Friday, 20 January 2012
"One does not simply get ripped in 3 weeks!"
Here are some recipes from my friend Lennie Scudder, Len fights at 77kg but walks around at like 87kg, he loves his food but always manages to get ripped enough to rock the vale tudo's in time for fight night!
Pre-work out smoothie
1 cup skimmed milk
2 tablespoons low-fat Greek yogurt
75g cup oats, nuked in water
2 scoops Phd Diet Whey
6 ice cubes
Blend it up!
Nutritional Information:
Calories 220 Carbs 29g Protein 12g Fat 4g Saturated Fat 1.5g Sodium 118mg Fiber 3g
Post Training smoothie
60g's nuked oats
1 cup skimmed milk
A Handful of Blueberries, Strawberries, and Blackberries
1 Scoop Parma whey Diet
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 eggs (not neccessary)
3 ice cubes, crushed
Nutritional Information ish:
Calories 344, Carbs 27g, Protein 20g
Fat 11g, Saturated Fat 4g, Sodium 109mg, Fiber 4g
Protein pancakes
1 3/4 cup Stone ground whole meal flour
1/4 Self Raising flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
approx 50g's worth of protein powder
3 tablespoons Canderel (or other artificial sweetner)
1/3 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons melted butter (I used flora lighter with omega 3 + 6) really tried to make that healthier lol
Extras:
Raisins to taste
Cinnamon to taste
If your hardcore Flax(Lin)Seeds
Preparation:
- Sift together flour, baking powder, protein powder, sugar, and salt. Flour wont sift fully just chuck the extra in on top
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and 1 1/2 cups of milk; add to flour mixture, stirring only until smooth.
- Blend in melted butter. If the batter seems too thick to pour, add a little more milk.
- Ladle into a hot pan, Cook until bubbly, a little dry around the edges, and lightly browned on the bottom; Flip 'em and brown the other side.
Recipe for pancakes serves 2 fat bastards like me.
NB. If you add the raisen, cinnamon or Flax put them in the ladle before ou pour them.
ENJOY!
Egg Porridge
Right every say WTF but egg porridge is the S***.
Make porridge, I use water you can use milk depends on bulking up or trimmimgn down I guess. Which probably explains why Im always using water, cos I love the cake.
When it's still relatively gloopy chuck in 3-4 eggs or if your losing weight I use eggwhite powder or one whole egg and 3 other egg whites.. The natural egg is better but it's down to you.
Cook it til its ready (might lump if you use white powder I use a masher lol)
Add cinnamon and ground flaxseeds (helps break up the lumps, regulate bloodsugar and get me some essential fatty LA)
EAT.
if you want and I dont you could consider adding some fruit as it won't taste like the best thing in the world but it sure as f*** is one of the healthiest.. I can easily go through til like 3-4 on this if I wanted. put it this way you get used to it really quick and the idea for my is to bust out a nice slow low gi meal so adding any kind of sugars is a nooo but it's up to you!
Plus if you fridge it it goes oat cakey
Brownies
250g whole wheat flour
200g chocolate protein powder (I used Pharma Whey Diet)
7 tbsp. unsweetened baking cocoa
3/4 tsp. baking powder
25g's Artificial Sweetner
4 eggs + 4 whites
400ml Skimmed milk
Preheat oven to 180
Simples:
Mix up all the dry stuf
Mix up all the wet stuff
Mix the wet stuff into the dry stuff
Add any thing else you want in it ( I chose almonds and raisins)
Spray container for baking with something like Fry Light 1 Cal so as to stop sticking.
Put in a container of your choice ideally no deeper than an inch or cake specific oven trays.
Put in the oven at 180 for 10-15 mins for a tray, 15-20 mins for the cake trays.
I dunno why But i flip it when i take it out onto another plate container etc think it keeps a bit of steam in it so moist :P try it...
Friday, 13 January 2012
Feast your eyes
Just some of the food I have been eating lately will post some recipes soon!
