Issue 085

February 2012

With money tight and nutrition often confusing try opting for an all-rounder supplement to ensure you’ve always got enough in your gas tank

Gareth Nicholas is part of the elite sports nutrition team at Maximuscle, one of the world’s leading sports nutrition suppliers

FIGHTER DIET TIPS

Fill up the tank - Consume 6-10g per kilogram of body mass (g.kg.BM) of carbohydrate throughout the day (420-700g for a 70 kg person). Ideally, spread this across the day in your regular meals.

Top up before training - 3-4 hours before training consume 1-4 g.kg.BM of carbohydrate (70-280g for a 70 kg person, depending upon the intended training and your carbohydrate levels).

Daily recovery - Consume 1.2-1.8 g.kg.BM of protein throughout the day (84-126g for a 70kg person).

Recovery window - within 60 minutes after exercise consume between 20-40g of protein.

Good Fat - Fat is important for a healthy diet but limit the amount of saturated fat.

One phrase that should resonate with all MMA fighters is ‘no input, no output.’ In the build-up towards a fight, training should ideally intensify to mimic or exceed the intensity of a bout. It is therefore no surprise fighters train for several hours a day to prepare for those grueling five-minute rounds. Like training, nutrition requires some extra focus if you want to be sharp for your fight. Reaching your calorie, protein and carbohydrate needs whilst taking advantage of additional supplements that support strength, speed and power can really maximize your performance. 

Hitting your calorie needs

On training days, fighters may require as much as 4,000-6,000 kcals (depending upon training intensity and weight). By matching the calorie intake with the intended expenditure, this will help to maintain training intensity and limit immune function depression in this heavy training period.

For many, the hard part is practically achieving such a high calorie intake whist trying to maintain a healthy diet, particularly when you consider the general recommended calorie intake for adults is 2,000-2,500 kcal, almost half as much of what might be required. Eating every two to three hours across the day will help you achieve a higher calorie intake, selecting protein and calorie-rich supplements such as progain will help. It’s not just your regular eating pattern, but timing of your consumption of nutrients around training that’s important. Above are a few tips to consider when planning a fighter’s diet to ensure the appropriate level of fuel is consumed, for training and recovery.

Selecting supportive supplements 

As an MMA fighter, strength and power are critical to achieve success. Therefore, the vast majority of training will be focused on these areas. To maximize this type of training, supplements such as creatine, beta alanine and caffeine can all offer benefits. However, taking each of these supplements individually can be both expensive and inconvenient. Opting for an all-in-one formula, can help to help simplify this.

Products like Gaspari Nutrition’s SuperPump Max contain a number of active ingredients that will top up your energy levels prior to exercise and provide you with the key ingredients to help you achieve the most from your training. Creatine monohydrate, for example, is a widely researched and accepted dietary compound that aids the rejuvenation of the immediate energy source. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) allows a fighter to further improve their strength and anerobic capacity, while another nutrient combination that would be beneficial for MMA fighters is beta alanine and L-histidine. Beta alanine and L-histidine are amino acids that buffer muscle metabolites that lead to fatigue. Therefore supplementation has the potential to allow a fighter to train harder for longer. Another essential ingredient is caffeine, which is recognized as providing both a mental and physical stimulus, helping a fighter feel energized and focused. Finding a good-quality all-round supplement really does make light work of achieving an ideal combination of workout nutrients. 

Combining a well-balanced diet and specific support nutrients will give you the right input to support training gains and more importantly support a good output during a fight. Taking advantage of the superior progression in training and the ability to go harder for longer during your fight after using supportive supplements may literally mean the difference between winning and losing.