Freddy Brown - Nutrition for Combat Sports

NUTRITION FOR

COMBAT SPORTS

Freddy Brown

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2016 by

The Crowood Press Ltd

Ramsbury, Marlborough

Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2016

Freddie Brown 2016

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 78500 154 3

Dedication

To Bill Judd. A wise man and a patient teacher.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the following: Yusuf Alyelken, Ruqsana Begum, Dean Irish Lightning Byrne, Danny Cassius Connor, Johnny Coyle, Aaron The Marksman Morgan, Frankie The Mad Monk Monkhouse, Bradley Saunders and Alec The Knowledge Wilkey for sharing their practical experience and for their dedication to nutrition; Kevin Currell, Nigel Mitchell and Mark Ellison for professional guidance, mentoring and advice; Steven Mavrou, Wolfie Metzner, Helen Potiki, Steve Rimmer, Chris Rosimus, Martin Robins and Lyneve Ryland for recipes; Dave Roast for recipes and practical experience; Dr David Rowlands for recipes, mentoring and anecdotal evidence; Yvette Coleman for recipes, accommodation and nutritional debate; Dr Lee Stoner for sandwich recipes, mentoring and accommodation; James Duncalf for martial arts knowledge; Steve Minette for photography; Bill Judd for wisdom, guidance and technical information; Eilis ODonnell for patience, love and support; and Mum for life, love and cooking skills.

CONTENTS

FOREWORD BY KEVIN CURRELL

The philosophy that guides my work with athletes is similar to that which underpins my development of a world-leading nutrition service; both stem from my belief in the power of food to enhance performance. By educating athletes on how to eat, they can get more out of their training. Nutrition and recovery underpin how an athlete adapts to exercise. This is rarely more important than in combat sports, where athletes must optimize performance often while manipulating their body weight. Optimal nutrition for combat athletes is needed to support strength, power, endurance, and the speed of reaction needed to defend oneself. The stakes could not be higher!

Freddys nutritional guidance within these pages will empower athletes to fuel improvements by using the same approach that we use here at the English Institute of Sport. I believe the power of nutrition can be effective in three key areas. Firstly, an athletes diet should be informed by performance; we need to know how an athlete responds to nutrition. This book is dedicated to educating athletes in order to adapt their nutrition to their progress in the gym; whether their goals are weight loss, power or endurance. Secondly, a nutritionist (and the presence of nutrition itself) needs to become part of the training environment, rather than purely being a source of academic information. The advice given here will encourage athletes to combine nutritional strategies into their daily training routine. Finally, I believe in unleashing the power of food. Real food is the basis of every athletes diet, and getting athletes cooking is vital to instilling good nutritional habits. Getting buy-in from athletes, and focusing their dedication and commitment on to their food as well as their training, is the biggest victory a nutritionist can get!

With this book, Freddy has translated scientific findings effectively into practical information that athletes can use. This book will help educate, inform, and ultimately empower all levels of athlete to get the most out of their nutrition and so their training. This book also helps to get across some of Freddys infectious enthusiasm for food and combat sports, while the tasty recipes are spiced up by a variety of flavours as well as Freddys personable style! By getting a sense of Freddys passion for food, and commitment to performance, I am sure readers will be able to improve their skills in the kitchen to support their performance in competition!

Kevin Currell, 2015

Kevin Currell is head of performance nutrition at the English Institute of Sport (EIS). His career has developed from that of an academic researcher (where his research contributed to the formulation of many of todays carbohydrate gels) to an applied practitioner, and then a strategic leader as head of service.

NUTRITION FOR

COMBAT SPORTS

INTRODUCTION: FOODS FOR FITNESS AND FIGHTING

Health. Beauty. Expression. These words might just as easily be attributed to food as to fighting, the two great passions in my life. The links between fighting and food are obvious; food provides fuel and the materials for regeneration and repair. However, the appeal of combat and the pleasure of eating share other similarities. What drew me to combat sports and helped me overcome my initial fear was embracing the raw essence of combat the adrenalin, the focus, even the pain. The mind can be affected similarly by both experiences, interpreting physical sensations as neural activity in the reward centres of the brain. After this, I was also drawn into the culture and the rich heritage of boxing. By doing up a pair of gloves and entering the ring, I was treading in the footsteps of so many ring-walks before me. I took great pleasure in being part of such a rich tradition that involved so many different cultures and important historical events. Just as different styles of combat take great pride in their lineage, different culinary styles are similarly entwined with their history, philosophy and geography. Becoming a foody is like joining a new club. It had been similar when I had practised kung fu; learning the various strikes and techniques went hand in hand with learning about the lineage of my art.

Fighters push their bodies to the point where they are in a perpetual state of repair and regeneration. Damage and repair is a cycle that underlies training, and so food is at the foundation of fitness. From the Shaolin warrior-monks to Dickensian boxers, food is a constant common to all fighters. The tastes and textures of different traditional cuisines have flavoured the cultures of as many styles of combat throughout history.

Asian Arts: Food and Fighting

Chinese culture, religion and medicine all share a similar set of principles that are central to the countrys martial arts. Underpinning their beliefs on physical training and fitness, the Chinese hold the notion of energy being central to physical and mental well-being. Energy is created and harnessed within us all and can be directed in ways to enhance physical performance and health. It is thought these beliefs and practices date back to the ancient Chinese Xia dynasty, around 2000BC, while written documentation of Chinese dietary therapies stems from The Yellow Emperors Classic of Internal Medicine written around 300BC. In these practices, it is believed that energy is contained within foods, which in turn impacts upon the body. In a departure from Western thinking, however, different types of foods contain opposing and complimentary energies, which must be balanced for good health. The ideas of yin (cooling) and yang (hot) energies extend to the properties of foods, and different foods are advocated for different functions. Yang foods are believed to increase the heat of the body and mind, and yin foods are believed to have the opposite effect. It is a loss of balance that is thought to lead to illness. Although these concepts may be somewhat contentious, the ideas of a balanced diet, and eating according to your specific requirements, are central to modern day healthy eating practices. Increasing ones energy intake when more active, or turning to citrus fruit during illness, are typical everyday examples. Another applicable concept from Chinese dietary medicine is the simple idea of eating what you wish to regenerate; you are what you eat. Eating vital organs is assumed to support ones own vital functions, and (rather sadly) animals reproductive organs have even been prized as aphrodisiacs. Although the extension of this idea to literal implementations; such as eating (eye-shaped) carrots for good vision, or (pancreas-shaped) sweet potatoes for the health of the corresponding organ is dubious, the thought process of replacing what you have damaged is sound. This is the main tenant of Specific Nutrition; eating exactly what you require. Damaging muscle requires the consumption of protein for repair, whereas burning energy requires some carbohydrate calories. You are (the product of) what you eat.