugar it creates.
- And help you to avoid in-game hunger that is strong enough to distract you from the task at hand.
Not all pre-game snacks are created equal…both in their makeup and in their level of portability. Think about it, since half of the time you are going to be on the road playing away games, you’re going to want to have something that you can rely on that can easily be taken with you on the bus. Foods requiring an oven, a recipe book, or a sous chef to help you prepare are obviously not good choices. Instead, you’re going to need to find old standbys that you can eat at home and away, that make you feel energetic without bogging you down.
Let’s take a look first at some of the guidelines that you’ll want to follow in creating the perfect pre-game snack and then we’ll look specifically at what I consider my top selections for game day that I affectionately call my “Five For Fueling”.
A good pregame snack should follow my “7 Sacred Principles of Pep”…They are:
1. Start with starch – Starch is easy to digest and helps to keep blood sugar levels steady.
2. Trim the fat – Fats and oils slow down digestion and can leave you feeling too full and bloated at game time. What makes this worse is that your digestion is usually already slowed down due to your emotionally keyed-up state.
3. Shut out the sweets – Sweets and simple sugars can cause too quick of a blood sugar elevation, leaving you only to crash from your high later on…unfortunately most likely in crunch time!
4. Cut the caffeine – Many athletes reach for caffeine as a pre-game boost, but this perceived energy jolt is often short term and can quickly leave you dehydrated.
5. Add water – Never consume a pre-game meal (or any meal for that matter) without having a glass of water with it as well. It helps to aid the digestion and leaves you less likely to get stomach cramps later.
6. Digest the rest – Try not to eat immediately before competition. It’s better to leave at least 60 to 90 minutes between your snack time and your attack time, if you know what I mean!
7. Win – That’s what you’re doing steps 1 to 6 for, right? Then go get that “W”!
With this in mind I now introduce to you, as promised, my “Five For Fueling” Top 5 Pre-Game meals. In order to make the cut, each of these winners had to meet the above criteria and also be what I like to call “bus friendly”. I figured, if it can stand up to the road test, then it’s going to be a-ok at home as well.
FIVE FOR FUELING – TOP 5 PRE-GAME MEALS!
1. Banana and a bag of pretzels with bottled water
2. Soup and crackers (in a Thermos) with bottled water
3. Turkey Sandwich on whole wheat bread with bottled water
4. Breadsticks (3) and a yogurt with bottled water
5. Low Protein (low sugar) energy bar with bottled water
The point is….regardless what you choose, not only are wise choices needed in the hours leading up to tip off, kick off, or faceoff…but perhaps more importantly, a pattern of consistently good choices is vital if you want to bring your best game…EVERY GAME! If you still feel as if you’re lacking a grasp for what you need to be eating (or if you’re a coach and feel that your athletes are missing the boat on this hugely important topic) then head over to http://sportsnutritionblueprint.com and get my step by step, simplified system for optimal sports nutrition called the TEEN SPORTS NUTRITION BLUEPRINT!
If you act before Friday October 1st, you’ll get this resource for 25% less than it’s already low price….at just $72! There’s never been a better time to get a handle on perhaps the most confusing topic and misunderstood topic in the performance of our athletes. Sports nutrition doesn’t have to be however. It can be easy…if you have the right tools to make it easy. Your TSNB will be your most trusted resource from this day forward!
Stay Strong,
Jeff
Filed under Meal Timing, Sports Nutrition by on Sep 29th, 2010. 8 Comments. 
These days, it seems that almost every coach has some sort of a grading or ranking system for their athletes. Whether you’re calling them “A” players vs. “B” players, “Starters” vs. “Reserves” or “5 Tool Players” vs. “Prospects” it doesn’t really matter. The point is that grading a player enables you to more easily determine that players impact on your team and it’s chances of winning.
When it comes to evaluating my athletes nutrition…there’s one grade in particular that I find MOST CHALLENGING to make progress with when it comes time to improving their nutrition and that is my “CEE” Player. What is that? That’s my “Crappy Eater Exception“!
The “Crappy Eater Exception” or “CEE” player is that athlete that can pretty much eat anything they want and STILL excel on the field. In fact, I’ve seen plenty of these kinds of athletes in high school over the years. A lot of them are even racking up the All-Conference and All-State Team accolades.
BUT……
The interesting thing about these kids is that there are fewer of them at the next level in collegiate sports, and then even fewer in the pros. Is it just a numbers game? With less athletes actually participating in competitive sports as the level of play increases? Nope! On a percentage basis…the numbers reflect what is undeniably true and that is…LONG TERM, you cannot excel as an athlete if you’re not paying attention to your nutrition.
You will simply be outclassed and surpassed by the athletes that are getting it right. Athletically, the gap between where this athlete stood in high school vs his or her peers may have been enormous and large enough to overcome the crappy eating that was actually pulling them closer to the pack. Makes you think…can you imagine how good they could have been had they had their nutrition locked in in high school as well?!?!
Anyway, when the talent and physical gap is closed considerably (as it is once they start to compete at the D1 or even D2 and 3 level), it’s those athletes that are doing EVERYTHING right that stand out above the rest and not only maintain the edge on the field or court, but also are the ones that make the team in the first place!
