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BODYBUILDING INFORMATION & WEIGHT TRAINING TECHNIQUES The 6th of August, 2003 Newsletter
"The role of nutrition in martial arts, police and military personnel." writes Will Brink
For a considerable amount of time, nutrition has not played a prominent role in the life of many martial artists, police, and military personnel as a means of improving performance. Top athletes are always looking for an edge. Although the martial arts are more of a way of life and a life style than a sport per se, the needs of the martial artist are the same as that of the elite athlete. Mental aspects not withstanding (i.e.
mental awareness, strategy, cunning, etc.), the need for speed, agility,
strength, flexibility, and the ability to recuperate from tough workouts
(and unforgiving sparing partners) is paramount to the success of
athletes and martial artists alike. Police and military personnel can
also have unique requirements that require them to perform at peak
physical and or psychological levels. The advantage of improving one’s performance through nutrition and correct supplementation is obvious for the athlete, but what about the martial artist? Obviously technique, form, and knowledge of one’s chosen martial art is essential to the mastery of that art, but what if the person, regardless of skill level, becomes a little faster, stronger, and able to resist and repair from injuries and training better? Will they not be an improved version of
their former self? Of course they will! Proper nutrition can make the
martial artist, as it has for so many of today’s top athletes, an
improved and potentially more accomplished practitioner of their art,
plain and simple. If a policeman is able to stay alert, has more
endurance or strength, etc., will he/she not have an added advantage to
the job? Of course.. The benefits to the soldier are obvious. Bottom
line? To not take advantage of the science of nutrition and
supplementation, is to short change the martial artists, police, and
military personnel. Though nutrition is a complex topic, I
have devised a basic guide to the major and minor nutrients that should
be helpful to the martial artist, police, and athlete alike who are
trying to make food and nutrient choices. Of course this guide is in no
way total or complete, and many individual differences may apply, but as
a basic guide to examining these nutrients, it could give you the edge
you have been looking for. In particular, the amino acids known as
the “branched chain” amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine)
and the amino acid L-glutamine are of particular interest to active
people as they are anti-catabolic (muscle sparing) and immune enhancing,
to name only a few functions and benefits of these particular amino
acids. Whey protein concentrate (WPC) and isolates (WPI) have the highest BV of any protein, is almost 50% branched chain amino acids, and is high in L-glutamine, which is why I recommend several servings a day of WPC/WPI to all the athletes/martial artists/police I work with. There are several brands of WPC/WPI on
the market. Other high quality proteins such as skinless chicken, fish,
eggs, soy, and lean red meats, have relatively high BV values and are
good proteins. Another point that is important to know, the higher
quality the protein, the less the person has to eat and this allows the
person to keep total calories lower by sticking to these high BV
proteins. Though foods such as pasta, breads, and white rice are considered “complex” they are highly processed foods, totally inadequate in fiber, vitamins, and minerals and should not make up a high percentage of a persons carbohydrate intake. Though these foods are often fortified with certain vitamins, in my opinion this does not truly replace what is lost during processing, not to mention the many nutrients that are not replaced. Americans are notoriously low eaters of fiber, and heavily processed foods mentioned above do nothing to correct this deficit. High fiber carbohydrate foods such as
brown rice, beans, lentils, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and many others,
are the preferred carbohydrate foods for health, performance, steady
blood sugar levels, and reduced bodyfat levels. There are many researchers, books, and
studies using both animals and humans that seriously questions the high
carbohydrate/low fat diet as the optimal diet for health and
performance. Two grams per pound of lean bodyweight of carbohydrates is
more than sufficient to fuel the energy needs of most athletes if other
aspects of their diet is adequate (i.e. correct use and amounts of
certain fats and proteins). And, as mentioned previously, the source of
those carbohydrates is of paramount importance. Fats have just as many biochemical
differences in the human body as do carbohydrates and proteins, and thus
have just as many different effects on the body that range from very
good to very bad. It really depends on the type and amount of fat(s) we
eat(2). Americans tend to get their dietary fats from saturated fats,
rancid fats, and highly processed fats ( which contain by products such