Vegetable Quinoa
Steak with sweet potato and spinach and pepper salad
Salmon with quinoa and barley and a vegetable Ragu
A rainbow of peppers
Breaky
Oats yoghurt and berries
More quinoa with vegetables sweet potato and pumpkin sauce and pork
Home made chicken kieve
Thursday, 12 January 2012
Sugar - The not so sweet facts -
How many of you would be able to estimate how many grams of sugar you consume a day or even regularly check the foods you by for sugar content? Many of us will scan the isles for products that are low in fat without considering how much sugar may be added to make the low fat option more palatable (yoghurts and breakfast cereals are bars are notorious for this).
As fighters we constantly need to make sure we are making smart food choices, not only to maintain lean physiques but also to improve performance and recovery and prevent illness.
What you need to know about sugar
Sugar can go by a number of different names depending on its chemical structure. Carbohydrates are made up of sugars and starches. Simple carbohydrates contain molecules that are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and provide a speedy source of energy. These include fructose, glucose and galactose known as monosaccharides and disaccharides lactose, sucrose and maltose. Disaccharides require a little bit more energy to be broken down into their single components. Most foods will have intrinsic sugars such as fruit and milk however there are many processed foods that come with an abundance of added sugars usually in the form of sucrose and fructose sometimes in the form of high fructose corn syrup.
The current guidelines for daily sugar intake based on a daily intake of 2000kcal are set at 90g. They go on to recommend that non-milk extrinsic sugars should be no more than 11% of total daily calories, and that intrinsic, milk sugars and starch should be 39%. What makes it tricky to quantify is current nutritional information labels do not distinguish between intrinsic sugars and added sugars. It is a good idea to read up and be more aware of what foods contain high amounts of added sugar and avoid these where ever possible.
As a rough guide:
1,600 calories - Limit sugar to 6 teaspoons per day or 22 grams per day
2,200 calories - Limit sugar to 12 teaspoons per day or 44 grams per day
2,800 calories - Limit sugar to 18 teaspoons per day or 66 grams per day Foods that contribute to increased sugar consumption
1. Regular soft drinks (33%)
2. Sugars and candy (16%)
3. Cakes, cookies and pies (13%)
4. Fruit ‘drinks’ (not 100% juice) such as fruit punch (10%)
5. Dairy desserts/milk products The role of sugars in an athlete's diet Carbohydrates are an essential part of an athlete's diet and when consumed at the appropriate times can be beneficial for performance and recovery. It would be unwise to try and remove sugar completely from the diet. Carbohydrates provide a large proportion of the energy needed for training and heavy training sessions that deplete the muscles of glycogen need to be replaced in order to promote recovery and maintain muscle mass. Understanding the glycemic load and glycemic index of foods and paying attention to when you eat certain foods is important for athletic performance and maintaining a desirable body composition. GI:Measures the impact that a food has on blood glucose levels. Glucose is considered to have a glycemic index of 100 GL: is a ranking system for carbohydrate content in food portions based on their glycemic index (GI) and the portion size. Glycemic load or GL combines both the quality and quantity of carbohydrate in one ‘number’ During the day athletes should consume Low GI carbohydrates that deliver their energy slowly and keep blood sugar levels stable. This is thought to help with energy levels and appetite control. During training sessions that are high intensity or long duration some fast acting or simple carbohydrates (containing more sugar) will help to deliver glucose to the working muscles. Post training simple carbohydrates combined with protein will create a spike in insulin that helps to drive glucose and amino acids back into the muscle and prevent the breakdown of lean muscle mass. Health Problems and Concerns that may be linked to an over consumption of sugar As an athlete it pays to understand the science behind the food choices you make as much as possible. Just because you lead an active lifestyle doesn’t mean you can compensate and eat foods high in sugars or fats. You may burn off the calories but these foods have adverse physiological effects on your body The problem with processed foods that are high in added sugars is that they have little nutritional value and often a high amount of calories which can contribute to weight gain and may cause micronutrient dilution. In order to metabolize foods with little nutritional value the body is forced to use vitamin and mineral stores. This is why an abundance of processed foods add vitamins and minerals to fortify and reduce the effect of this process. An overconsumption of sugar is linked to a weakening of the immune system and the development of a number of health problems and chronic diseases including obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Conclusion So to stay fit and healthy and avoid developing colds and other illnesses that can be detrimental to training cut right back on the added sugars found in processed snacks, and consume simple carbohydrates intelligently to increase performance and recovery.
