CARBS, FATS AND PROTEIN….

CARBS, FATS AND PROTEIN….

These are the 3 nutrients in food we need to be concerned with as athletes. And there are a certain amount of each that should be consumed per day, dependant upon goals.

CARBS

Carbohydrates are the bodies “fuel” that it uses whenever physical activity is performed. From breathing and walking around to full contact Thai Boxing or benching some heavy iron; it all uses different amounts of carbs and if there are not enough carbs to fuel the exercise, your body will cannibalise your own muscles for fuel. Bad times, however it’s not as simple as “eat carbs” as there are 2 types of carbohydrate…

COMPLEX CARBS

These are the carbs we want to eat. They’re “slow” burning and so provide a longer lasting and more steady input of fuel for the body. Such carbs are found in Brown Rich, Wholemeal Pastas and Potatos

SIMPLE CARBS

These are basically sugars and are quickly passed into the blood stream. At times this can be beneficial (immediately after exercise) but if your body doesn’t use this energy quickly, any excess will be removed from your blood stream by the hormone; insulin, and because the body will not waste energy, it will be stored as bodyfat. And thats bad. Very bad. Simple carbs are found in chocolate bars, cakes and sodas, etc…

SEPERATING THE CARBS

Look on a food package; it’ll have “carbs” in the table of nutrients, and underneath it’ll have “of which sugars” basically if you subtract the “sugars” from “carbs” you’ll have the total amount of complex carbs in the food

PROTEIN

Protein are the “building blocks” of the body and are used in the construction and maintenance of muscle tissue, tendons, skin cells and much more. Protein is also believed to have fat metabolising properties. One important fact about protein, however, is that the body is incapable of storing protein for later use (unlike fats and carbs) and within a few hours of consumption; the protein will be flushed out of the body, thereby requiring a constant input of protein. A lack of protein will result in muscular atrophy and a loss in size and strength.

FATS

Fats do NOT necessarily make you fat. Infact, if you are trying to lose bodyfat and resort to cutting out fats from your diet; it can have a detrimental effect on your efforts! Fats are used by the body for lubricating joints, helping transport fat soluble vitamins around the body and also in growth and repair. They are also produce more energy than carbohydrate, though they are not as quickly accessed.

HOW MUCH!?

Ok, so now you know what they do…how much of each nutrient should you eat per day?

It is generally accepted that, in order to maintain your current muscle mass, you need to consume 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight. So long as you keep adequate protein coming into your body, you will maintain your muscle and burn bodyfat with exercise.

Each of the 3 main nutrients contain calories. Carbohydrate and Protein contain, essentially, 4 cals per g of carb or protein. Fats contain 9 cals per g.

For our examples, we’ll use a fictional 175lb person. First, we’ll look at nutrient levels for fat loss, then for lean muscle gain (as athletes don’t require bulk muscle; it looks great on the beach, but doesn’t do much for you in the ring or on the pitch)

FAT LOSS: (based on 1.5g carb and protein per lb bodyfat and 10% of your calorie intake coming by way of fats)

Protein: 260

Carbs: 260

Fat: 30

Cals: 2350

LEAN MASS GAIN based on 1.5g protein, 2g carbs and 20% total calories coming from fats)

Protein: 260g

Carbs: 350g

Fat: 85g

Cals: 3500

NOTE: ALL no.s are rounded to nearest whole figure

My “Nutrition” Plan

Ok…so I’ve had some time off to think about where I was going wrong with my training; I’d push myself to near breaking point on a daily basis and never give less than 100%, yet I’ve noticed my gains and progress have almost plateau’d these past few months. Then I remembered something a great man once said “You can’t out train a bad diet” and I took a look at my daily eating habits….

BREAKFAST: Sometimes nothing, but if I did have something, I’d eat white toast and marmalade or a bowl of Frosties.

SNACK: Probably some crisps or a chocolate bar

LUNCH: A microwave meal of some sort, or if I’m out I’ll nip into KFC or Maccie D’s

TEA: Same as Lunch really

SUPPER: Toast or a sandwich

….and I’d also drink around 8 or 9 cans of Coke a day too.

I call the above the “Chuck Liddell Diet“

Those of you who know anything about nutrition will probably be ashamed of me right now, but thats ok; I’m a new man now!

NEXT: CARBS, FATS AND PROTEIN….