So while “CEE” players may actually look like “A”s in high school….long term, they are not laying the foundation to be a successful athlete (or even just a healthy adult for that matter) if they continue their poor nutritional habits. The challenge that coaches face is that often times, this is the athlete that is most resistant to change because they probably are excelling on the field DESPITE their bad eating. But that’s ok, but that’s what coaching is all about. Knowing each of your players and knowing the opportune time suggest a change of habits. For instance, even your greatest players have a bad game every now and then. It is usually at that moment that most athletes are at least open to suggestion. As long as you’re not in their face ready to read them the riot act, and instead are there to just provide some useful information that allows THEM to decide that it’s time to do something about their nutrition…you will have made your mark and had a positive impact.
Remember…awareness is the first step to change. When your athlete becomes aware that perhaps his or her “A” Skills are being undermined by their “C” or “CEE” eating habits, and if you’re there ready to provide the answer at that moment that it’s needed the most…you will elevate that athlete to a much stronger, healthier, better player going forward than they were when they came to you. And after all, isn’t that the hallmark of a great coach?
Stay Strong,
Jeff
PS. Wouldn’t it be perfect if you could have a series of ready made nutrition “cheat sheets” that you could hand out to your players to help them overcome the most common challenges they’ll face with their nutrition? We talked about being ready to act at the moment that “CEE” player needs you the most. These cheat sheets keep you armed and ready like nothing else. And…they come as just one part of the Teen Sports Nutrition Blueprint System! To see more of what you get with this turn-key sports nutrition system head to http://sportsnutritionblueprint.com
Filed under Sports Nutrition by on Sep 22nd, 2010. Comment.
There are many misconceptions when it comes to proper usage of supplements. To help clear up some of these misconceptions I am going to give you a timeline of when and what supplements you should be using in your diets, or implementing into your kids or athlete’s diets.
**Note that these ages are based on how the average child matures. There are obviously children who mature faster/slower than their peers. This is something you need to take into consideration when starting to add supplements to your diet. Also, as always…it’s wise to consult a physician before you take any new supplements. **
Ages 3-12
Multivitamin- Regardless of age, it has been shown that children who take an age appropriate multivitamin experience more normal growth patterns and suffer from less diet induced vitamin deficiencies. It’s sometimes hard to overcome family eating patterns when you’re a child. Maybe you’re parents don’t believe in eating meat and your diet lacks in iron? The multi helps to overcome this. Again, it’s important to point out though, in the search for the perfect multi…you need to look for one that is again, suited for their appropriate age. In other words…you don’t want to get them the same multi-vitamin that a 50+ male would be taking. Sometimes these “senior” vitamins (for lack of a better term…don’t worry, I’m creeping up there myself!) contain additive vitamins for prostate health and skin/hair health that a child obviously would not require.
MAJOR POINTS
- Make sure the multivitamin is designed for your child’s age group.
- Select a multivitamin that provides 100% of the daily value for all vitamins and minerals and is actually ABSORBABLE! (The biggest factor in determining a good vitamin from a substandard quality one!
- Store multivitamins out of your child’s reach and make it clear that they aren’t candy.
- Multivitamins should not be used a replacement for proper nutrition. Be sure you are still offering your child healthy meals and snacks.
Fish Oil- Fish oil is often overlooked when it comes to supplements, but as a young child you should be taking it. A lot of children will have a hard time swallowing this size of a pill, and will resent the after taste (fishiness) but the benefits are well worth it. Being young, taste buds obviously aren’t geared to like a lot of foods, fish being one of them. There are obviously a lot of children who eat fish, but for the most part kids would rather eat chicken or beef. Adding fish oil to your child’s diet at a young age gives them the Omega 3’s they are most likely lacking due to no fish in their diet, and can be the key factor in maintaining normal growth and development due to the critical role that fatty acids play in basically every cellular process! Yes…GO FISH has more than one meaning at this age!!
Ages 13-14 (Young Teens)
13/14 is usually the age that teens are introduced to working out with weights. Generally, before this time (and as a rule, before going through puberty where the tendon attachments and bones have had a chance to mature more) my recommendation is to stick with bodyweight exercises and tubing only. However, that said, by the time this process is complete and the teen has a chance to start lifting with weights, my general recommendation is to hold off on any supplements besides those we just spoke of. Really there’s no need at this point. With most kids growing like weeds at this time, supplements to accelerate this are sort of like overkill and can do more damage than good (particularly if the wrong ones are taken). Once you have a solid foundation and understanding of how weight training works, you can start supplementing with more than multivitamins.
These include:
1. Meal Replacement Powders / Protein Bars – There is a common misconception that protein is bad for you which is completely false. Protein is perfectly healthy. The only time excessive protein has been shown to be dangerous is in individuals with already compromised kidneys (since the kidneys will have to excrete whatever excess protein you don’t utilize). It’s my feeling that some of the justified criticism of protein bars and shakes comes from source of the protein used in the products and the additives/artificial ingredients that go along with the protein. Be careful to avoid things like added stimulants, prohormones, nitrous oxide, etc and stick instead to high quality pure sources of proteins and carbs and you’ll be perfectly fine and will gain the muscle repair and restoration benefits that this essential nutrient delivers.
2. Specific Vitamins – ie. B, C, E, Calcium, etc.
Ages 15-19 (Teenagers)
Now that you have spent a few years in the gym and understand how your body works you can start adding more supplements to your diet. My top recommendations here include:
1. Creatine Monohydrate- There has been a lot of talk about how creatine is bad for you and it promotes injury, and damages your system. This, in fact, can be true if you do not consume it properly. My first suggestion is to discredit the “loading phase” that a lot of these companies tell you to do. This means you take 4-5 servings of creatine for the first week or so when you first start. A lot of times the abundance of creatine is too much for your body to handle and problems may occur (namely stomach upset and muscle cramping). Stick to a steady 5 gram a day dose, drink plenty of water (can you say the pee chart?!?) for best results and eliminate those side effects. Remember guys, a lot of these supplement companies tell you the serving amounts to take, but they are the ones selling it. So be careful as to how much you are taking regardless of what the label calls for.