1,600 calories - Limit sugar to 6 teaspoons per day or 22 grams per day
2,200 calories - Limit sugar to 12 teaspoons per day or 44 grams per day
2,800 calories - Limit sugar to 18 teaspoons per day or 66 grams per day Foods that contribute to increased sugar consumption
1. Regular soft drinks (33%)
2. Sugars and candy (16%)
3. Cakes, cookies and pies (13%)
4. Fruit ‘drinks’ (not 100% juice) such as fruit punch (10%)
5. Dairy desserts/milk products The role of sugars in an athlete's diet Carbohydrates are an essential part of an athlete's diet and when consumed at the appropriate times can be beneficial for performance and recovery. It would be unwise to try and remove sugar completely from the diet. Carbohydrates provide a large proportion of the energy needed for training and heavy training sessions that deplete the muscles of glycogen need to be replaced in order to promote recovery and maintain muscle mass. Understanding the glycemic load and glycemic index of foods and paying attention to when you eat certain foods is important for athletic performance and maintaining a desirable body composition. GI:Measures the impact that a food has on blood glucose levels. Glucose is considered to have a glycemic index of 100 GL: is a ranking system for carbohydrate content in food portions based on their glycemic index (GI) and the portion size. Glycemic load or GL combines both the quality and quantity of carbohydrate in one ‘number’ During the day athletes should consume Low GI carbohydrates that deliver their energy slowly and keep blood sugar levels stable. This is thought to help with energy levels and appetite control. During training sessions that are high intensity or long duration some fast acting or simple carbohydrates (containing more sugar) will help to deliver glucose to the working muscles. Post training simple carbohydrates combined with protein will create a spike in insulin that helps to drive glucose and amino acids back into the muscle and prevent the breakdown of lean muscle mass. Health Problems and Concerns that may be linked to an over consumption of sugar As an athlete it pays to understand the science behind the food choices you make as much as possible. Just because you lead an active lifestyle doesn’t mean you can compensate and eat foods high in sugars or fats. You may burn off the calories but these foods have adverse physiological effects on your body The problem with processed foods that are high in added sugars is that they have little nutritional value and often a high amount of calories which can contribute to weight gain and may cause micronutrient dilution. In order to metabolize foods with little nutritional value the body is forced to use vitamin and mineral stores. This is why an abundance of processed foods add vitamins and minerals to fortify and reduce the effect of this process. An overconsumption of sugar is linked to a weakening of the immune system and the development of a number of health problems and chronic diseases including obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Conclusion So to stay fit and healthy and avoid developing colds and other illnesses that can be detrimental to training cut right back on the added sugars found in processed snacks, and consume simple carbohydrates intelligently to increase performance and recovery.
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
Slow and Steady Weight loss for BJJ
When designing the optimum nutritional plan for BJJ it is first important to consider the energetics and physiological demands of the sport.
I will begin by analysing the energy demands of a typical training session. Based on this I will give information on how to calculate your daily calorie, protein carbohydrate, and fat requirements. I will then briefly talk about pre and post training nutrition needs and how these differ for maintaining weight and cutting weight. Finally I will talk about the dangers of losing weight using crash diets or dehydration methods.
The Energetics of training sessions
A typical training session can be anywhere between 1-2 hours long and in most cases will involve a warm up which includes a mix of running, breakfalls, and other acrobatic and gymnastic type movements to warm up all muscles of the body and prevent the risk of injury during sparing/rolling/grappling part of the class.
15-30 minutes of this type of activity when performed at an intensity of 70-80% of heart rate maximum is likely to burn around 100-300kcal depending on size and how hard you or your coach is on warm ups.
This is usually followed by static and dynamic stretching and drilling certain techniques or movements and usually lasts 30minutes to 45 minutes often preformed at a lower intensity of 50-60% heart rate max. Again maybe 150-250 calories are burnt depending on what is being drilled.
The most demanding part of training usually occurs while rolling. It is normal to begin sparing from the knees against an opponent for an average of 5-7 minutes, this can go on for 30 minutes to an hour in an intermittent or continuous pattern depending on how fit you are/mat space.
The intensity while rolling can vary depending on sparing partners and is hard to measure with a heart rate monitor, however while browsing through studies of other martial arts including wrestling and judo it would appear that this type of high intensity activity could burn anywhere between 400-800kcal and hour.
