Nutritional Timing for athletic performance

Nutritional timing for athletic performance

Recommended per day
1 litre of water per 50lb of bodyweight
1g of protein per 1lb of bodyweight
1g of carbohydrate will provide 4kcal of energy
At least 5 different portions of fruit and veg per day, the more colours in your diet the better.

Before training

Hydration - drink 450ml up to 2 hours before. Kidneys need 60-90 minutes to process excess liquid, so this will be excreted before the event/activity, leaving you hydrated without excess water. Too much excess fluid taken immediately before an activity may cause 'sloshing' in the stomach.

Drink 110-225ml, 5-10 minutes before activity. This will be available to replace sweat.

Energy - 1g of carbohydrates will provide 4kcal of energy. Around 2 hours before exercise you should be consuming a balanced meal of roughly 400/500 calories to provide you with enough energy to complete your training session. You should be aiming for low-glycemic foods such as brown rice, brown pasta for a slow releasing energy release. 

During training

Hydration - ideally try to take small sips of water every few minutes. This will keep you fully hydrated during your training. You should be aiming to consume up to litre of water per hour of exercise. If exercising at a hard pace for longer than 60 minutes you will benefit from drinks containing a small amount of sugar. A 4-8% solution of sugar in water.  As glycogen stores are depleted, there is greater reliance on blood sugar levels, these drinks can provide this fuel and will enhance endurance and performance.

After training

Arguably the most important phase of nutrition timing.

Hydration - continue to drink your water and rehydrate. Also during exercise and sweating the body loses minerals (electrolytes) such as potassium and sodium that help your body function properly. Sports drinks are designed to leave the stomach quickly to replace these minerals.

Recovery - the body can only consume between 20-30g of protein at any one time depending on bodyweight. I recommend a fast acting whey protein to be taken immediately after exercise, or at least within 10 minutes of completing exercise. I recommend this as your body is in a state of muscular shock it will not be able to break down and absorb any solid protein in a quick enough time. After showering and getting home your body will have relaxed into a more restful state, a balanced meal of protein, carbs and veg would be ideal. High glycemic carbohydrates will replace glycogen stores in your muscles providing adequate energy for recovery. Vegetables will also provide the essential links to react the chemical reactions to facilitate the synthesis of carbohydrates and protein.

Writter - Connor Doherty

For more info on nutrition or taylor made specific diet plans please contact me on connordoherty@bodytorque.org.uk

Sports Therapy

What is Sports therapy?

Sports therapy consists of different things from massage to light rehabilitation.

Massage & rehab can help athletes get back to being in top form from injury. Injury prevention therapy is also, if not more, important. Muscle strains, muscle tightness and little niggles can all be assisted through massage to improve recovery time so you can continue your sport at 100% performance. Pre/post event massage can be proven in a number of studys to benefit athletes in competition and aid in recovery.

Not only is sports therapy good for athletes, we also help a number of general gym goers in there battle to get fit.

If you have become injured, or leave a muscle strain and continue to train, trust me, YOU WILL REGRET IT. Your problem will not just go away, it will get worse and worse untill it could leave you with a permanant injury. Speak to me for a free consultation to see if I can help. At Bodytorque we are now offering sports massage and relaxation massages. You do not need to be a member to take advantage of this service.

Until friday 7th of september I am offering a limited amount of FREE massages and therapy consultations. To find out more info email me on emmarushton@bodytorque.org.uk

Thanks for reading,

Writter - Emma Rushton, Sports Therapist and Personal Trainer


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RawFit IS BACK! Bodyweight challenge!

Dates and details have been CONFIRMED!

The theme of the event will be BODYWEIGHT STRENGTH

Everyone will be weighed upon arrival. From then there will be 5 events!

1. Bench press (with equivalent bodyweight on the bar)
2. Squats (with equivalent bodyweight on the bar)
3. Wide Grip Pull ups (with equivalent bodyweight on the bar)
4. Bodyweight Gymnastic Dips

5. Rope climbs

Points will be alocated at the end of each event and totalled at the end.

£15 to enter, including a FREE RawFit tshirt, refreshments and insurance.

