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Nutrition guide for FITNESS
COMPETITIONS
A practical guide that provides you with the education, guidance and structure to
crush your weekend competition.
www.phnutrition.co.uk
Introduction
pH Nutrition | COMPETITION
Competing in a competition can be brutal on your body. As there are normally multiple WOD’s with short rest periods in between a slightly
altered approach to your nutrition is required.
Unless you have the luxury of being able to train multiple times a day then this will be shock to your body. We want you to enjoy the day and have the energy to push yourself to your limits to ensure you crush the
competition.
We have put together a practical guide to help you not just survive the weekend but push all the way to the last event.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT THE WEEKEND IS THAT YOU ENJOY IT.
EMBRACE THE CHALLENGE
DON’T PUT TOO MUCH PRESSURE ON YOURSELF
GO CRUSH IT
The week leading into the competition
Pre and post event nutrition
What to do in between events
Recipes, meal prep, supplementation
THE GUIDE WILL COVER
The weeks leading into the competition
One thing we need to focus on for the competition…performance. This is not
the time to be thinking about using the workouts to improve body composition.
You need your energy levels to be fully stocked and ready to smash the
workouts. Ensuring your muscle and liver glycogen stores are optimal should
be a priority.
Carbohydrates are the preferred source of energy for repeated bouts of high
intensity exercise with the week leading into the competition being imperative
to fuel the tank.
DO NOT BE CHASING YOUR NUTRITION ON THE DAY
To perform well in a competition we need carbohydrates.
JUST THE RIGHT ONES IN THE RIGHT AMOUNTS AT THE RIGHT TIMES
We have all heard of carbohydrate loading….that huge meal the
night before to “give us the energy” to perform our best the next day.
However this is not the best option in our opinion. This is a sub optimal way to
get your glycogen levels fully stocked ready to go. You can only digest a
certain amount of food/carbohydrates in one sitting so why try and eat a
bucket load of carbs the day before the workout?! Furthermore it is sure fire
way to cause gastric distress and nobody wants to have their repeating on a
burpee!
Optimal nutrition doesn’t start on the night before. Plan the week and slowly
drip feed your body so you are fully stocked ready to go at the weekend.
This is best achieved by following the tips on the next few pages.
pH Nutrition | COMPETITION
Multiple workouts in one day followed by more the next?!?
We want to include as many ANTI inflammatory foods as possible and reduce the PRO inflammatory foods.
EAT THE RAINBOW. Getting your veggies in, with high quality protein sources and smart fats will give you the best chance to perform well
over the weekend. Save the pizza for Sunday evening
Week leading into the competition
The meal after your last intense training session of the week before you complete the workout should be higher in
carbohydrates and protein.
If the comp you are doing is on a Saturday then the last intense WOD might be a Wednesday
Post session
Drip feed your body carbohydrates during the week. Add an extra 20-30g of carbohydrates to each main meal on the two days before
you are going to compete
This will help you to recover from your weeks training and prevent the need to chase your nutrition towards the workout. This
doesn't give you license to overeat or choose rubbish food.
Drip feed
Anti inflammatory
pH Nutrition | COMPETITION
COMPETITION SET UP
Sample week
SAMPLE WEEK
MONDAY TRAINING NORMAL NUTRITION PLAN
TUESDAY MOVEMENT & MOBILITY NORMAL NUTRITION PLAN
WEDNESDAY TRAINING
POST WORKOUT MEAL TO CONTAIN 1G/KG/BW OF CARBOHYDRATES
AND 0.6G/KG/BW OF PROTEIN AND SMALL SERVING OF FATS.
ALL SUBSEQUENT MEALS - ADD EXTRA SERVING (20-30g) OF CARBOHYDRATES TO YOUR MEALS
THURSDAY TRAINING / RESTFOLLOW ADVICE ABOVE. ONLY EAT FOODS YOU HAVE EATEN BEFORE
FRIDAY MOVEMENT & MOBILITY
FOLLOW ADVICE ABOVE. ONLY EAT FOODS YOU HAVE EATEN BEFORE
SATURDAY COMP DAY COMP DAY NUTRITION ADVICE
SUNDAY COMP DAY COMP DAY NUTRITION ADVICE
pH Nutrition | COMPETITION
Preparing for competition day
As with any competition you are often based at the event for the whole day.
There may be some coffee stall selling some goodies or a meal prep company
providing some meals. What you need to do is PREP.
MEAL PREP
You should be cooking some of your own meals. If you are relying on
getting all of your meals from whats on offer at the
event you will be taking a huge risk in our opinion.
As seasoned CrossFitters we love a bit of
meal prep hey?! We know it is a chore but the
feeling of being fully prepared will take the decision
stress away from what and when to eat.