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/calories_burned.asp?exercise=212
Gives an average estimate based on weight bare in mind this is probably the calories burnt when sparing only.
Simply put, the demands of training BJJ are pretty high! My estimate is that after a good 15-30 minute warm up, 30 minutes of drilling and 30 minutes of rolling the energy expenditure during a typical session could would be between 600-1000kcal for someone my size possibly more for heavier guys! This type of work out requires muscle glycogen stores to be full at the beggining to avoid the onset of fatigue during training, and immediate replenishment after, espacially for those of you who are training everyday or more frequently.
Nutrition for general training
It is essential when training and competing to think of the food you eat as fuel, in order to perform to the best of your abilities your body needs to be hydrated and your muscles need a good supply of energy provided by carbohydrates. The recommendations I make are based on common principles of sports nutrition that will provide you with enough energy to have good training sessions and aid you in your recovery between the next sessions.
First step Calculate basal metabolic rate BMR
Women weight in kg x 22
Men weight in kg x 24
This figure is then multiplied by your daily physical activity level
Mostly inactive or sedentary 1.2
Fairly active (walking and exercise 1-2 times a week) 1.3
Moderately active (exercise 2-3 times weekly) 1.4
Active (exercise hard more than 3 times weekly) 1.5
Very active (exercise hard daily) 1.7
Pre and Post training Nutrition
The timing and combinations of food we eat can have an impact on how we feel in training. If possible eat a good meal containing protein, carbohydrates (2.5g per kg body weight) and healthy fat 3 hours before training. You can also eat small carbohydtate snacks such as fruit and cereal bars 1-2 hours before training begins. After training there is a 2 hour period where depleated glycogen is replenished more rapidly so if possible you should manage to eat in this time. Aim for something with around 60-80g of carbs (more carbs the bigger you are) and 20-30g protein, as this is the best ratio to facilitate recovery. Many people shun carbs after training or late at night but for purposes of a speedy recovery make sure you manage to eat at least 0.8-1g per kg of body weight after an intense training session.
So what does all the training eventually prepare us for? In competition fights can last 5-10 minutes and to get to the finals you may have to fight as many as 10 matches in popular categories so you have short intense burts of activity separated with short breaks, highly taxing on the anaerobic and aerobic systems. Not something you would want to enter feeling any less than 100% energised. Sadly many people rely on crash diets and dehydration to cut weight leaving them feeling weak on the day of competition.
Reducing weight safely There are many studies detailing the use of extreme methods for losing weight used by martial arts athletes and I’m sure we’ve all made the mistake of trying to lose too much weight a week before competing.
Rapid weight loss and dehydration are know to adversely affect performance and can cause the following:
• Reduction in muscle strength and anaerobic power capacity
• Increased resting and sub-maximal heart rate
• Decreased cardiac stroke volume resulting in decreased ability to sustain work at a constant rate
• Lower oxygen consumption
• Impaired thermoregulatory processes
• Lower plasma and blood volume
• Depletion of muscle and possibly liver glycogen
• Difficulty of glucose homeostasis
• Altered hormonal status
• Reduced immune function
For those of you who have expericance these kind of sympotoms in competitions it is a sign that your body is not getting all the nutrients it requires.
Weight loss by achieving a negative energy balance is only one part of the equation. The foods we eat and the proportions in which we eat them are of equal importance and determine if weight loss is a result of losing fat mass, fat free mass or water via dehydration. Ideally when cutting weight we want to lose fat mass while retaining muscle as this results in better performance in weight class sports. To do this weight loss should be gradual and diet should be healthy and balanced.
You can play around with percentages till you find something that works well for you but remember to eat enough carbohydrates to give you energy and aid recovery Usually 5-7g and enough protein to encourage maintenance of muscle mass 1-1.6g and aim to eat low fat products when ever possible whislt still including healthy essential fats.
SUMMARY
BJJ is a physically demanding sport, it is important when training regularly to consume enough calories and eat a diet that is healthy and balenced.
Consider what times you go to training and ensure you eat a good meal 3 hours before giving you enough time to digest.
Post training recovery is facilitiated by comsuming a combination of carbohydrates and protein in a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio with 0.8-1g of carbohydrate per kg body weight.