Soooo……

You may have noticed I haven’t posted much lately; well the reason for this is…..I forgot my password, and couldn’t find the “help me remember my password, cause I’m a retard” button. ¬_¬ .

So what have I been up to?; learning about nutrition.

Basically my main enemy in training has always been that, no matter how hard I push myself; my gains are always minimised by my, frankly, idiotic knowledge of nutrition.

A favourite post-workout snack of mine would be grabbing a McDonalds on the way home from training (there’s protein in the meat, carbs in the chips and salad…right?….well, “meat” and “salad” is probably more accurate).

So, I figured, if I’m working so hard; why not learn how to optimize my gains and results?, why not help myself be the best I can be, and eliminate another weak link in my Training Chain?. After all, muscle doesn’t grow in the gym; it grows in recovery. And to recover, we need nutrients.  And, despite what I thought, cheesey chips are NOT a superfood…

“Then he looked at him and said…”is it over?” I think it may just be, mate, it may just be…

So tonight I stayed up, far beyond light headed fatigue, to watch UFC 97; with it’s double main event  and “will he, won’t he” promises.

What started so excitingly, ended somber and deflated.

First of all, the “actual” main event; Anderson Silva vs Thales Leites, was shit. Silva looked like he just couldn’t be arsed (something he’s started making a habit of), Leites (for his part) looked like he shouldn’t have been given a title shot to begin with. A long, boring, 5 rounds of Silva throwing half-arsed strikes and spending most of the fight throwing side kicks at Leites legs, and Leites heading for the ground every chance he got (with or without Silva), made it possibly the worst title match in UFC history. Complete Bollocks.

Apparently Silva’s post fight speech was dodgy as hell too, but by that point I’d turned it off ad gone to wash some clothes.

Now, the main outcome of the night; Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell VS Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. The former PRIDE FC war machine vs everyone’s favourite MMA “everyman”, Chuck Liddell.

By the time Liddell vs Rua rolled around, I was so tired; one of my eyes had started to droop closed, like I’d had a stroke…but I wasn’t gonna miss the Iceman put another motherfucker out cold!…….quite.

Rua came into the fight with an uninspiring UFC start (having lost his debut to the UFC’s most handsome man; Forest Griffin and then gassing in the middle of the first round on his way to a piss-poor stoppage of Mark “The Hammer” Coleman, whom is some 7,500 years Rua’s senior) Rua needed this win to show that he still had the attributes that made him such a monster in PRIDE, including 9 ko’s in 11 wins and only losing once in PRIDE, due to an accidental injury whilst fighting Coleman the first time in 2006….which resulted in Coleman’s infamous victory “flip”)

Liddell also needed this win as, with 3 losses in his last 4 fights (2 by ko) and his only win in that space being a split decision victory over Wanderlei Silva (whom it since appears may be a spent force himself) Chuck really possibly was looking at his last chance at getting his belt back; being 39 years old (and not a particularly fit 39 years old either) we hoped for a return to form from the iceman.

Chuck came out looking fired up, to “Raining Blood” by Slayer; he looked like he’d got his shit together and was gonna give it everything he had.

Rua picked at Liddell with some beastly leg kicks and overhand rights (by the looks of it injuring Liddell with one of the early leg kicks as Liddell started hobbling around), and even managed to take Chuck down with relative ease (Liddell was once known for his awesome takedown defence), before dropping poor chuck with a left hand and raining down hammerfists onto Liddell; causing Mario Yamasaki to stop it at 4:28 of R1.

5 fights, 4 Losses, 3 kos

As Liddell was helped up, he asked “is it over?” the question may have been about the fight, or his career…sadly the answer may be the same.

Joe Rogan went up to Liddell for his thoughts after the fight, and since seeing Liddell so fired up and eager to go on his way to the cage; Chuck looked a much different man. A much older, worn and weary man. He aged a lot in those 5 minutes, and reminded me much of Mike Tyson after the Kevin McBride fight; he just didn’t have it in him anymore. The well ran dry and there was nothing left.

No doubt Liddell could drag his career out another 2 or 3 years in the lesser leagues of MMA; maybe enjoy some mid-card success on an Affliction or Strikeforce show (both of which would jump at the chance to sign him) but his UFC days, I believe, are over.

Watching him walk back to the locker room actually upset me quite a bit; there are many factors and variables that could’ve been changed if he could do it all again…but he can’t. Liddell would be wise to relax into retirement with his millions now and live the good life. He’s still young, in the grand scheme of things.

