If you're a combat athlete and want to train to your full potential and perform well, it's important to eat well. That doesn't just mean eating a lot, but consuming the right nutrients at the right times.
This is important so that you have enough energy available during your boxing, kickboxing, MMA, Muay Thai, Taekwondo or karate lessons, etc. But it's also crucial for your body's recovery, muscle building, and achieving the right weight for a competition (in relation to an optimal body fat percentage). But how do you know you're consuming the right nutrients at the right times?
To truly optimize this, a personalized plan must be created for each individual, tailored to their DNA and circumstances. This requires a DNA test. Then, a specialized sports dietitian, using this data and the athlete's physical and mental condition, will analyze the information to create a suitable nutritional plan. For most athletes, this is far too extensive.
Firstly, it costs a lot of money to have this done (the athlete's performance must therefore be very profitable). Secondly, for most athletes, it is impossible to stick to such a diet when you also have a job, etc., alongside your sport. It requires a great deal of discipline and time. But fortunately, there are also a number of dietary guidelines that work for every fighter. These guidelines are easy to follow, provided you have discipline.
Nutritional guidelines for combat athletes
Combat athletes need to be fast and strong, which is why they generally have more muscle tissue than other people. People with more muscle tissue burn more energy than average (even at rest). If you train intensively for more than 5 to 6 hours a week, it's a good idea to follow the nutritional plan below.
1: Eat nutritious, balanced meals
It's helpful to eat 4 full meals a day, with about 3 hours between each meal. For example, the first meal at 8:00 AM, then at 11:00 AM, then again at 2:00 PM, and the last at 5:00 PM. Keep in mind that you shouldn't eat a large meal less than 2-3 hours before your boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, MMA, taekwondo, or karate training/competition. Exercising on a full stomach can cause complications.
But what should such a complete meal contain?
- Slow-release carbohydrates. Therefore, choose products such as whole-wheat bread, grains, potatoes, (brown) rice, (whole-wheat) pasta and legumes, and not sugars. These carbohydrates can be stored in the body as glycogen (which you use as an energy source during exercise without affecting your performance, which is the case when you burn fat or body protein during exercise). In addition, they contain B vitamins and important minerals, such as iron, magnesium, chromium and zinc.
- Complete proteins. These are proteins that contain sufficient (essential) amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks for body cells, including muscle tissue, bones, and blood, as well as for antibodies and hormones, etc. Essential amino acids must be obtained directly from food. The body cannot produce these amino acids itself from other building blocks, but the body needs them badly. You can obtain these complete proteins, including sufficient essential amino acids, by eating the following products: meat, fish, poultry (such as chicken), milk (products), cheese, and eggs. There are also plant-based products that contain complete proteins, such as bread, nuts, beans, lentils, and soy. The latter is the only plant-based product that also contains essential amino acids.
- Polyunsaturated fats. Instead of fats, we're better off using carbohydrates as fuel, because an excess of fat is stored as body fat. Note: An excess of carbohydrates/sugars can also be stored as body fat, but first the glycogen stores will be replenished, and these are the stores you need for energy during exercise. But why do we eat fats at all? There's a difference between saturated fats (which mainly have negative effects on the body) and unsaturated fats. These fats have properties that promote the metabolic process in the body. Fats are also often carriers of minerals and trace elements (vitamins) that are important for the body. Essential fatty acids, such as linoleic acid and linolenic acid, from vegetable oils like flaxseed, soy, sunflower, and corn oil, but also from margarine, halvarine, and fatty fish, are particularly important for your body. Eat fat in moderation and choose foods with polyunsaturated fats and essential fatty acids. For example, you can: spread margarine or halvarine on your bread, make your salad with a dressing containing one of the vegetable oils mentioned above, eat nuts and seeds, or eat fatty fish (salmon, herring, eel, mackerel, trout, etc.).
- Fruits and vegetables. Eat one piece of fruit or a serving of vegetables with every meal.