Set realistic and safe weight cutting goals (for most people this is around 0.5kg a week)
This can be achieved by reducing your daily calorie intake by 10-20% and moderatley reducing carbohydrate and fat intake
Do not leave it all to the last week or rely solely on methods of dehydration!
Further reading on nutrtion
(this post was based on elements of sports nutrition that are supported by most mainstream research, I personally think we don't need to eat quite so much protein or use an abundance of supliments to excell in bjj)
Jiujitsu Brotherhood: Talks about the importance of eating natuaral foods and not so much animal protein
Lloyd Irvin BJJ stesses the benefits of fruit and vegetables and setting goals for nutrition
BJJ Heroes 8 nutritional rules for BJJ
I will begin by analysing the energy demands of a typical training session. Based on this I will give information on how to calculate your daily calorie, protein carbohydrate, and fat requirements. I will then briefly talk about pre and post training nutrition needs and how these differ for maintaining weight and cutting weight. Finally I will talk about the dangers of losing weight using crash diets or dehydration methods.
The Energetics of training sessions
A typical training session can be anywhere between 1-2 hours long and in most cases will involve a warm up which includes a mix of running, breakfalls, and other acrobatic and gymnastic type movements to warm up all muscles of the body and prevent the risk of injury during sparing/rolling/grappling part of the class.
15-30 minutes of this type of activity when performed at an intensity of 70-80% of heart rate maximum is likely to burn around 100-300kcal depending on size and how hard you or your coach is on warm ups.
This is usually followed by static and dynamic stretching and drilling certain techniques or movements and usually lasts 30minutes to 45 minutes often preformed at a lower intensity of 50-60% heart rate max. Again maybe 150-250 calories are burnt depending on what is being drilled.
The most demanding part of training usually occurs while rolling. It is normal to begin sparing from the knees against an opponent for an average of 5-7 minutes, this can go on for 30 minutes to an hour in an intermittent or continuous pattern depending on how fit you are/mat space.
The intensity while rolling can vary depending on sparing partners and is hard to measure with a heart rate monitor, however while browsing through studies of other martial arts including wrestling and judo it would appear that this type of high intensity activity could burn anywhere between 400-800kcal and hour.
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/calories_burned.asp?exercise=212
Gives an average estimate based on weight bare in mind this is probably the calories burnt when sparing only.
Simply put, the demands of training BJJ are pretty high! My estimate is that after a good 15-30 minute warm up, 30 minutes of drilling and 30 minutes of rolling the energy expenditure during a typical session could would be between 600-1000kcal for someone my size possibly more for heavier guys! This type of work out requires muscle glycogen stores to be full at the beggining to avoid the onset of fatigue during training, and immediate replenishment after, espacially for those of you who are training everyday or more frequently.
Nutrition for general training
It is essential when training and competing to think of the food you eat as fuel, in order to perform to the best of your abilities your body needs to be hydrated and your muscles need a good supply of energy provided by carbohydrates. The recommendations I make are based on common principles of sports nutrition that will provide you with enough energy to have good training sessions and aid you in your recovery between the next sessions.
First step Calculate basal metabolic rate BMR
Women weight in kg x 22
Men weight in kg x 24
This figure is then multiplied by your daily physical activity level
Mostly inactive or sedentary 1.2
Fairly active (walking and exercise 1-2 times a week) 1.3
Moderately active (exercise 2-3 times weekly) 1.4
Active (exercise hard more than 3 times weekly) 1.5
Very active (exercise hard daily) 1.7
Pre and Post training Nutrition
The timing and combinations of food we eat can have an impact on how we feel in training. If possible eat a good meal containing protein, carbohydrates (2.5g per kg body weight) and healthy fat 3 hours before training. You can also eat small carbohydtate snacks such as fruit and cereal bars 1-2 hours before training begins. After training there is a 2 hour period where depleated glycogen is replenished more rapidly so if possible you should manage to eat in this time. Aim for something with around 60-80g of carbs (more carbs the bigger you are) and 20-30g protein, as this is the best ratio to facilitate recovery. Many people shun carbs after training or late at night but for purposes of a speedy recovery make sure you manage to eat at least 0.8-1g per kg of body weight after an intense training session.
