The importance of nutrition can’t be overlooked in the life of an athlete. In contrast to many other sports, UFC fighters must maintain their weight to qualify for the fights. It makes their nutrition regimen more challenging.
The majority of well-known UFC fighters have a nutritionist who creates a daily meal plan for them. Every vitamin and mineral the body needs will be present in every meal, along with enough carbohydrates, fats, protein, and organic greens powders. Let’s take a deeper dive into their routines.
Periods Between Fights
This phase of the workout season is most likely the most neglected and crucial. Combat athletes frequently use this phase to eat the things they’ve been avoiding for a long time. While some level of self-gratification is fine, an unregulated diet can quickly cause you to gain a lot of weight.
Fighting athletes spend more time trying to lose weight before competition rather than concentrating on performance because of this frequent weight cycling practice. Worst cases include the possibility of eating problems and an elevated risk of harm.
The greatest time to let your body recuperate and balance your energy, which means you are properly gaining calories lost amidst workouts, is during the breaks between fight camps.
The Diet
The athletes burn a lot more fat and calories during MMA training because it can be much more strenuous than other types of training. They must modify their diet by their target weight, gender, and level of training.
The training becomes more intense as fight night draws nearer, so they require more calories.
Each boxer has a different metabolism, so nutritionists should create a food plan tailored to that fighter’s metabolism. I’ll speak in broader, more generic terms and ignore issues like weight classes, gender, and other things that differ from fighter to fighter.
Many individuals believe that professional athletes must eschew carbohydrates and lipids while loading up only on protein and organic greens powders.
On Rest Days
You need fewer carbohydrates to churn out your daily chores these days since less energy is spent. Include vegetables and fruits in your diet to fulfill the requirement of antioxidants and vitamins. Increasing fiber consumption will also encourage satiety and aid in managing your weight. Include healthy fats on the fourth of your plate, and make one-fourth of your plate lean protein to encourage muscle repair and heighten satiety.
Camps are a great phase to recharge your batteries, give your body a chance to heal, and concentrate on gaining flexibility and stamina. It’s the time when your emphasis must be on nutrition and balance.
Do What Suits You Well
If you are feeling energetic and fantastic and are committed to eating a lot of carbohydrates, terrific! Keep going. In reality, several elite MMA fighters follow a diet plan focused on high carbs.
However, if you have any signs of severe inflammation or digestive issues, like IBS, you should think about opting for a diet low in processed foods, sugar, and high amounts of healthy fats like seafood and coconut milk.
It’s not recommended to exclude entire food groups from your daily diet. We advise that you consider the benefits and negatives of specific foods like keto, dairy, and carbs before making your decision. An excellent place to start is YouTube videos.
What To Eat After Training
Even more crucial than what you eat before exercising are the things you consume after training. Healing after a workout greatly depends on what you eat. Your body needs nourishment to recover after exercise! A single workout might completely drain your body of the glycogen stored in your muscles. It can put your body into a catabolic state and could begin consuming your hard-earned muscles.
Eating quick-digesting carbs within 30 minutes of a workout is the greatest strategy to replace the depleted glycogen in your muscles. We advise consuming fruit with quick digestion, such as melon or oranges. One of the fruits that digests the fastest is melon. Only after exercise do we advise consuming a sweet meal or drink like Gatorade. Instead of being converted to fat, these quickly digestible carbohydrates will be used to replace glycogen. You want your insulin levels to rise after a workout since it will hasten your recuperation.
The Takeaway
It can be confusing to determine which direction to go when it comes to improving athletic performance with the variety of nutritional regimes currently available. The best course of action is to read about each diet, pick out components that make sense to you, and give them a try.
For additional reading, search for studies about each diet and supplement using Google Scholar. See some of Dr. Dominic D’Agostino’s work for further information on the ketogenic diet. You won’t go wrong if you try to use organic, whole foods wherever you can.