2. L-Glutamine – As the most abundant amino acid in muscle tissue (and also the most consumed during activity), L-Glutamine supplements are taken for the purpose of replenishing depleted stores. It’s not a wonder supplement by any stretch of the imagination, but then again…those don’t exist. Instead it’s a supplement that when taken consistently, can provide that extra boost in your recovery to leave you feeling refreshed, more energetic and a step ahead of your competition. And as we know…sometimes…that one step can mean the difference between winning and losing!
Stay Strong,
Jeff
Want to know more in depth about the exact amounts and brands of these supplements that I recommend? See it all laid out in detail in my Teen Sports Nutrition Blueprint that you can grab over at http://sportsnutritionblueprint.com Take the confusion and technical out of nutrition and simplify it to the stuff that really works!
Filed under Sports Nutrition, Supplements by on Sep 9th, 2010. 2 Comments.
Man…it seems like just yesterday that I posted PART 1 to this article! Just goes to show you how quickly the Fall Season is approaching! We’re now down to just a couple of weeks. That said, are you going to be ready when your kids get to practice to ask them the right questions? Will you be ready to get to the root of their nutrition woes so you can reverse course and help them make their nutrition an ally instead of an opponent? You will if you ask these questions. So without another second delay…let’s take a look at questions 4-6!
4. Are you taking Nitrous Oxide Products?
If so…tell them to stop! These incredibly popular fad supplements are the rage right now. I don’t have actual statistics but I would bet that at least 50% of all males (and some females) who are working out and taking supplements in high school are using some form of a nitrous oxide product…and that’s BAD NEWS! These “vasodilaters” are unsafe and definitely not the right mix for an athlete who may already be a bit stressed (from the competition of trying to gain a spot on the varsity) and who might have a tendency to dehydrate (particularly if they are NOT watching the color of their pee and ARE taking creatine already!). Nitrous Oxide (NO) products are usually laced with high amounts of caffeine to give an intense stimulatory effect. The caffeine not only interferes with motor control (yes that means that your athletes can become jittery and prone to false steps/injuries/etc) but it can drastically change your body’s ability to absorb other important nutrients like iron. The dilation effect that this causes on the vessels in the body will not only shuttle more blood to your muscles (which is supposed to be one of it’s benefits…giving more energy) but also to your brain! This rush of blood flow to the brain has led to more than just a few documented migraines and is not the sort of chemistry you want your athletes to be fooling around with. Want to get them pumped? Have them watch HOOSIERS or “300″ a couple times before the big game, or pull out your best Knute Rockne speechto motivate them and you will have accomplished the same thing….in a far less dangerous way!
5. Did you eat a snack before practice?
One of the most overlooked times of the day to be fueling up is right before practice. If you think about it, the last time the majority of your athletes will have eaten is at lunch time (usually 3 hours before). Attempting to go an entire practice with no more incoming calories is like trying to drive your car cross country when you’ve only got enough gas to make it across the state lines! In order to produce a sustained effort and energy levels your body needs to be “fueled” every 3 hours AT THE LATEST! Failing to do this is not only going to take it’s toll on the performance output for that particular day or practice…but in the long haul, the ability of the body to recover and grow stronger will be compromised as well. A prepractice snack of a protein bar, a piece of fruit with skim milk, a half of a peanut butter sandwich, or even some trail mix is enough to help them to sustain some blood sugar stability heading into the next two hours of intense practice. Knowing that your athlete has “fueled” their tank can now give you confidence in knowing that they can give you all they’ve got without attempting to “run on empty!”
6. How many hours are you sleeping at night?
WHAT?!? That’s not a nutrition question! Actually, indirectly it very much is! In fact, it may be the most important of all of them. Why? Because even the greatest nutrition game plan can come absolutely unglued when the body isn’t allowed to recover properly. When you are sleep deprived your body fights all day just to provide you with enough energy and focus to “zombie” your way through the day. None of the nutrients are used to build you up stronger. That would be a waste of good useable energy in a time when perceived survival is the more immediate concern. Dating all the way back to the cavemen…being alert and having enough energy to run in case you found yourself face to face with a T-REX (the prehistoric version of that 300lb left tackle!) was the prime focus of your body. Any incoming energy was directed at allowing you to survive in situations like this. Where do you think muscle growth and performance enhancement fell on that priority list?? Umm…nowhere close to survival! Same thing applies here. If you’re burning the candle at both ends and barely squeaking by on your recovery and sleep…I don’t care how good you’re eating, or how hard you’re training…none of that will be reflected in your results since your body will just be trying to keep you from sinking even further into the overtraining abyss. The phrase “playing for the tie” applies perfectly here. No continued decline, but certainly NO improvement at all (in your skills, focus, muscularity, or athleticism) if you’re not completing the “nutrition” picture with proper rest and recovery. 7.5 hours of CONSISTENT solid sleep a night will get the job done. Find out how much your athletes are getting…before their lack of zzzz’s puts them on energy empty!
So there you have it. The 6 simple but information loaded questions that you need to be asking your athletes when they hit camp just days from now. No hard sell is needed. No need to go out and try to get a 2 week PHD on nutrition. Just 6 informative questions that will help you get a huge head start on not only knowing your team and what you’re bringing to the field or court this Fall…but also a giant edge on your competition who aren’t asking these questions!