So what does all the training eventually prepare us for? In competition fights can last 5-10 minutes and to get to the finals you may have to fight as many as 10 matches in popular categories so you have short intense burts of activity separated with short breaks, highly taxing on the anaerobic and aerobic systems. Not something you would want to enter feeling any less than 100% energised. Sadly many people rely on crash diets and dehydration to cut weight leaving them feeling weak on the day of competition.
Reducing weight safely There are many studies detailing the use of extreme methods for losing weight used by martial arts athletes and I’m sure we’ve all made the mistake of trying to lose too much weight a week before competing.
Rapid weight loss and dehydration are know to adversely affect performance and can cause the following:
• Reduction in muscle strength and anaerobic power capacity
• Increased resting and sub-maximal heart rate
• Decreased cardiac stroke volume resulting in decreased ability to sustain work at a constant rate
• Lower oxygen consumption
• Impaired thermoregulatory processes
• Lower plasma and blood volume
• Depletion of muscle and possibly liver glycogen
• Difficulty of glucose homeostasis
• Altered hormonal status
• Reduced immune function
For those of you who have expericance these kind of sympotoms in competitions it is a sign that your body is not getting all the nutrients it requires.
Weight loss by achieving a negative energy balance is only one part of the equation. The foods we eat and the proportions in which we eat them are of equal importance and determine if weight loss is a result of losing fat mass, fat free mass or water via dehydration. Ideally when cutting weight we want to lose fat mass while retaining muscle as this results in better performance in weight class sports. To do this weight loss should be gradual and diet should be healthy and balanced.
Reducing calorie intake by 15% is enough to promote healthy weight loss
You can play around with percentages till you find something that works well for you but remember to eat enough carbohydrates to give you energy and aid recovery Usually 5-7g and enough protein to encourage maintenance of muscle mass 1-1.6g and aim to eat low fat products when ever possible whislt still including healthy essential fats.
SUMMARY
BJJ is a physically demanding sport, it is important when training regularly to consume enough calories and eat a diet that is healthy and balenced.
Consider what times you go to training and ensure you eat a good meal 3 hours before giving you enough time to digest.
Post training recovery is facilitiated by comsuming a combination of carbohydrates and protein in a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio with 0.8-1g of carbohydrate per kg body weight.
Set realistic and safe weight cutting goals (for most people this is around 0.5kg a week)
This can be achieved by reducing your daily calorie intake by 10-20% and moderatley reducing carbohydrate and fat intake
Do not leave it all to the last week or rely solely on methods of dehydration!
Further reading on nutrtion
(this post was based on elements of sports nutrition that are supported by most mainstream research, I personally think we don't need to eat quite so much protein or use an abundance of supliments to excell in bjj)
Jiujitsu Brotherhood: Talks about the importance of eating natuaral foods and not so much animal protein
Lloyd Irvin BJJ stesses the benefits of fruit and vegetables and setting goals for nutrition
BJJ Heroes 8 nutritional rules for BJJ
The importance of a good diet when returning to training after a break
To address this I first need to talk a little more about exercise physiology so bare with me through the sciency parts.
VO2 max, Energy pathways and Metabolism
After a long break away from training returning to class for the first time can kick your ass big time.
Physiologically speaking long periods of being less active mean the metabolism slows down and muscles become less efficient, including the muscles of the heart. This can reduce the stroke volume of the heart (volume of blood pumped with each beat of the heart)
As the hearts efficiency at providing oxygen to the working muscles is reduced so is the bodies ability to utilise fat as a fuel (As this requires a high volume of oxygen to oxidise completely).
When training at such an intense level the body has to start using carbohydrates as a fuel using up blood sugar and then all the stored muscle glycogen too.
For most people heart rate is a good way to guess what energy system is being favoured as studies have shown that heart rates of over 65-85% of estimated HRmax usually elicit a respiratory exchange ratio that suggests that energy is being derived purely by the oxidation of carbohydrate. This is where the concept behing "fat burning zones" and "cardio" heart rate intensity zones have come from.
Knowing your VO2 max can help you if you are going to do additional sessions in the gym in an effort to increase fitness and can provide some interesting information regarding your metabolic function. Increasing metabolism can help to maintain or lose weight which seems to be an eternal battle for some of us.