Winners and runner up prizes are :

1st place - Winners gold trophy + 6 months gym & classes membership to Bodytorque - Institute of Physical performance (worth £180)

2nd place - Runner up silver trophy + 1 months gym & classes membership to Bodytorque
- Institute of physical performance (worth £90)

All competitors will recieve a free RawFit tshirt and water/energy drinks on the day

Apply now by emailing application@rawfitevents.com

Focus, visualisation, and positive attitude.

Right guys, I just wanted to talk to you about the importance of positive attitude and the impact it can have on your life. Now positive attitude can come in many shapes and forms, but its about being happy in whatever you. The glass is always half full, not empty. Catch my drift?

Theres a number of benefits for positive thinking; a healthier fitter life, life expectancy increased, reduction of stress and success in your career.

Positive attitude can help boost your immune system, to in turn help you live longer, especially when dealing with viral infections and some forms of cancer, found a 2007 study performed by the Department of Psychology at the University of Kentucky and published in Brain, Behavior and Immunity

Now lets move onto a BIG one now, FOCUS & VISUALISATION. As mentioned last time in my article about motivation, this is paramount. To want to achieve any sort of goal, whether in health and fitness or your career, you must focus and visualise your end result and the steps to get you there.

Lets look at this from a weight loss perspective, in the long term you may have an idol in your head you would love to look like. For example, ive recently had alot of female clients tell me they would love to look like olympic gold medalist Jessica Ennis. Now alot of surrounding factors tell them they will never look like this. Why not? With hard training, good diet and focus ANYTHING is achievable. Remember, these olympic athletes are not born great, they work hard and continue to push themselves to reach their goals, so why dont you?

Again, lets break this down even furthur and look more short term. Each session my clients enter the gym, I tell them to be work hard but more importantly stay positive. If I ask them to perform something specifically challeging, I want them to think, I CAN DO THIS, I WILL DO THIS. Think about the end result and its through this hard work they will achieve there end result. This focus and visualisation is what will help you to complete the task instead of thinking, I cant do this and crubbling on the floor. Its this drive and motivation that will stop you having that cheeky pint at the weekend, or kebab 'to reward yourself' after a tough week. Reward yourself when you reach the result you want! Not half way through!

Like I mentioned in the previous post, FIND MOTIVATION ANYWERE YOU CAN, look for it, search for it and always stay FOCUSED.

Writter - Chris Tomlinson


Our website : www.bodytorquegym.com

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Motivation

How important is motivation?
To us at Bodytorque motivation is the number 1 ingredient for training! Knowledge of exercises, diet and training means nothing without it. Without motivation, will you leave work after a long hard day to then go to the gym and actually train hard? Will you still put your running trainers on and go out in the rain? Will you lift that extra rep?


Now dont get me wrong, we all struggle for motivation at times, Ive been fairly quiet on this blog recently as Ive had nothing to motivate me to write, BUT...A few of my clients have forwarded me articles this week that have kept them motivated and in turn inspired me to write this. Its about finding your own motivation & drive to reach a goal that you desire. Keeping focused until you achieve what you set out for and then continue to keep going! I can motivate all of my clients to a certain extent, but the real drive and commitment needs to come from within, a deep desire to achieve a certain goal.

Now for me, I find great motivation from videos such as this : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6krLeYduBY

What these athletes can do, even though disabled, is amazing! Feel motivated? What have you done this week to push your boundaries or take a step closer to your goals?

Here is a great article that one of my clients emailed me this morning, definately taking 2 minutes to read : http://thedailylove.com/do-you-know-what-time-it-is/

Catching my drift?

Motivation isnt just something that happens, you need to look for it, find it, fuel your desire and reach your goal! Its about focusing on the next stage, taking one step at a time and always moving forward. Nobody can do it for you, ITS UP TO YOU!
Thanks for reading, I hope Ive inspired a few of you. Instead of waiting for tomorrow, or monday to come round to rejoin the gym, JOIN TODAY! The time is now! If you found our article interesting please share it with friends, family and collegues to inspire them too!