- Variety and sufficient nutritional value. Make sure you get all the nutrients listed above in every meal. However, vary the products you use. Each product contains different minerals and trace elements that you need. By varying your intake, you ensure you get all the necessary nutrients and not just the same vitamins, minerals, and trace elements all the time. There are many different types, and your body needs them all. A deficiency will lead to health problems, but an excess can also cause problems. So, have a piece of fruit with one meal and a serving of vegetables with another, and vary the type of fruit or vegetable you choose. The color of the fruit and vegetables also indicates something about the nutrients they contain. So, one time eat green vegetables, another time red, and then white, etc. This way you know you're varying your intake well. Also, always choose a different product that will provide you with slow carbohydrates, complete proteins, and unsaturated fats.
- Make sure you don't overeat, but eat as much as you need. Don't eat snacks in between these meals unless your body signals that you need them. If you do, consciously choose healthy snacks.
2: Drink enough
Drink 2 dl (one glass) of water every hour. Water is very important for your body (which is 60% water); it transports nutrients and waste products and also regulates body temperature. For good athletic performance, fluid balance must be maintained before, during, and after exercise. Even a fluid loss of 1% of body weight negatively affects metabolism and reduces performance. Waiting to drink until you are thirsty is too late, as thirst occurs at a fluid loss of 2% of body weight.
To ensure your hydration level stays up during sports, it's a good idea to drink more water before training or a competition. Don't drink too much, though, as that's unhealthy and can even be fatal (water intoxication; the osmotic value in your blood is too low).
Don't drink a lot of water right before your boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, MMA, taekwondo, or karate training/competition, as this will cause unpleasant gurgling in your stomach. Try to keep drinking during training as well. Normally, you need 1 liter of water during one hour of martial arts training. This isn't always possible, and it's also good for your body to get used to competing with a lower hydration level. Therefore, the advice for martial artists who also participate in boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, or MMA competitions, etc., is: 0.5 liters of water for 1 to 1.5 hours of training. But do raise your hydration level before training!
3: Replenish your amino acids
After training, it's often necessary to replenish the amino acids in your body. This is especially important for repairing muscle tissue and other body tissue damaged during the workout, but also for building new muscle tissue. Before taking these amino acids, you should first consume a carbohydrate-rich meal. This could be fruit or other fast-acting carbohydrates (fast-acting carbohydrates are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and can immediately serve as energy). If you don't do this, your body will burn the amino acids as fuel to restore energy levels. These valuable amino acids can then no longer be used as building blocks.
Are you aiming to lower your body fat percentage? Then you shouldn't consume any nutrients for at least an hour after your workout. For the first hour, you should only drink water. This is because after an interval workout (such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, MMA, taekwondo, or karate training or competitions), your body continues to burn body fat to restore your energy levels. If you were to eat or drink something with nutrients, your body would burn these new nutrients (as they are more readily available at that moment and therefore easier to convert into energy than your body fat) and therefore stop burning body fat.
Guidelines for a healthy lifestyle
To perform well as a boxer, kickboxer, taekwondo athlete, karateka, Muay Thai fighter, or MMA fighter, not only your diet is important, but also your lifestyle. Below are some tips for a healthy lifestyle for athletes:
- Don't smoke and don't use drugs or doping.
- Sleep at least 8 hours a night and don't go to bed too late. Top athletes should also get their rest during the day.
- Don't drink too much alcohol. Consuming more than two glasses in a single day is already harmful to your body. If you drink no more than two glasses of beer or wine a day, it's not harmful to do so once a week. Don't drink alcohol while preparing for a competition.
- Be sparing with sugars and saturated fats. Limit yourself to healthy snacks when you get hungry between meals. A few times a week you can have an unhealthy snack (unless you're right before a competition). This, like a small amount of alcohol, contributes to a positive mood.
Sports nutrition and supplements
Following the above nutritional and healthy lifestyle guidelines requires a great deal of discipline. If you lack this discipline and can only follow the guidelines for a short period, then using sports nutrition or supplements is essentially pointless. Your basic diet and lifestyle determine 80% of the success you can achieve through nutrition. The remaining 20% could be optimized through the use of appropriate sports nutrition and supplements. What you should use best is a separate story and very personal. But first, it's crucial that you consistently follow the guidelines above, so that the first 80% is optimal. Only when you can consistently maintain that 80% optimally does it make sense to use sports nutrition and supplements. So first, ensure you follow the guidelines to become a healthy and physically strong fighter, and only then delve into sports nutrition.
For more information about healthy eating, please visit: http://www.voedingscentrum.nl/ Some information about nutrients has also been verified on this site to prevent errors.