Diet
It is important to remember that a good nutritional plan is even more important when you start training after a period of inactivity. As failing to get a good intake of carbohydrate post training can mean recovery is slow.
Often people will not eat a good meal after training (this can be due to appetite suppression that can occur up to 1h post exercise and training finishing late at night) and if you are trying to lose weight this can be ok as long as you are getting a good intake of carbohydrate through out the day, and don't have another training session in the next 24h.
Certain foods can actually slightly increase your metabolism and include spicy foods like chilli, and green teas. 60% of the calories you burn each day are a result of your basal metabolic rate which is the calories required to maintain normal body function. On top of that you will require differing amount of calories to provide the energy for daily tasks and exercise. You can use rmr or bmr calculators online to get an estimate of this value. It is important that you are sensitive to your body's needs as the equations used by these calculators assume that metabolism is the same for everyone of a certain age.
Exercise
If you have been out of training and want to improve your fitness quickly the best thing to do is 15-30 minutes high intensity interval training daily and some light or body weight exercises and stretches to help reduce risk of injury. HIIT has been shown to improve VO2 max in as little as 2 weeks and also maybe more effective at fat burning particularly around the abdomen. To make it more bjj specific mix cardio and weights together and do 5-7 minute intervals with a 1-5 minute rest in between to mimic sparing.
Here are a couple videos for some exercise ideas both videos are a bit random but the exercises seemed well balanced and specific to bjj
Final Words
So if your coming back to training after time off here are some recommendations.
1) Make sure you eat well increased carbohydrate/calorie intake after training might be necessary at first to replenish depleted muscle glycogen stores until fitness picks up and the body becomes more efficient. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water
2) Do regular stretching and solo drills
3) Do some interval training using a mix of cardio and weights
4) Don't push your self too hard in sparing get back into things slowly avoid sparing with overly competitive people or anyone who's likely to take advantage of your less than peak physical condition (sounds bad but it happens)
5) Tape fingers (this might just be me playing too much guard but protect any areas you know are prone to injury)
6) Drill all the basics particularly escapes to get your mind focused again
VO2 max, Energy pathways and Metabolism
After a long break away from training returning to class for the first time can kick your ass big time.
Physiologically speaking long periods of being less active mean the metabolism slows down and muscles become less efficient, including the muscles of the heart. This can reduce the stroke volume of the heart (volume of blood pumped with each beat of the heart)
As the hearts efficiency at providing oxygen to the working muscles is reduced so is the bodies ability to utilise fat as a fuel (As this requires a high volume of oxygen to oxidise completely).
When training at such an intense level the body has to start using carbohydrates as a fuel using up blood sugar and then all the stored muscle glycogen too.
For most people heart rate is a good way to guess what energy system is being favoured as studies have shown that heart rates of over 65-85% of estimated HRmax usually elicit a respiratory exchange ratio that suggests that energy is being derived purely by the oxidation of carbohydrate. This is where the concept behing "fat burning zones" and "cardio" heart rate intensity zones have come from.
Knowing your VO2 max can help you if you are going to do additional sessions in the gym in an effort to increase fitness and can provide some interesting information regarding your metabolic function. Increasing metabolism can help to maintain or lose weight which seems to be an eternal battle for some of us.
Diet
It is important to remember that a good nutritional plan is even more important when you start training after a period of inactivity. As failing to get a good intake of carbohydrate post training can mean recovery is slow.
Often people will not eat a good meal after training (this can be due to appetite suppression that can occur up to 1h post exercise and training finishing late at night) and if you are trying to lose weight this can be ok as long as you are getting a good intake of carbohydrate through out the day, and don't have another training session in the next 24h.
Certain foods can actually slightly increase your metabolism and include spicy foods like chilli, and green teas. 60% of the calories you burn each day are a result of your basal metabolic rate which is the calories required to maintain normal body function. On top of that you will require differing amount of calories to provide the energy for daily tasks and exercise. You can use rmr or bmr calculators online to get an estimate of this value. It is important that you are sensitive to your body's needs as the equations used by these calculators assume that metabolism is the same for everyone of a certain age.