With regard to your meals try to focus on using -
➡ An easily digestible form of protein
➡ Some nutrient dense, low inflammatory carbohydrates
➡ Small portion of fats high in omega-3
➡ Low fibre vegetables and fruits
Practise your competition meals a
few times to acclimatise your
body
SNACK PREP
We do suggest trialling a few of the snack recipes before the competition and
recording how you feel. We would prefer you to have more food than you
need than be caught short and having to choose between a ginsters pasty or
a dairy milk honeycomb bar from the nearby newsagents. Use the snack
section for inspiration.
pH Nutrition | COMPETITION
Preparing for competition day
ONLY EAT SOMETHING YOU HAVE EATEN BEFORE.
Do not start experimenting on competition day!! In an ideal scenario you will be
raring to go with fully stocked energy levels so the key areas we need to focus
on here are -
Maximising energy production
Reducing fatigue
Increasing neurotransmitter production for optimal mental focus
Increase blood flow and oxygen transport
At pH Nutrition we are constantly trying to get people to eat more
vegetables. However on competition day we actually want to reduce veg
intake at SPECIFIC points.
WHY?
Well with such short amounts of time in between events we want to ensure we
are not delaying gastric emptying. We want the food we are eating to be
digested quickly and efficiently to fuel the next event. Fibrous foods such as
vegetables, beans, breads and pulses can slow down the time it takes for food
to be digested. If it hasn’t been digested - how the hell are we going to use it for
fuel!
pH Nutrition | COMPETITION
INCLUDE THESELIMIT THESE UNTIL EVENING
MEAL
White fish, chicken breast, turkey, tuna Beef, oily fish, fattier cuts of meat
Beetroot, tomatoes Broccoli and cauliflower
Spinach, courgette Beans
Potatoes Sprouts
White rice Barley
Quinoa Lentils
Rx BARS PRIMAL PANTRY PULSIN BARS
Preparing for competition day
To prep your meals you can use the recipe section but keeping it simple is the
easiest way. You will find that snacks and smoothies will make up the most
amount of your food intake as there is not a great deal of opportunity to get a
full meal in. So prepare 2 meals for the day.
SNACK IDEAS
Using pre made bars, fruit and smoothies alongside your meals is essential.
Making your own is so easy and taste a lot better. Recipes later in the
document.
pH Nutrition | COMPETITION
NO COOK MAIN MEALS SNACKS
Pre cooked chicken, uncle bens rice,
tomatoes, chipotle sauce
White fish, potato mash, spinach
Protein bars (high carb)
2 wraps, spinach, prawns, beetroot and
mint dip
Turkey breast mince, Thai green paste, white
rice, green beansDates and nuts
Tin of tuna, greek yoghurt, pesto, mixed
quinoa and rice packet
Tofu, quinoa, salsa, peppers
Fruit
Spanish. Omelette (buy from Tesco or M&S)
Chicken with sweet. potato wedges, beetroot
Smoothies and pancakes
COMPETITION DAY
Competition day
What to eat for breakfast is very individual. You should know what works best
for you in terms of fuelling pre workout. Some people work better with protein
and fats, some with more carbs. However a few things we would say everyone
needs to consider.
Don’t go into the first WOD fasted. Get up early and eat. It is a long
day and the food you eat will help you to recover over the day as
well as fuel the first event.
If you can’t stomach eating this early then using some form of liquid
nutrition is necessary. We recommend to keep it simple and using a
smoothie, shake or BCAA’s that you have used
before.
Supplementation
There is limited evidence for supplements that
have an acute effect on increasing
performance. You will of needed to have been
taking them for a number of weeks leading
into the competition. However caffeine,
BCAA’s, beetroot concentration and beta
alanine do have some research backed
benefits for decreasing fatigue, increasing
power output and supporting recovery. We
also advise using a carb powder during the
day to help refuel. This is covered later.
Hydration
You should be sipping on water all day. Hydration is an area that is often
overlooked but plays a CRUCIAL role in performing at your best. Try not to just
take on huge gulps intermittently. Try to keep large intakes away from meals
and sip in between. And no - coffee isn’t classed as part of your hydration
strategy!
Now you have had your first feed of the day it is time to get after it!!
pH Nutrition | COMPETITION
Recovery and in between evetns
SATURDAY PRE POST
EVENT 1Eggs with rye bread and
avocadoOvernight oats or smoothie
EVENT 2 Coconut water + grapesChicken and sweet pot mash
with spinach
EVENT 3 Rx bar Banana Pancake
EVENT 43 x rice cake with mixed berry jam and small amount of nut
butter + 30ml beet active Turkey fried rice
Eat a large dinner. Eat clean! NOTHING DEEP FRIED OR POOR QUALITY.
SAVE THAT FOR SUNDAY!!
Example - Salmon and crushed new potatoes with lots of veg
PRE BED Yoghurt and cherries with pumpkin seeds
In this section it is all about fuelling and refuelling. Recovery from the workout
you have finished and preparation for the rest of the competition.