I would see it as a fitting tribute for him to be inducted into the UFC hall of fame at UFC 100; cause he fucking deserves it.

Working the Neck…

I’m a big fan of working my neck strength/ stability as I believe that a strong neck is beneficial in protecting yourself from a ko blow; if your neck is strong, your head will “rattle” less when hit; and in a nutshell, this “rattling” of the head and brain is the catalyst in you getting KTFO’ed.

Generally, 2 or 3 times a week (usually on weight training days) I’ll do the following;

Isometric Stability Ball Neck Leans;

Place a stability ball against the wall and (in turn, for a specific amount of time each) place your forehead, then left side, then right side, then back of your head; against the ball, supporting your body weight whilst leaning in.

- Keep the supporting part of your head “flat” against the ball (so on the sides of your head, you lean as though you’re listening against the wall to hear what people in the next room are doing) this incorporates the muscles of the neck and not so much the actual bones/ spine, as it would if you kept your neck perfectly straight.

- To add resistance; “drop” your torso down further to parrallel the wall; keep the legs further out at an angle

- Again, to add further resistance; lift one leg from the floor as you hold

- Keep neck/ head still throughout

….I usually gauge “time” by “breathes” as this allows me to maintain a constant rate of breathing and relaxes me; you don’t wanna be “tense” when working the neck, but you do wanna be “firm”

Isometric Neck Leans (without ball)

If you don’t have a stability ball; you can get a similar (although not as effective) neck workout by applying pressure to the 4 sides of your head with your hands; this is better for a beginner, as you can gauge the resistance easier and don’t have to worry about the stability factor the ball demands.

Wrestler’s Bridge

This is a classic neck exercise; lie flat on your back and “bridge up” so only your feet and top of your head remain in contact with the floor; as flexibility/ strength increases you’ll eventually be able to bridge so that your forehead and balls of your feet are all that remains in contact with the ground; keeping both points of contact (head and feet) as close together as possible.

NOTE: you can use your hands to provide stability and support on the floor until you build strength in the target areas.

Dynamic Bridge

Face down; raise up on your hands and feet; immitating a dog on all fours, and place top of your head on the floor. Supporting with your hands;

“Roll”head onto forehead and then, in a clock-wise motion, roll to the left side, back, and right side of your head in a smooth motion; placing as much bodyweight on your head as you can maintain for “reps”, before changing to counter-clockwise direction.

I generally work my neck 2 or 3 times a week, something like;

Iso Ball Leans: 20 “breaths” per side (4 sides), 4 reps

Dynamic Bridge: 10 rotations each way (clockwise, counter clockwise), 3 reps

Wrestler’s Bridge: 90 seconds, 2 reps

NOTE: You can also work the neck with added weights in a “lifting” manner with or without a head harness; I don’t do this as I, personally,  don’t view the neck as an area that needs to develop an explosive power output or even particular size; moreso the neck needs to be sturdy and strong; we want a neck that will withstand strikes and hold up to the abuse of our sport; NOT be pumped and stacked to the extent we can’t turn our head properly! (after all; name a successful fighter who has a neck the size of Jay Cutler’s!)

Peace

Drill Me, Baby!

So, anyone that knows me, knows that I’m a big fan of drills in training; a move or sequence of moves repeated for high reps to ensure the body can replicate the action automatically when needed, or to tax the muscular fueling system past the point of comfort, to build stamina and endurance within said muscles.

Here are a few of my current favourite drills;

1. Artillery Sit Ups

You and a partner sit in “up” part of a sit-up, 10ft apart and facing each other.

Grab a medicine ball and hold in outstretched arms; above your head

You both perform 1 full sit-up, you keeping ball in straight arms above top of head

As you return to “up” position; throw the medicine ball to your partner (without bending your elbows!)

Once partner catches the ball, you both perform a sit-up and they throw it back

Repeat for reps or time

2. The Moment Of Truth

This one’s a beast!

