Eat Right, Play Right
Eating a balanced, nutritionally sound diet provides the body with energy, aids in recovery, and contributes to the maintenance of lean muscle tissue, all major components of season-long peak performance. Many athletes, especially young athletes, neglect this important aspect of performance maintenance, and therefore suffer the consequences of lackluster play. Below the basics of balanced basketball nutrition are discussed. Following these simple steps will help you be at your best from pre-season practice to post-season play.
A minimum of eight to 10 12-ounce glasses of pure water should be drunk each and every day. Water comprises approximately two-thirds of your body mass, so remaining optimally hydrated should be a basketball player's first nutritional priority.
Five to six medium sized meals should be consumed per day as opposed to the traditional three larger ones. Eating in this manner will provide you with more energy (bigger meals require large amounts of energy to digest, thus leaving you with less energy for performance in-between the lines), and should help in the muscle building and maintaining process.
Balanced nutrition for basketball players should entail approximately 60% carbohydrates, 25% protein, and 15% fat.
Hard training basketball players should consume approximately five grams of carbohydrates and .60 grams of high quality protein per pound of body weight each day. During training breaks carbohydrate intake should decrease to approximately three grams per pound of body weight per day. Protein consumption should remain about the same regardless of activity level.
Late night, high carbohydrate snacks should be avoided, as should excessive caffeine, and carbonated soft drinks.
Dietary supplementation is not needed or recommended for athletes who eat in a balanced, nutritionally complete manner.
Experimenting with steroids or other so-called "performance enhancing" substances is strongly discouraged.
Missing meals is not an option for a competitive basketball player.
Cool-Down Sufficiently After All Games And Workouts
Perhaps the most neglected aspect of sports physical conditioning is the post-game/workout cool-down. The reasons (excuses) for abdicating this activity are many. Let's just say it is tedious and delays more pleasant off-court activities. (A warm shower and a filling meal with your friends are certainly more appealing than 10 minutes on the Stairmaster and a stretching circuit.) Cooling down effectively after intense physical exertion is extremely important to the recovery process. It helps rid the body of lactic acid, a substance that contributes to muscle and joint soreness, thus allowing players to perform at their best day after day. Cooling down also has the added benefit of promoting sound sleep, which as you'll see below is crucial to maintaining peak performance. A proper cool-down for basketball players consists of light activity such as riding a stationary bike for eight to 10 minutes, followed by an abbreviated stretching routine which focus on the lower back and hamstrings. Some callisthenics and low intensity abdominal training can also be included.
Sleep: An Important Variable In Maintaining Performance Levels
One of my favorite counselors at the famous Five-Star basketball camp once said to me, ‘if you want to soar with the eagles in the day, you can't hoot with the owls at night." Sound words. Words all competitive basketball players should heed. Although sleep requirements vary from person to person, seven to eight hours per night should suffice for most. Younger ballplayers (16 and under) will typically need more sleep than their older counterparts. Detailed below are some helpful hints for getting a good night's sleep.
Avoid caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea, and colas late in the day.
Engage in some wind down time just before going to bed. This might include a little light reading, performing some easy stretching movements, or just clearing your mind and sitting quietly.
Drink a mug warm milk an hour or so prior to retiring.
Avoid mind stimulating activities close to bedtime. Getting your mind racing prior to hitting the rack is a sure way to keep you up.
Avoid late evening exercise if possible. (Night games are of course the exception.) This revs up your metabolism and can delay the onset of sleep.
Take a 20 minute warm bath two to three hours prior to going to bed. This will contribute toward lowering your body temperature, which leads to sound sleep.