If you’re looking to accelerate your knowledge of nutrition however and want to really gain the upper hand on your competition (but still don’t have the time it will take to learn ALL the ins and outs and the detailed scientific chemical reactions of nutrition and how it relates to performance) then head to http://sportsnutritionblueprint.com and get your copy of the TEEN SPORTS NUTRITION BLUEPRINT! It’s the practical solution you can implement in days with your team that is guaranteed to equate to at least another W or more this season without changing anything else! How important could that be? Be back next week with some more new tips and tactics to get the most out of your athletes by targeting the “INSIDE” track of their nutrition! See you then!
Jeff
Filed under Sports Nutrition, Supplements by on Aug 18th, 2010. Comment.
It’s almost that time of the year again! The buzz is growing, anticipation is brimming and opportunity awaits those who have prepared themselves the best for the upcoming Fall Sports Season! School’s back in session in just a few weeks! That said, while the brain may have been given a vacation for a couple months, if your athletes bodies and nutritional habits have as well…you could be in big trouble this season (especially if you’re hoping to compete for championships!).
You see, there really is no offseason anymore in the field of competitive sports. Yes, even at the high school level, there needs to be an initiation of good healthy habits that start to become ingrained in your athletes NOW so that they can carry over into their lives for years and years to come (long after competition has ended for some of them).
The Summer represents a time of opportunity. Opportunity for your players to make themselves better, and opportunity for you to make yourself a better coach. If both of these things happen…when you reconvene at the start of the Fall Sports season, you’ve got a much improved team. Better performance from the players and better leadership at the top.
That said…if in your preparation to become a better coach, you’ve eluded the topic of your athlete’s nutrition (really due mostly to an intimidation over the technical aspects of this kind of information) then I wanted to help you overcome that so that you could be armed with the right questions to ask and the key information that you’ll need to know to get a head start on a successful season and a unified team awareness of how important nutrition will be to ultimately the success of the team this year!
So without further delay….here is Part 1 of my “6 Questions Coaches Need To Know About Their Athlete’s Nutrition” to properly bring yourself up to speed on your athlete’s Summer habits….and more importantly….how to correct them in time for preparing for your greatest season ever!
1. Did you eat breakfast this morning?
If every hand doesn’t go up for this one (trust me, you’ll be lucky if half of them do!) then you need to do something about this before ANYTHING else! Breakfast not only sets the stage for all energy levels throughout the rest of the day, but it also delivers much needed nutrients to the brain to allow for better mental focus, attention, reaction time, and muscle contraction. Most of your athletes have gone over 8-10 hours without eating and the need to “Break” the “Fast” has never been greater than in the morning. For those who claim to “hate” breakfast, make them aware of what this is doing to their body and brain and find some way to convince them that even a little is enough to turn the tables on the energy roller coaster they’re about to embark on if they eat nothing at all!
2. What is the color of your pee?
Don’t laugh…and don’t be ashamed to ask? Whether we admit it or not, it’s normal to check out the color of your pee! After all, how else are we going to know when we’re entering into a severe state of dehydration. Sure, the headaches, dizziness, and nausea that comes with dehydration may give it away, but wouldn’t you like to know BEFORE that happens? After all….by the time it fully sets in it could be too late. So, rely on the old reliable and get your athletes into the habit of checking out the color of their urine throughout the day. The more clear it is, in general, the more hydrated that athlete is. The more dark or yellow…the more likely that they’re entering into dehydration (some vitamins may interfere with this rule, but for the most part it stands the test of time!). ”Keep it Clear” is the phrase you might want to use…especially with the extremely hot initial days of camp! To do this, suggest that your players take in half their weight in ounces of water a day! In other words….your 200lb athlete would need to take in 100 ounces of water each day. On days where there is a lot of sweating going on….recommend an additional 16 oz of water for every pound of weight lost during the hot practice just to replenish and get back to even again!
3. Are you taking creatine?
Most coaches intentionally shy away from supplement questions for lack of a good understanding of them….or worse, turn a blind eye to them as part of a “don’t ask don’t tell” policy! Either one is wrong and actually doing a disservice to your players and their health. If you’re a coach you NEED to know what your players are doing as it may change the recommendations you make to them. Case in point….creatine. Creatine monohydrate is one of the most used supplements in the world right now (particularly in young teens). Why? Because for the most part, long term studies have shown it to be safe AND effective at assisting a gain in weight (through increased intramuscular water and eventual new muscle growth) and increasing short term power output. That said, if your athletes are using this supplement and NOT getting adequate water replacement in to overcome the shuttling of the water INTO the muscles and OUT of the tissues surrounding the muscles…then you could be looking at a team decimated by faster dehydration and ultimately a rash of pulled muscles and injuries. Surely no coach wants to go to battle without his or her best players right? Take the time to find out who is using creatine and recommend that that athlete take in an additional 20% more water than what we figured out in the last question.
So that’s it! 3 to get you started….feel free to comment below or ask me any questions that you might want to know the answer to so you could be ready for the time the first day of camp arrives. In the meantime, stay tuned for next week when we hit the next 3 questions (including one on the most popular supplement being used right now that I absolutely hate that young athletes are using!) Til then…
Stay strong,
Jeff
To learn more about the ins and outs of sports nutrition so you can be a complete coach this season (yep…nutrition plays a huge part in how your players perform on the field!) then head to http://sportsnutritionblueprint.com and check out my step by step “TEEN SPORTS NUTRITION BLUEPRINT”! It takes the “technical” out of nutrition and makes it “practical’!
