It was about time I opened my own place.
I have been very busy.
Nutrition. What to eat before and after training. Part 1
This subject is vast and may take some time to cover. If you think you are going to get some magical combination of super foods that will turn you into a super freak over night, then think again. This blog is here to give you the basics about nutrition, along with some reference material so you can make your own informed decision.
There is a lot of ground to cover but I will try my best to keep it as simple as possible. The best place to start is at the beginning – why, what and how we need food, and how we use it.
Ok so we need food to survive. It gives us the ability to function. It fuels our locomotion and aids the growth and repair of our bodies.
The old cliche you are what you eat rings true. Food is the building block of life. To help understand exactly how and why this is so, lets have a quick look at the basic organisation of life.
Very simply: chemical builds cells, cell builds tissue, tissues builds organs, organ builds system and systems build the human body.
For example: Protein – Actin – Muscle Fibers – Muscles – Muscular System – The Human Body.
This idea of organisation also applies to our skeletal system, nervous system, digestive system, circulatory system, lymphatic system, endocrine system and our reproductive system.
The quality of the food we eat has a huge effect on the human body. Both structure and function can be hindered with poor quality foods.
Nutrients Groups
Lets still try and keep this simple, but provide all the relevant information. We can break our food down to 5 nutrients under 2 sub headings.Macronutrients
•Carbohydrates (CHO)
•Protein
•Fats
Lets still try and keep this simple, but provide all the relevant information. We can break our food down to 5 nutrients under 2 sub headings.Macronutrients
•Carbohydrates (CHO)
•Protein
•Fats
Micronutrients
•Vitamins
•Minerals
Macronutrients are used within the human body for structure, function and fuel. Micronutrients also aid structure but have properties that aid the release of energy from macronutrients.
1 gram of CHO = 4 cals
1 gram of Protein = 4 cals
1 gram of Fat = 9 cals
1 gram of Alcohol = 7 cals
So let’s take a look at macronutrients, what they do and how we utilise them.
Carbohydrates
(CHO) is digested in the body in a variety of ways. Ultimately it is directed to the liver, muscles, or used as a fuel. Some glucose may enter adipose tissue, this is where it will be converted into fat.
All carbohydrates are made of a molecule called saccharides. They fall into 3 sub headings.
• Simple CHO aka Sugar
• Complex CHO aka Starch
• NSP (Non starch polysaccharides) aka Fibre
Protein
In brief, protein provides 3 functions
• Structural : Forming the framework of components in the body
• Homeostatic : Maintaining balance within the human body regulating chemical responses.
• Fuel : Not the main source of energy, but when required can be converted to ATP (adenosine triphosphate)
Lipids (Fats and Oils)
At room temperature liquids are oils and solids are fat. They are an essential component to the human diet and have a vast number of roles within the human body:
• They form all cell membranes
• They are responsible for the structure of the CNS (central nervous system)
• Synthesise hormones and reproduction
• Regulate enzymes
• Protect internal organs
• A fuel source for oxidative energy system
• Uptake of Calcium for bone formation
I have tried to keep this first blog as simple as possible, but equally give you all the relevant information and understanding of what does what.
In my next blog I will talk about energy system demands, eating organic, nutrition pre and post training and supplementation.
I have to say trying to keep it simple isn’t easy.
220 Kg
So I finally got there filmed this over a month or so ago. Reached my first target of lifting 2.5 x bw
Deadlift 3
It’s getting there. Very close to 2.5 x bw. We are currently at 2.35 x bw with 210kg. So back to the dungeon with my 5×5. Good old fashioned power lifting.
I didn’t win this one but I didn’t give up.
In fact it seems that I got more energetic toward the end of the fight. I made a few mistakes, but from watching this video I know what I need to do to improve my game. My physical conditioning is pretty much spot on. I am plenty strong enough, very fast and seem to move pretty well. That’s not say that these areas can’t and won’t be improve. I think my biggest problem on the day was mental. Delroy is a very tough opponent so my mind needed to be sharp and focus.
I was a little bit too concerned about the fact that I had left my belt at home and that I had borrowed one. This took me out of my zone. Also not having a corner threw me somewhat. I am not making excuses I am just highlighting the fact that the mind is a very powerful tool and when training or fighting you need to make sure you are in the right frame of mind to maximise your potential.
TUFF THURSDAY 2
So it’s been just over a month since we started TUFF TUESDAYS and TUFF THURSDAY at Bjj School. The idea was to give the Bjj school squad a bit of an extra edge and not to take anything away from there skill set. Bjj school has some of the most skillful fighters I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. So what if we made them stronger and faster with lots more gas in the tank. Two fighter can be as skillful as one another, but it is my opinion that you can beat your opponent if you have the ability to out work other fighters and have mental toughness. Both these attributes come with working hard in the gym as well as in the do jo.
It’s fair to say that the Bjj calender is pretty random we have a few regular tournaments but fighter don’t generally know when they will be competing. So using a liner approach to program design is probably not the best. Having spoken to other strength and conditioning guys ( Johnathan Lewis, Andy Marshall, Cj Swaby, Martin Rooney) and reading several books ( Mel Siff -Supertraining, Ross Enamait-Full Throttle Conditioning and Martin Rooney-Ultimate Warrior workouts) I decided to adopt the Conjugate Sequence System.
Conjugate Sequence System.
In the training of highly qualified athletes it always becomes necessary to raise the developmental level of any of the basic qualities of the motor systems which may be limiting improvement of the specific motor abilities. A logical solution would appear to be the introduction of a particular means capable of eliminating this insufficiency. However, this measure, which displays a very low probability of transferring specific motor abilities to the given sporting activity, is not very affective. If a specially sequenced system know as the conjugate sequence system is regularly used in training, then the likelihood that such situations will arise will be minimised and the situation will rapidly improve. (Verkhoshansky 1978)
more to follow…………
TUFF TUESDAY
This is what we get up to on a Tuesday lunch time.