A partner grabs your feet and holds them at their waist level; you hold a medicine ball in both hands

Perform 5 push-ups on the ball

“Hop” forward on the ball

Perform 5 more push-ups

“Hop” forward again

Complete for distance or to failure

(it’s good to make this competitive; team that gets furthest/ survives longest wins and gets to lead the class for 10 minutes or something akin to that)

3. Medicine Ball Super-Punchout!

Partner holds a medicine ball; you punch it

Partner moves the ball about and holds it at random striking positions; keeping good technique, guard and footwork; try and punch the ball from their hands

If you succeed; partner does 30 push-ups (or a higher no. depending on strength level)

Alternate holding/ punching each round for a total of 3-5 rounds

Peace

Dan

It’s How I Roll, Baby…It’s How I Roll…

Yesterday I went to visit my pal Nigel, whom I used to work with years ago at some crappy catering service agency. I lost touch with him years ago, but we ran into each other a few months back. He’s a great guy, but lives in the same house as a few guys; one of whom is a complete dickend and Nige ain’t the kinda guy to say anything about it.

Basically, his house has 2 bathrooms; upstairs and ground floor, and the upstairs one has a door leading into the prick housmate’s room, as well as one leading into the hall. So, his housemate, has veto’ed Nigel and the others from using the bathroom upstairs; claiming it’s “his onsuite” and only he can use it. So the lads have to use the one downstairs, which is a fucking horrible bathroom.

This tool even has a section of the kitchen cordened off with masking tape, and has confiscated half the fridge  and 2 of the 5 cupboards (despite the fact Nigel and another 2 lads live here).

Man’s a tool.

So, yesterday, I went into his “onsuite” whilst he was at work, and removed the ball top washer from inside the cistern. It didn’t stop there; I then dropped a deuce into the cistern, and put the lid back on.

Basically, this is called an “Upper Decker” and I learnt about it from watching TUF 6. The shit breaks apart and starts to stink like, well, shit; plus whenever the toilet is flushed; is pours shitty water….and it’s a bitch to remove.

Heard from Nigel before; his housemate came downstairs last night, having used the toilet. Shitty water spilled out of the cistern and flooded into his room (thankfully it didn’t flow into the hall too) and soaked clothes, his carpet and his xbox 360, which were all on the floor. His room stinks and, hopefully, he’ll stop being such a cunt. If not, I’m gonna go round and smack him.

I’m a great friend. But a terrible foe.

£25 for a Medicine Ball?, F*ck That

So I was after buying myself a new medicine ball, as the one I “inherited” from my previous gym when I left, managed to go A.W.O.L.

Looking around online, the best price I could find for the weight I wanted, was £25. £25 for a heavy ball?, shit, I was born with 2 of those for free!

So, I decided to make my own, I bought;

1.  Basketball (£4.99, Sports Direct)

2. Bag of sand (£1.48, B&Q)

3. Super Glue (£1, local “pound” store)

4. Roll of Gaffer tape (£2.50, B&Q)

Then, I:

1. Cut a slit in the basketball, just big enough to insert a funnel spout

2. Filled the motherfucker with sand, leaving just a small bit of space within.

3. Glued the slit closed, applied pressure to stick, and applied a coating of glue over the top of the closed slit.

4. Put a small square of Gaffer tape over the dried glue

5. Wrapped the entire ball in Gaffer tape for added security.

Took me 10 minutes and cost a total of £9.97, and I now have a 10kg medicine ball.

Gangsta.

Runnin’ in the sunshine…

…nothing better than running in the park on a nice sunny day; especially when doing some HIIT sprint intervals!:

SPRINT INTERVALS:

Sprint for 30 seconds

Rest (walk about; don’t stop moving!!) for 90 seconds

Repeat x3

Sprint for 20 seconds

Rest for 60 seconds

Repeat x3

Sprint for 10 seconds

Rest for 30 seconds

Repeat x3

This is not an easy routine and will leave you pretty gassed.  Plus, if you run alongside a pond in the park fast enough, it sounds like the ducks are laughing at you.

Maybe they are.

Damn ducks.

What I Do….

So, here is my current training regime; I try to stick to this, faithfully, but every now and again I’ll call off a training session if I’m injured or busy (we all got other shit to be doing).

My Current Training Schedule (27/ 03/ 09)

As you can see, it’s a little biased on the striking side, but by mid-year I hope to have the split between striking and grappling/ subs, about 50/50

Strength and Conditioning sessions consist of a mix of weight, resistance and cardio training and the circuit/ plyo session of 2 different sport specific circuits designed to tax the cardiovascular system and my muscular endurance, combined with plyometric and isometric actions.

I also perform one (or, if I have the energy) 2 sessions of HIIT cardio per week too

My MMA sessions are free sparring/ rolling with a few training partners in which I go over various drills, techniques and tie everything together into the complete package