Our website : www.bodytorquegym.com

 

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Suspension Training

The term suspension training refers to an approach to fitness training that uses a system of ropes and webbing called a "suspension trainer" to allow the user to work against their own body weight.

Suspension exercise offers a new form of training for people of all abilities. It allows you to leverage your own bodyweight with gravity to develop strength, balance, flexibility, and joint stability simulaneously.

1. By suspending your body against gravity you create dynamic resistance, allowing you to use gravity to target any muscle in the human body.
2. By changing the angle and thereby increasing or decreasing the resistance, you can find your optimal resistance point. The more horizontal you are, the more you are lifting.
3. Suspended bodyweight training forces your body to engage your core and stabilizer muscles, resulting in a more flexible, symmetrical and complete workout.

We have put together a video at Bodytorque to showcase just a few exercises for a full body workout.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqUSr27B5Ps&feature=plcp

Chest flies

Reverse back flies

Bicep Curls

Tricep extensions

Squats

Torso Twists

Shoulder Press

Plank / Half Plank

Spider Man Ab Crunches

Alternate leg ab crunches

 Hamstring Curls

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Dietery Supplements

Now although a lot of you out there are using these in your everyday diet, some of you still don’t know why your using them or what they are for and only take them for the simple fact that the big guy on the free weights recommended them or the skinny girl on the treadmill is using them. Today I’m going to clear up a few fact, myths and dangers behind some of the most popular supplements.

Firstly, supplements are not to be used instead of elements of your diet. For example, because you are using a protein shake, don’t use this instead of eating chicken. The clue is in the name ‘supplement’, in definition means adding, so therefore just adding to your diet, not replacing. On a macronutrient level it is much better quality of nutrients in good well produced food rather than supplements. There are many different reasons for people to use supplements, a few of these include, poor diet, poor appetite, vegetarian, recovery but in my career most people are taking them only from recommendation from somebody else, or heard they should be taking it.

Protein powders – remember your body can only absorb roughly 30g of protein at any one time,  protein powders boasting high amounts of protein is unnecessary as a lot of it will be wasted or converted into fat.

Whey protein – this is the most common protein many of you will have heard of. Whey protein is the best protein to have post exercise within 15 minutes to rebuild muscle tissue as it is fast acting and quickly absorbed.

Casein protein – This is one you may not have heard of but still a great supplement. Casein protein is a slow releasing protein which is not absorbed quickly like whey, this means it is great as a shake before bed as it will slowly continue to feed your body and muscle growth throughout the night.

Blend proteins – This is also another great protein as it has the best of both, fast and slow releasing proteins which make it good if budget is tight.

Weight gainers – As a product these weight gainers normally contain high amounts of calories for athletes such as bodybuilders as it can be difficult for them to eat the amounts of calories needed for their muscle growth. Many people use these as a ‘quick fix’ to get big but many end up with excess body fat due to incorrect training. When mixed with a  good diet and good training some good muscle gains can be made.

Creatine – This is a popular supplement among gym goers and fitness enthusiasts as it appears to show great gains. Firstly rapid muscle growth, this is not necessarily muscle. Creatine has a great water retention ability to make your muscles appear bigger. Secondly, creatine is a natural substance that is already produced by your body for your explosive energy system. Creatine is only active in the muscles for 1 – 3 seconds for a lift before having to wait for it to fill the muscles again. So, good for explosive power lifters, not good for the average gym goer trying to gain lean muscle. Also creatine in excess has proven in the past to have detrimental side effects damaging the liver.

Fat burners – although these tablets will burn fat, they can be extremely dangerous to your health. They work by raising your heart rate to elevated levels using stimulants such as caffeine, this is extremely bad for your heart as it is not designed to be under pressure for consistant long periods of time. Users have reported side effects such as, chest pains, stomach cramps, headaches and tingling in fingers and toes.

Multivitamins - Eating enough food that will supply your body with the recommended daily value of nutrients your body needs is possible.  Although we all know this can be difficult if you’re on the go. A good multivitamin will have your RDA to allow you to recover, boost your immune system and help your body to function.

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