Filed under Sports Nutrition, Supplements by on Aug 11th, 2010. 15 Comments.
When becoming an elite athlete is your primary goal, there are obviously a number variables that need to absolutely be addressed to fulfill the equation for success. Among these variables, nutrition, and even more importantly hydration rank high in this performance equation. Of course this can’t come as a surprise to you guys by now…considering the fact that I felt strongly about this to write a darn book on it!!
There are many misconceptions dealing with dehydration. Since football season is coming up and the weather here out East is blistering hot, I wanted to cover some of the things you should be doing daily to get yourself primed for peak performance. Notice I’m talking about “priming” the body and not “reacting” after that fact…when it’s often too late? Just as you wouldn’t attempt to run a car without motor oil, you can’t expect your body to respond for you as you hit summer camp practices…if you’re not supplying it with the liquid that makes it run smoothly. Proactive Hydration is where it’s at my friends! Let me explain.
Some of you out there reading this might be entering into your upcoming football season…possibly on the bubble of getting that starting spot, or that scholarship you’ve always dreamed of, or just impressing your peers (and that cute girl you wished would show you just a little attention in school!). If that’s you…wouldn’t you want to give yourself the best chance possible to succeed? I mean after all, you spent the hours in the weight room to improve your strength, you’ve worked on your footwork and agility, you’ve improved your speed (hopefully by listening to my buddy Latif’s unmatched advice on the topic!), you’ve even decided to eat better knowing it will pay off on the field. Well, then why have you neglected to do perhaps the simplest of ALL of those things and just make sure you’re getting in adequate amounts of water?!?
Believe me…I’m not picking on you…because I sat where you do for many years. I hated drinking water! Go figure. I don’t know what it was….I just felt inconvenienced every time I had to go get a drink of water, so I just wouldn’t do it. That was until I actually started to see the serious effects not drinking enough could have on not only my body, but perhaps even more disturbingly for me (since I was busting my butt trying to get ready for football in the offseason) was the negative impact it could have on my performance!
How’s this one for you? A 3% drop in body hydration levels can decrease reaction time by up to 20%, power output by almost %30 and total strength by somewhere in between those two!! Draw that out a bit and it’s not too hard to see that speed, quickness, defensive ability, and nearly every aspect of your game dramatically suffers at again…just a 3% drop in total body hydration!!
When you consider that some athletes may lose up to 10-12 cups of fluid when practicing in hot/humid weather, it gets even more disturbing. That said, though…I’m not trying to make this look like a bleak situation….because it isn’t. As a matter of fact guys, it’s got a real easy solution. You ready? Drink more water!! I know…scientific huh? But truly that’s the essence of this. But where I can help you is to point out a few helpful strategies to make the whole thing less of a chore and easier to tackle (no pun intended).
The first important point is, again, you’ve got to stay proactive with your hydration! Don’t wait to feel thirsty….ever! I always say…if you let yourself get thirsty it’s already WAY TOO LATE! Avoid this by drinking constantly. Either keep a bottle with you all day and refill it often (I’ll even keep some rubber bands wrapped around my bottle and take them off every time I refill it…as a way of tracking how many bottles I’ve had for the day!) or just try to keep a small little Dixie cup near the sink and every time you walk through the room, stop and chug down 5 ounces! The little amounts consumed consistenly will quickly add up to a lot!
As you approach competition, there’s no such thing in my mind as pre-event and post-event hydration. Instead, drink before, during and after! You’ll be losing enormous amounts of water (and electrolytes) through your sweat as you compete…so keep that steady replacement going to never have to experience that 3% dip I referred to earlier. As far as what type of replacement qualifies as GOOD replacement, well….you can probably imagine that coca-cola isn’t on my list!
Just remember…when we sweat we not only lose water, we lose sodium and potassium so it is very important for athletes to replace these electrolytes as well. Sports drinks fit the bill perfectly here. To be honest, the type of sports drink doesn’t really matter (although my boy David Wright is sponsored by Vitamin Water so feel free to support them!). As long as you are replenish your electrolytes the name of the drink is not an issue. The best strategy to ensure equal amounts of water and electrolyte replenishment is to either alternate cups of sports drink and water….or just to dilute a sports drink with water. Either will work. Just remember to get both!
Finally…what if you think you may have gone too far? You feel as if you may already be dehydrated? How can you check? There are a number of ways to check and see, but the two ways I’ve found most useful with both myself and my athletes are the weight test, and the urine test. For the urine test…simply check the color of your pee! I know, simple, a bit juvenile but pretty effective. Light colored, diluted urine probably means you are hydrated; dark colored, concentrated urine is a good bet you’re dehydrated. Sure certain vitamins can throw off the color and darken even a hydrated person’s urine…..but in general this is a pretty good guage.
Weighing yourself before and after exercise is the other simple method. Any weight lost is likely from fluid, so it gives you a target amount to drink to replenish your losses and ensure you avoid dehydration. For every pound you lose you want to drink 16 ounces of water. Simple straight forward and effective.
Like mentioned above there is no one thing that will make you a star athlete, but there is a combination of things that can drastically make changes in your game. Adding more water and sports drinks to your daily regimen will surely increase your performance as I just heavily stressed…. but are you eating at the right times? Getting enough sleep? Understanding how your body/metabolism actually works? These are all things that athlete’s should understand and monitor if you’re looking to gain that competitive edge. If you’re looking for a simple, “plug and play” system that you can either use yourself or with your team…then I highly recommend you grab a copy of my Teen Sports Nutrition Blueprint today (http://sportsnutritionblueprint.com) and reap the benefits immediately.