Exercise
If you have been out of training and want to improve your fitness quickly the best thing to do is 15-30 minutes high intensity interval training daily and some light or body weight exercises and stretches to help reduce risk of injury. HIIT has been shown to improve VO2 max in as little as 2 weeks and also maybe more effective at fat burning particularly around the abdomen. To make it more bjj specific mix cardio and weights together and do 5-7 minute intervals with a 1-5 minute rest in between to mimic sparing.
Here are a couple videos for some exercise ideas both videos are a bit random but the exercises seemed well balanced and specific to bjj
Final Words
So if your coming back to training after time off here are some recommendations.
1) Make sure you eat well increased carbohydrate/calorie intake after training might be necessary at first to replenish depleted muscle glycogen stores until fitness picks up and the body becomes more efficient. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water
2) Do regular stretching and solo drills
3) Do some interval training using a mix of cardio and weights
4) Don't push your self too hard in sparing get back into things slowly avoid sparing with overly competitive people or anyone who's likely to take advantage of your less than peak physical condition (sounds bad but it happens)
5) Tape fingers (this might just be me playing too much guard but protect any areas you know are prone to injury)
6) Drill all the basics particularly escapes to get your mind focused again
Cooking with Miguel Torres
Miguel Torres love to cook, not one for the veggies I'm afraid :)
Peeling an egg super quick
Making his families recipe of caldo de res.
Tacoooos
Smart Supplements
There are a wide amount of supplements available that are specifically aimed and marketed towards fighters. It is tempting to buy the latest super supplements on the market as they tend to promise things that we are all trying to achieve in a bid to improve our performance. Here are some things you should consider before splashing the cash on various different supplements
1: Do you have a good understanding of the nutrients you are getting from your regular diet?
This is important as you may already be meeting your dietary needs and supplements could be counterproductive. You should consider how many calories are you consuming a day and take time to work out the recommended intake of protein carbs and fats based on your current weight and physical activity levels. If any areas of your diet are lacking try to fix them through healthy eating before resorting to supplements.
2: Consider your current lifestyle and training regime: How many hours a week are you training, what kind of intensity would you rate training on a scale of 1-10? Are your workouts mainly cardiovascular, strength based or a mix of both? Remember supplements aren’t magical and they are named as such as they should supplement the work you are putting in at the gym to help you get the results you want.
The supplements I use are quick sources of carbohydrates like Phd flapjack bars between training sessions and a recovery drink containing carbohydrates and protein after. The most important factor for me is recovery, energy for training and consuming enough calories. Make sure the supplements you are taking are useful and providing some benefit and not just done out of habit.
3: Monitor your progress and reaction to different supplements: If you have decided to start taking a new supplement actively pay attention to make sure it's doing what it promised. If you are taking a slimming of weight loss aid that means taking body composition measurements, noting changes in appetite, looking for physical signs of fat loss, I.E more defined abs.
4: Always read the label: Make sure you don't just start popping pills without an understanding of what you are introducing to your body. Even if recommended by a coach or training partner some supplements may have dangerous side effects or contain illegal ingredients. Be smart and do a bit of research on products before you start taking anything.
Some useful supplements for grapplers
Pre and post workout nutrition If you have a heavy training regime 8-10h+ a week then be sure to get 1.4-2g of protein per kg of body weight, protein shakes can be convenient and economical way to ensure you are getting enough protein to support fat free mass (muscle mass).
Protein powder If you are not cutting weight I would suggest BSN syntha 6 protein as it contains a good amount of protein carbohydrates and fiber.
If you are trying to lose or maintain a lean physique then PHd diet whey is a good option, it also contains green tea and caffeine.
Recovery Supplements that assist with recovery are of key importance, the energetics of grappling mean that carbohydrate sources will be low or depleted after a hard session.
Phd recovery or any drink with a ratio of 2.1 carbs to protein is the best way to ensure effective recovery. Carbohydrates are very important post training as they stimulate the release of insulin which helps to deliver amino acids and carbohydrates to the muscles.
Bars and liquids are useful for on the go and can help to ensure you have enough energy between training sessions, I typically start training at 7 and don't finish till 10 so failure to get some quick energy in before and during training is really important.
Final word
Remember have your wits about you, anything that relies heavily on marketing ploys to make sales is doing so for a reason, be smart and don't be seduced into splurging out on supplements that make over the top claims.
Read up on your supplements
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