When most people want to improve their performance, they often look at tactics that don’t make much of a difference – what supplements to take, what equipment to buy, and so on.
One factor is often overlooked, yet, ironically, it plays a much more pivotal role – our nutrition.
If your goals are to go through demanding workouts, recover well, and improve, then you need to start putting more attention to your diet.
Today, we’ll go over some critical considerations.
Grappling vs. Striking Nutrition
Many new fighters start with a logical question:
“What is the best type of nutrition for my fighting style?”
And while there is nothing wrong with asking that, there is something you should learn from very early on:
The difference in what we would consider optimal nutrition for the various fighting styles is minimal at best. To become a good fighter, what you need to do mostly is practice. To do that effectively, you need the correct energy and nutrient stores in your body.
So, instead of asking, “What is the best type of nutrition for my style?” think of it more like:
“How can I best fuel my body to perform better physically, recover better and faster between workouts, and adapt positively to the stressors of training?”
The Best Diet Practices For Fighters
To become a good fighter, you need more than to master the art – you also need to build a lean, muscular, athletic, and powerful physique. So, if you want to take your combat sport to the next level, read on.
First, if you feel that you have some fat you need to shed, then you need to put yourself into a mild to moderate caloric restriction. In other words, you need to consume fewer calories than you burn, thus forcing your body to burn fat for energy.
Next, we have protein – arguably the most crucial nutrient for building a powerful and lean physique. Protein is also vital for post-workout recovery. Good sources of it include meats, poultry, eggs, fish, nuts, and seeds.
We also need plenty of slow-digesting carbs, as they provide us with the energy we need to function and perform. Carbs also help replenish the glycogen we lose during intense training, examples include oats, rice, pasta, yams, fruits, and veggies.
On top of all that, we also need healthy fats – they play a vital role in our health and wellbeing. Some of the healthiest sources include whole eggs, nuts, seeds, avocado, and natural oils (such as extra virgin olive oil).
The best fighters (and athletes, as a whole) in the world all have one thing in common:
They follow a balanced diet that is full of whole, nutritious foods.