Filed under Sports Nutrition, Uncategorized by on Aug 5th, 2010. 2 Comments.
As many of you know Taylor Lautner of the Twilight vampire cult flicks has one of the most envied bodies in Hollywood these days…particularly by teens. You can’t walk past a magazine stand without seeing him on SOME cover. So how did he do it? How did he allegedly add close to 30 pounds of pure muscle in just 6 months? Some say it was his perfect diet, others say it was his grueling workouts, and then there are those that resort to the good old steroid rumors. So, can a perfect diet and hard work equal a body like Taylor’s? The answer is absolutely! In fact, it’s a prerequisite. The real question is…can it be done so quickly and if so how? This is the kind of question I get asked almost daily by teens who are looking to quickly “bulk up” for the upcoming season to impress their coach and win a spot on the varsity squad. Let’s see if we can learn a bit from Taylor as we break down the components I just mentioned to see how to apply them the right way, to pack on the muscle while keeping fat gains to a minimum.
There are many misconceptions when it comes to burning fat and getting those abs showing. Many young athletes think cutting out calories is the quickest and easiest way to get your muscles showing? However, this is not the case when you are looking to have a body like your most envied celebrities, or even the biggest guy on your football team! Top athletes and famous actors/actresses do not cut meals when they’re trying to look good, they ADD meals. When Taylor is interviewed he constantly discusses how he was constantly eating to help speed along the transformation into the bigger version of himself. When you eat every 2 1/2 to 3 hours, you’re supplying your body with the constant stream of muscle building nutrients and calories that it needs, ensuring that at that very moment they might be needing it…your muscles will have the goods to get the job done. As you add lean muscle your metabolism will speed up and your body will burn fat. There’s this self propelling system that gets developed and the end result is that your body becomes a muscle building machine. Starve it of the food it needs, and it’s like forgetting to grease this machine. The gears will bog down, the machine will sputter and eventually stop working alltogether. I have always had the mentality that you can eat as much as you want as long as you are eating the right thing. Filling your diet with complex carbs, sufficient amount of protein, and essential fats, your body will be well on its way to where you want it.
After he got the diet part down Taylor knew he had to work extremely hard to burn off all these extra calories he was eating. Taylor’s philosophy to growing large muscles was to train with heavy loads at high intensity. By getting your muscles training close to exhaustion you will hit a growth stimulus that your muscles need in order to gain in mass. Many athletes train with weights they can handle and do not push themselves to the limit which will negatively affect muscle growth in the long run. Remember, you’re body loves to stay right where it is. If it doesn’t need to change….it won’t! This is called homeostasis. I know…big word, sounds scientific and sophisticated but it’s really quite simple. Provide your body with a reason to get bigger (by lifting weights that are a challenge to your present strength levels) and you will be rewarded with gains that seemed impossible to achieve by staying in your comfort zone.
I was recently asked through email if it’s possible to gain weight by football season (fall). The answer is YES, but how much weight is healthy and what are your expectations? Think about it…even if you gain 1-2 lbs per week until September 1st you’re looking at up to a 12 lb gain in pure mass. These types of gains will definetly carry over to the field and help you with your game. Just be aware of setting your sights too high and either putting on fat because you are trying to gain too much weight too quick (which will slow you down) or worse…resorting to dangerous or unhealthy methods when you see the weight isn’t coming fast enough to meet your 30lbs in 30 days expectations!
Like I have preached time and time again, the combination of a solid diet, and a dedicated workout regimen are the main factors in getting that celebrity body or even just the body that you’re confident will make you a better player. So what are you waiting for? It is never too late to start adding muscle and burning fat. My best advice to your whether you are trying to burn fat or add muscle, or both, is to simply pace yourself and avoid RUSHING to get your results. Taylor Lautner’s body is attainable, you just need to know how to attain it. Ignore the freakish rates at which he put on the mass and instead focus on what he did correctly so you can apply it to yourself. As always the formula for success seems to boil back down to three standbys. Work hard, eat right, and stay motivated!
Stay Strong,
Jeff
If you realize you need to be eating better (like Taylor) but haven’t quite found the way to “dial it all in” to a simple plug and play system then what are you waiting for to get a hold of your literal nutrition blueprint? Get a copy of the Teen Sports Nutrition Blueprint today and see how easy it can become to add lean muscle when you actually have a step by step plan for getting there. Nutrition just got a whole lot easier!
Filed under Sports Nutrition by on Jul 21st, 2010. 4 Comments.
With so much going on in the Summer you may find yourself putting off workouts because you just cannot find the motivation or the time. One of the greatest benefits of organized sports during the school year is that the schedule of school and practice makes it almost impossible to fall out of routine. The Summer, as I have written about before however, is a whole other issue.
Being the competitive person that I am…I couldn’t just sit back and accept this to be the case and do nothing about it. I’ve seen far too many teens come back to Summer workouts and August training camps in horrible shape, only to lose their starting jobs or worse, get injured, all because they stopped training during the Summer. So you can see, simply accepting it as a “fact of life” wouldn’t be good enough. That said, I do think that sometimes desperate times call for desperate (or at least creative) measures! I’ve come up with some new ways for YOU or your athletes to stay motivated throughout the Summer. I figured, with the huge popularity of social media sites like Facebook dominating most teenagers time during the Summer, why don’t we join in the fun and use it as a primary way to keep motivation for working out high?!? Let me explain.