as trans fatty acids) , thus giving fats a bad name. You should be aware that there is no such thing as an essential carbohydrate, but that's a whole other story. The two fats that are known to be essential to health are Linoleic acid (LA) which is an Omega-6 fatty acid and Alpha-linolenic acid (LNA) which is an Omega-3 fatty acid. Both of these fats can be found in various foods that have not been heavily processed. These two fats are highly sensitive and
reactive to heat, light, and oxygen (i.e. they go bad quickly) , and are
totally ruined or lost during the processing of our foods. The reason
poly -unsaturated vegetable oils that line the shelves of most super
markets can sit there for years on end is because they have been heated,
deodorized, and generally processed to the point that they are the
nutritional equivalent of white bread and table sugar. I recommend
people avoid those oils. The membrane that surrounds every single cell in your body, the sheath around nerves, various hormones, prostaglandins, and countless other parts of the body (especially the brain) depend on the dietary intake of the right fats. The importance of the essential fatty acids for health and performance cannot be understated. It is true that certain fats, such as, saturated fats, rancid fats, and trans fatty acids (found in margarine, Crisco, and other products) , can cause numerous health problems from heart disease to cancer and insulin resistance, to name only a few ills of a diet high in the wrong types of fat. However, the essential fatty acids
(especially the Omega-3 fatty acids) are anti-lipolytic (stop fat
storage), anti-catabolic (stop the break down of muscle tissue),
increase metabolic rate and beta oxidation (burn calories/increase fat
burning), improve insulin sensitivity, reduce the chances of heart
diseases, and a whole lot more (3). The richest source of the Omega-3 fatty acid LNA is Flax oil, which also contains a small amount of the Omega-6 oil LA (4). Flax oil can be found in the refrigerated section of any good health food store and is derived from the careful processing of flax seeds (5). As a nutritional consultant to various athletes, I have used flax oil with many of the country’s top bodybuilders (a group of athletes notoriously fearful of eating fat) to reduce their bodyfat levels and improve their performance and health. Two–three tablespoons a day over a
salad, taken straight, or in a protein drink does the trick (6). Another
major source of Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in deep water cold fish
such as sardines, mackerel, and salmon (7), and I recommend that people
eat two to three servings of these fish per week. Good sources of LA are
unprocessed vegetable oils such as safflower, sunflower, sesame, and
many other oils found in health food stores. There is not a single cell in our entire body that does not require the use, or interaction with, some vitamin, mineral, or biological function that is dependent on the above nutrients in adequate amounts. If you think we get all the vitamins and minerals we need from our highly processed food supply (as some health professionals maintain), than I have a bridge in Brooklyn I would like to sell you. Some (but not all) nutritionists and other health related professionals will often say something like “vitamins supplements just cause expensive urine.” The last time I checked, chemo therapy,
heart bypass operations, and hundreds of other medical treatments cost
considerably more than the average multi vitamin. If the intake of
vitamins were to prevent any major disease in say one out of a 100,000
people, it would have been worth every cent in my book. In my opinion,
the correct use of vitamins, minerals, herbs, essential fatty acids, and
many other nutritional based compounds, is the best route to optimal
health and performance. Any major brand of multi vitamin from such
manufacturers as Twin Lab, Solgar, or Nature’s Best, to name only a
few good brands, would be fine. The free radical will steal this electron from virtually anything it comes in contact with, including our cells. This reaction, if left unchecked, leads to a free radical chain reaction and damage to various parts of the cell depending on where it takes place. An anti-oxidant can donate an electron without itself becoming a free radical and thus can break the chain of events leading to an uncontrolled free radical chain reaction (8). Free radical pathology is now believed to be linked to diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and dozens of other afflictions. Without going into a long (and boring)
biochemical explanation, there are many things that cause free radicals
to be released, such as smoking, exposure to various toxins found in
air, food and water, sickness, exercise, and stress in general. He is the author of Priming The
Anabolic Environment and Weight Loss Nutrients Revealed. He is the
Consulting Sports Nutrition Editor and a monthly columnist for Physical
magazine and an Editor at Large for Power magazine. Will graduated from
Harvard University with a concentration in the natural sciences, and is
a consultant to major supplement, dairy, and pharmaceutical companies. See Will's ebooks online here: Muscle
Building Nutrition Diet
+ Cutting-Up Supplements Revealed
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