Performance Nutrition is critical for success on the field and long term health.
Making progress on the field and in the weight room starts with proper nutrition. The key to gaining muscle, increased strength, and overall health come from paying attention to what you put in your body. The problem most people, athletes included, have is that the popular nutritional culture in this country is far from ideal. We have 16-year-old kids weighing over 300 lbs. because they believe this gives them a chance to attain a scholarship or play on Sundays. This is not a path to the NCAA or NFL; it is a path to obesity and illness. Being overweight is a problem and it doesn't matter if the athlete is a football player or not. Eating everything to put on size is not the answer. Don't power down junk food just to gain size, because the size you will gain isn't good weight. It is fat; it's useless, it will slow you down on the field, and will decrease performance and overall health
Although absolute size and strength are vital, better body composition means a more powerful athlete.
Recovery and muscle gains cannot happen with poor nutrition.
The eating habits we establish remain with us throughout life. It is very hard to eat one way while playing football and expect to change the diet after a football career is over. Good habits are formed while the discipline of training hard develops too.
Remember: what you don't know can hurt you. In this country the American Dietetics Association recommends a high-carb, low fat, grain based diet. This is a pro-inflammatory diet, counterproductive for muscle growth, recovery and performance.
Grains cause stomach problems for some people and play havoc on your body's chemistry. Removing gluten improves digestion and improves recovery.
We are finding that a Junk Food diet causes even more problems than the ADA Diet. This is where an athlete consumes garbage calories with no nutritive value. This leads to decreased performance and excess body fat.
Is there a better way? Yes. CrossFit Football Nutrition.
The CrossFit Football Diet plus Dairy: the simplicity of the diet blends optimum performance and health. We can’t say it any simpler than this…Eat meat, fish, seafood, eggs, vegetables, roots, tubers, bulbs, herbs and spices as well as animal fats, olives & olive oil, coconut and dairy.
The goal is to consume 1 gram of protein per lb. of body weight. The way to maximize muscle growth is to provide the body with adequate protein for growth and recovery, hormonal control for better body composition…and improved growth and recovery!
One gallon of whole Milk contains 2400 calories. This is an excellent source of proteins, carbohydrates and fat. Dense calorie sources are a must, like whole milk and meats.
There is growth potential beyond calories by consuming whole milk. Increased IGF, hGH, insulin, testosterone come from drinking whole milk. These are all potent growth promoters. Whey Protein acts similar to milk. It is a fast acting protein and a good supplement when trying to achieve 1 gram of protein per lb. of bodyweight.
For most Football players there is no calorie restriction. 4 to 6 meals per day is the goal.
Post workout or practice meals should contain proteins and carbohydrates. Whole milk and whey protein are ideal and a non-insulin mediated glucose transport takes place. So take advantage of growth and recovery potential post-workout by making sure to eat a protein and carbohydrate meal with 1 hour of working out.