On competition day a mix of liquid nutrition and solid meals is advised. Finding a
strategy that allows you to refuel, recover and fuel again is imperative to optimal
performance.
Now the size and structure of this will correlate with the intensity and duration of
the workout. Carbohydrates are your friend. Don’t be afraid of them. If you are,
you run the risk of underperforming. You may feel great on
day 1 but if you don’t refuel adequately then that assault
bike on day 2 will feel a whole lot harder!
Try to have a solid meal when you have the largest
break between WOD’s. Other times using a quality
recovery shake and smaller meals or snacks is crucial to
maximising performance. Your body will be in a state of
depletion on multiple levels. WE NEED TO FUEL THE TANK!
A simple strategy is to use 1 solid meal / snack
and 1 liquid meal in between each
event
pH Nutrition | COMPETITION
Post day 1 and day 2
Ah the feeling of day 1 being done - euphoric from smashing the workouts but
the fear of having to go again tomorrow!
After all events are finished we want to lower inflammation, replenish energy
stores and induce healthy sleep. We suggest 2 balanced meals in the evening
of day 1. Try to space meals around 3 hours apart.
You need to minimise any pro inflammatory foods. After a day’s competition
stress hormones are elevated and muscle damage is high so demolishing that
family size bucket of KFC isn’t going to help. Resist…for…one….more….day.
Eating before bed is recommended to help lower stress hormones, boost
serotonin and induce quality sleep. It will also aid in taking advantage of the
spike in growth hormone in the first 30 minutes of sleep to support recovery. For
extra credit - take some epsom salts and eat your pre bed meal in the bath :)
EXAMPLE - DAY 2
This is very much a repeat of day 1 but you should listen to your body and assess
how you feel. Don’t change anything drastic but small changes are ok.
HYDRATION HYDRATION HYDRATION
SUNDAY PRE POST
EVENT 52 x pancake or overnight
oats
Half of smoothie + 40g cyclic
dextrin
EVENT 6Dates with 1 piece of fruit
and cahsew nutsHalf of smoothie and meal
FINAL If you made it - repeat event 6. If not…allllll the PIZZA :) 🍕
POST COMPETITION
In an ideal world we would love you to be eating some clean protein, nice
amount of carbs and some healthy fats. All homemade and full of nutrients.
However….our advice….if you leave nothing in tank - enjoy a big feed with your
teammates! Then read the post competition section.
pH Nutrition | COMPETITION
Here are 3 excellent products that will help you in the week leading into the competition as well as after.
If you need any further advice then please do not hesitate to contact us
Supplements
Excellent addition to help increase energy and aerobic performance.
Can take every day in the week leading into the comp and then use in between one of
the workouts on the competition day
BUY HERE - ENTER CODE PHN20 FOR 20 % OFF
BEET ACTIVE
Provides a source of energy for the body. Unique formula that has no sugar but very
easy to digest. Excellent source of carbohydrates to fuel workouts
BUY HERE - MAYBE BUY & SHARE WITH YOUR PARTNER
CYCLIC DEXTRIN
Intense exercise can elevate stress hormones and deplete minerals. Use this zinc and magnesium in the week leading
into the comp and the week after.
Immune function can be compromised after a competition with zinc being an
essential mineral to help with this
BUY HERE
ZMA
pH Nutrition | COMPETITION
POST COMPETITION
`Recipes
PINA COLADA SMOOTHIE
1 Small Banana 75g Frozen mango and pineapple 330ml Coconut water20g Vanilla Protein
APPLE PIE ENERGY BALLS
1 tbsp ground cinnamon½ tps ground nutmeg50g rolled oats 2 small apples sliced 10 pitted dates 75g almonds 50g peanut butter 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
15g flaxseed to roll in
Blitz apple and oats and dates in food processor until combined. Then
add rest of ingredients and blitz. Should look like a dry mixture. Roll into
balls. 50g serving
pH Nutrition | COMPETITION
`Recipes
BEETROOT BAR
75g Beetroot raw 10g Cacao Powder 10g Cinnamon ground 25g Honey raw 75g Oats rolled gluten free 100g Peanut butter wholegrain 25g Protein powder
Blitz in a food processor - Cut or roll into balls / bars. 75g serving
SWEET POTATO PANCAKES
1 Banana
250g Sweet potato 5g Cinnamon ground 1 Egg
20g Protein
1. Microwave sweet potato for 5 mins. Flip over and cook for 3 minutes
more.