When I was growing up, everyone was always worried about how much weight they could lift, how fast their 40 was, how high their vertical jump was, etc. This was and is still very common especially in high school athletes. Coaches even use record boards in weight rooms to get their athletes staying motivated during their lifting programs. But what happens when there’s no coach there to force you to attend workouts? You got it…..time to break out the “virtual motivator”….Facebook and your friend and networks you’re linked to on there.
By having access to a social media site such as Facebook you are given a chance to actually host your workout stats/goals for the public to see. The mere fact of publicly stating your workout goals for all to see can be a great motivator. Accountability has a way of making people just a bit more of an action taker for fear of failure. On the other hand, if you have friends who are in the same predicament as you, start a Facebook group where you can all upload starting pictures, stats, goals and progress pictures. From there retest dates can be set and there can be constant communication with one another (ok, maybe a bit of trash talking!) as results are posted and progress is made by all. As a coach and physical therapist, I’ve used and had to resort to so many ways to keep players motivated to succeed (particularly when seasons weren’t as successful) however, I can’t say I’ve found one that has been as big of a hit as this one. It’s engaging, fun and most of all effective. The “Buzz” factor is high too, so even with just a few kids starting out, it quickly spread to others who just wanted to be part of the “hot” thing that was going around. Again, realizing the amount of time our players are spending on social media sties, I figured, if we can’t beat em…let’s join em! Why not get them to spend some of that time in a productive way?
Once established, you can create a group called something like the “90 Day Transformation” crew and invite all of your friends who you think would want to join. Appoint moderators so there can be judges of the contests throughout. This group will serve as more than motivation. You can also use it to find out other friends workout schedules or see when they are at the gym. Working out with a partner usually works out better for most, but either way, whether you choose to go it alone (using that accountability to boost work productivity) or partner up with some buddies….it’s a win-win for all. Setting it all coudln’t be simpler. If you have trouble with any of it and you’re the coach, just simply call in one of your players… odds are, they’ll get it ten times quicker than you could any way…andy hopefully they won’t charge you!
Stay strong and continue to enjoy your Summer!
Jeff
Filed under Sports Nutrition, Uncategorized by on Jul 7th, 2010. Comment.
Low carb, no carb, low fat, no fat, grapefruit only, anything but grapefruit….who can keep track?!? There are so many diet fads out there and the list grows by a few hundred every day. It seems not a minute goes by without someone coming up with yet another way to lose weight…albeit temporary…by recommending you either restrict certain parts of your diet or eat particular thing in excess.
What ever happened to “everything in moderation?”
Well, if the fact that tens of millions of Americans are unsuccessfully riding this wave of diet misinformation isn’t bad enough, the recently disturbing rise in teens following in their parents footsteps is even worse. Now, not to dismiss my parents and coaches out there reading this but I’m sure you can understand that my heightened concern for this in the kids is justified.
You guys will be alright. With the exception of that “one guy” that we all know that still thinks it’s cool to party with their teens friends as if it were his first visit to a frat house…most of us are already fully developed biologically and capable of making decisions that we are responsible for. If you want to follow the Atkins diet (even though you’re destined to fail since you’re depriving your brain of the number one source of fuel it needs in it’s natural form!) then go right ahead. You’re big boys and girls.
Just remember…when you can’t take another day of eating bacon and eggs and hamburgers without the buns…and you start to have visions of white bread dancing in your head at night, you will have heard it from me first!
But that’s not the point. What is is the fact that teens following this same bad advice is incredibly disturbing…for many reasons. The worst is the fact that during the teenage years, the body is undergoing it’s most significant developmental and hormonal changes, and at the quickest rate (including infancy!). Screwing with this delicate internal lab experiment in ANY way is probably going to result in the same kind of chaos as when you and your buddy thought it was a good idea to see who could get the bigger flame on their Bunsen Burner (or was that just me?!?).
Anway, back to the matter at hand. If there was ever a time to GET IT RIGHT with your nutrition it’s NOW…in your teenage years!
The stage for many of your body’s long term developments are set during these crucial 6-7 years. Making continued mistakes as a teenager can doom you to a life of repercussions that can make adulthood much different than it was intended to be. For instance, there’s no more crucial time to build bone density than during your teens with adequate nutritional supplies of calcium and Vitamin D.
Even though you may not ever experience one hint of backlash for falling short in getting these nutrients as say a fifteen year old, your 45 year old version of yourself is going to be cursing you out as being “young and stupid” every day they get out of bed and their knees, ankles and back resemble the joints of a person twice their age.
Same with iron. Ignoring the right foods to get your minimal supply of daily iron can lead to anemia, lack of energy, decreased strength, and about a million other things that would top the “What NOT to do if you’re an Athlete” list.
And it goes the other way as well…with teens erring to the side of excess as well. I can’t tell you what a growing problem doing TOO MUCH rather than too little has become in the teens I am put in contact with for training. Workouts are being done sometimes 7 days a week, and if you’d believe….sometimes even twice a day during the Summer when they have the time?!?
Crazy and utterly nonproductive to getting results. But we live in the era of “more is better” and “faster is best”. Everything is instant. Instant oatmeal. Instant Messages. Instant pudding! I mean, would you be caught dead on a dial-up modem now?!?
Didn’t think so. But in some cases, the wait is worth it and when it comes to teen development (that’s responsible for setting up a lifetime of living healthy) it’s critical.