(This is an excerpt from Power performance)
Recommended foods:
Lots of pasta, bananas, fish and skinless chicken, vegetables, whole grain cereals and grapes. Avoid candy, chips, whole milk, red meat and junk food. Absolutely no turkey, none at all during games (makes you sleepy) How about that :)
Eating a balanced, nutritionally sound diet provides the body with energy, aids in recovery, and contributes to the maintenance of lean muscle tissue, all major components of season-long peak performance. Many athletes, especially young athletes, neglect this important aspect of performance maintenance, and therefore suffer the consequences of lackluster play. Below the basics of balanced basketball nutrition are discussed. Following these simple steps will help you be at your best from pre-season practice to post-season play.
A minimum of eight to 10 12-ounce glasses of pure water should be drunk each and every day. Water comprises approximately two-thirds of your body mass, so remaining optimally hydrated should be a basketball player's first nutritional priority.
Five to six medium sized meals should be consumed per day as opposed to the traditional three larger ones. Eating in this manner will provide you with more energy (bigger meals require large amounts of energy to digest, thus leaving you with less energy for performance in-between the lines), and should help in the muscle building and maintaining process.
Balanced nutrition for basketball players should entail approximately 60% carbohydrates, 25% protein, and 15% fat.
Hard training basketball players should consume approximately five grams of carbohydrates and .60 grams of high quality protein per pound of body weight each day. During training breaks carbohydrate intake should decrease to approximately three grams per pound of body weight per day. Protein consumption should remain about the same regardless of activity level.
Late night, high carbohydrate snacks should be avoided, as should excessive caffeine, and carbonated soft drinks.
Dietary supplementation is not needed or recommended for athletes who eat in a balanced, nutritionally complete manner.
Experimenting with steroids or other so-called "performance enhancing" substances is strongly discouraged.
Missing meals is not an option for a competitive basketball player.
Cool-Down Sufficiently After All Games And Workouts
Perhaps the most neglected aspect of sports physical conditioning is the post-game/workout cool-down. The reasons (excuses) for abdicating this activity are many. Let's just say it is tedious and delays more pleasant off-court activities. (A warm shower and a filling meal with your friends are certainly more appealing than 10 minutes on the Stairmaster and a stretching circuit.) Cooling down effectively after intense physical exertion is extremely important to the recovery process. It helps rid the body of lactic acid, a substance that contributes to muscle and joint soreness, thus allowing players to perform at their best day after day. Cooling down also has the added benefit of promoting sound sleep, which as you'll see below is crucial to maintaining peak performance. A proper cool-down for basketball players consists of light activity such as riding a stationary bike for eight to 10 minutes, followed by an abbreviated stretching routine which focus on the lower back and hamstrings. Some callisthenics and low intensity abdominal training can also be included.
Sleep: An Important Variable In Maintaining Performance Levels
One of my favorite counselors at the famous Five-Star basketball camp once said to me, ‘if you want to soar with the eagles in the day, you can't hoot with the owls at night." Sound words. Words all competitive basketball players should heed. Although sleep requirements vary from person to person, seven to eight hours per night should suffice for most. Younger ballplayers (16 and under) will typically need more sleep than their older counterparts. Detailed below are some helpful hints for getting a good night's sleep.
Avoid caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea, and colas late in the day.
Engage in some wind down time just before going to bed. This might include a little light reading, performing some easy stretching movements, or just clearing your mind and sitting quietly.
Drink a mug warm milk an hour or so prior to retiring.
Avoid mind stimulating activities close to bedtime. Getting your mind racing prior to hitting the rack is a sure way to keep you up.
Avoid late evening exercise if possible. (Night games are of course the exception.) This revs up your metabolism and can delay the onset of sleep.
Take a 20 minute warm bath two to three hours prior to going to bed. This will contribute toward lowering your body temperature, which leads to sound sleep.
(This is an excerpt from Power performance)
Recommended foods:
Lots of pasta, bananas, fish and skinless chicken, vegetables, whole grain cereals and grapes. Avoid candy, chips, whole milk, red meat and junk food. Absolutely no turkey, none at all during games (makes you sleepy) How about that :)
posted by zinzi | 5:30 AM
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