2. Scoop out flesh once cooled and mash with banana
3. Then add egg, cinnamon and protein
4. Mix well with fork
5. Non stick pan dollop 4 pancakes and spread mixture. Cook on medium
heat for 5 minutes
6. Flip and cook for 3-4 mins
Can use some nut butter in between to make a little pancake sandwich :)
pH Nutrition | COMPETITION
TURKEY FRIED RICE
Great meal prep the weekend
SPANISH OMELETTE
Superb option for snack or intra comp meal
QUINOA SPINACH TABBOULEH
Make a batch and top with fish, meat or just have as is for a veggie option
SALMON AND BROCCOLI POTATO BAKE
Great option for post workout meal
`Recipes
pH Nutrition | COMPETITION
CHICKEN AND SWEET POT MASH
Good option for comp day meal
RECOVERY POST COMPETITION
Post competition recovery
pH Nutrition | COMPETITION
Lower training volume for upto 4 days after.
Nutrient dense foods to boost immune health.
Specific foods for recovery.
GLUTAMINE - Glutamine is a very important amino acid
that can be depleted during times of intense training or
competition. Glutamine also helps to repair the gut
which can be compromised after prolonged intense
training stress. Most importantly it helps to regulate and
boost immune function.
GLUTAMINEBUY HERE
This “open window” is evident in the post
workout period (more reason we want to
refuel after our workouts), but
additionally there is a “J” curve
relationship.
The more intense the stimulus the higher
the risk of getting ill. There is an acute
suppression of the immune system, but
as the open is 5 weeks and we are still
training this issue can accumulate.
We feel good, yeah feel strong….then BOOM...we get hit for 6 and go into the next
training cycle in a sub optimal state.
This is why it is essential to take a recovery week and allow for the body to adapt.
We often see an increase in illnesses after an intense training period or
competition. Heavy exercise can leave us susceptible to illness and infection.
Immune boosting foods
pH Nutrition | COMPETITION
Brazil nuts are high in the antioxidant
selenium and pumpkin seeds are very high
in zinc. Both nutrients support your body at
a cellular level, strengthening your immune
system
A powerhouse vegetable that is highly
nutrient- dense, broccoli is rich in
chlorophyll and contains other beneficial
nutrients like vitamin C, carotenoids and
phytonutrients.
Rich in antioxidant polyphenols and catechins,
green tea has been used as a health-promoting
beverage for centuries. Catechins have
antimicrobial properties and the antioxidants may
help reduce the effects of stress, in addition to
supporting immune function. stimulate the T cells
responsible for immune health, and aid in cellular
protection, pretty impressive stuff!
Not only are shitake mushrooms high in
amino acids, rich in B vitamins and are a
good source of vitamin D. They also contain
beta glucans and polysaccharides which
naturally improve the function of your T-cells
(immune system cells).
Now this is a proper superfood! This spice delivers a
wealth of phytonutrients and has been shown to
numerous benefits for overall health and
performance. The active compound in turmeric is
curcumin. This warrior can reduce oxidative stress,
stimulate the T cells responsible for immune health,
and aid in cellular protection, pretty impressive stuff!
Nutrients for recovery
pH Nutrition | COMPETITION
OMEGAS- Needed for cellular regeneration, lowering stress hormones,
muscle recovery, anti inflammatory, gut health and immune function.
Cholesterol is the pre-cursor to all hormones so get those fats in.
VITAMIN C - Converts proline to hydroxyproline - which is major
component to collagen. It also helps strengthen connective tissues that
have taken a beating during the open. Can help to lower stress hormones
such as cortisol.
VITAMIN D - Essential for muscle function, immune health and hormone
levels. Would recommend supplementing this also
ANTI-OXIDANTS - When we exercise we create inflammation and by
products that need to removed before we can return to optimal function.
This is the time to LOAD UP!!
Cherry active
pH Nutrition | COMPETITION
Cherries contain several natural components called anthocyanins which are
commonly known for their anti-inflammatory properties. It is these
anthocyanins that can help reduce inflammation and ease pain during and
after intensive exercise.
Cherries use their anti-inflammatory properties to help collect and free the
body of its harmful free-radicals (inflammation) during training. This allows the
body to train harder for longer and lowers the oxidative stress on the body and
muscles.
Cherry Benefits
1.Reduce muscle soreness
2.Reduce oxidative stress
3.Reduce muscle damage
4.Improve cardiovascular performance
5.Reduce inflammation
6.Can ease pain
7.Help prolong training times
8.Faster recovery times
Cherries are also very good and have been shown to increase sleep quality and
duration. If you are able to sleep longer and of better quality your body
especially as an athlete can recovery and repair a lot more effectively and
efficiently.
BUY HERE & ENTER CODE PHN20 for 20% OFF
pH Nutrition | Fat Loss 2
ENQUIRE HEREENQUIRE HERE
If after the competition you are looking to get your nutrition on point ready for the next training phase then we have
our nutrition services to help you crush it.
PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO FIND OUT MORE
Now go crush it
Remember the biggest thing is to ENJOY the weekend
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