It’s funny….I even get asked now at least 10 times a day how to get 8 pack abs! Since when did a 6 pack become a bad thing? Since Taylor Lautner showed off his extra 2 on the freaking teen vampire movies and now all hell broke loose! The worst part is that some of the dietary restrictions that kids are now attempting to try and strip the fat fast enough to look good at their buddies pool party and show off his “8 pack in waiting” are leaving long term developmental scars that will be impossible to recover from.
I guess I’m just saying that as we move further and further into the era of instant gratification the need to slooooowww down the tendency of teens to follow this practice in their nutritional habits has never been greater. Stop looking for shortcuts in crazy diets and dangerous supplements, and instead learn what long term solutions you can start implementing NOW that will give you not only a boost in your performance in this weekend’s upcoming game, but more importantly….set the stage for you to enjoy the opportunity to try and relive those moments well into adulthood as you stay active, energetic and strong for years to come!
Stay Strong,
Jeff
Filed under Sports Nutrition by on Jun 17th, 2010. 1 Comment.
In just a matter of days, school will be out for summer!
I always remember as a kid, looking forward to those later days in June…from basically the first day of September! I just loved summer vacation. As an athlete though, it represented more than just the next couple of months off, it represented a tremendous opportunity.
The Summer Vacation is the best time of the year to work on improving your body in the weight room so you can come back bigger and stronger the following year. It’s the best time to work on your skills, at perhaps one of the various camps devoted to your specialty, so you can become the best technical athlete at your sport. And finally, it’s the best time of the year to develop proper eating habits that you can carry with you into the school year and beyond to support your growth (literally) into that athlete you dream about becoming.
The only problem is…most of the time this last one happens backward or even worse….doesn’t happen at all.
With the end of school also comes the end of an organized schedule for most teens. No longer is there a need for early morning wakeups, timed eating, pre practice fuel ups, etc. Instead, most teens revert to a much different summer lifestyle. Late starts to their day from sleeping in until 11am. Skipping breakfast. Eating erratically throughout the day, as meal timing is dictated more by when you and your friends actually remember to eat instead of planning to eat.
And all of this is normal….if you want to be the average teen.
If instead you want to be more, then you’re going to have to do just a bit of homework this Summer. But trust me, it won’t be that hard. As a matter of fact, it could be the easiest assignment you’ll ever have since this one is going to involve encouraging you the hungry teenager (or the one that you coach or raise) to eat!
Geez…sounds impossible huh? Kidding of course.
Well, think back to the typical school day. Again, by virtue of having to get up early to be on time for school, the issue of getting an early breakfast was not much of a challenge. You then packed a lunch for the day, hopefully a couple of snacks as well and off to school you went.
You knew when it was time for lunch because the clocks and the school bells said so. You knew when it was time for your after school snack because you only had so much time before coach blew the whistle to start practice. You knew when practice was over it was time to head home and you looked forward to a nice sit down dinner since you were starving from all the activity leading up to it. Basically, the whole day had structure.
Well, for many with the last day of school so too comes the last day of this organized schedule, and I’m saying that without it you are greatly compromising your ability to capitalize on this SUMMER OPPORTUNITY to become the best athlete you can be. If you want to take advantage of the window of opportunity then try to stick as closely as you can to the structure the school day had provided you.
Try not to sleep in. Just think, not only will this be healthier for you in the long run but you’ll actually have a longer summer vacation to enjoy! Instead of sleeping it all away you’ll have many more hours to enjoy the things that you’re not able to during the school year.
Try to pack smart snacks for your day trips. Don’t ‘wing it’ with your eating. You simply cannot rely on the fact that you’ll have access to good foods when you’re out and about with friends on camping trips, at the beach, or engaging in marathon XBOX sessions. You need to be prepared, and it can be as simple as having those ultra portable snacks handy like the trail mix, granola bars, peanut butter sandwiches, bananas, apples, etc that helped so much during the school year.
Set a time during the day for your workout. The more you randomly choose a time to workout the greater the likelihood that you’ll find reason to push it off during the summer. With no set plan in place the tendency for other more attractive options to come up and make the idea of working out sound as appealing as a sunburn, is high. During the school year your weight room time is dictated by your coaches and it’s almost easy to get your work in. Well, pretend your coach is assigning you a specific time for a specific number of days each week and just get it done. Schedule your days of play around your hour or so you will be working out. In the long run, you’ll find you miss a lot fewer workouts.
So you see, the school day (while usually not a teen’s favorite) provides much more structure than the free Summer day. While there are definitely some positives to be had from these June, July and August days (particularly when it comes to recharging the batteries after months of school), there are also negatives that can be disastrous when given a chance. Namely in its negative impact on your preparation for next season.
Remember, the greatest athletes are not made on the field. They are made off of it, behind the closed doors of the weight room, far away from the lights and the action and the brief moments that are the games. Instead, they thrive by doing the little day to day things right that together contribute to the success that others see in those shining moments of competition. If you wait until the moment of truth before you try and work on improvement, you’ll find yourself 5 steps behind already.
Don’t let that happen. Take advantage of these next few months, these moments of SUMMER OPPORTUNITY, to work on not only improving physically and technically but most importantly, on supporting this growth by maintaining that daily structure and schedule that makes it all possible in the first place.
And of course, if you need help with your athletes nutrition over the vacation months, check out the Teen Sports Nutrition Blueprint
To your health and success,
Jeff
Filed under Sports Nutrition by on Jun 10th, 2010. 2 Comments.
