Sports Performance, Part II

Ok, lets just jump right in. Some things to help you train better during workouts are protein solids or shake if you like, good breakfast (usually whatever your stomach/body can handle), water (a little that morning or if you practice later in the day drinking a good amount of water throughout the day.

The rule for drinking water is that the water you drink today is for helping you tomorrow. Water will help hydrate your body the day you are drinking it, but you will need to replenish most of it when you wake up in the morning. Our bodies are on recovery and repair mode when we sleep; the body is using the least amount of energy, the metabolism slows down, and the nutrients, water and vitamins that you are digesting goes throughout your body to repair your muscles, tissues and bones. You can think of your body as a business that closes when you go to sleep and your body sends its "overnight cleaning crew" to repair and nourish itself so that you will be ready for your day in the morning.

Most people don't like to eat a whole breakfast prior to a workout so a protein bar or shake will suffice for those who work out in the morning. If you work out later in the day it would be wise to have a nice sized breakfast to help keep your body going until the work out. Most of the bars and shakes available supply your body with a decent amount of protein to help your muscles recover during a workout a little faster. They may also include other substances like vitamins, natural herbs, or bcaa's (Branched chain amino acids). These are those amino acids that help your body during intense physical activity and include some non-essential and essential aminos. A shake is going to be a powder base to be mixed with either water or juice. This will get into your system faster than a bar will, since it will not have to digest as much and will benefit your body if you need energy quickly. A bar would be considered a slow release energy booster/enhancer because your body has to digest the material and then get it into your bloodstream which takes longer than liquids.

During practice it is best to drink a sports drink, sports gel, or other electrolyte supplement packs so that the body doesn't lose too much of its fuel to where the body starts to break down. You can vascilate with your sports drink and water, but the key is to stay hydrated so you won't cramp. To get the max edge some people drink sports shakes that replenish more than just electrolytes, but supplies you with aminos and protein so the body breaks down slower giving the person seemingly more endurance and power. I would recommend some, but I don't want to take away from their advertising.

If you are a persons that usually gets cramps pretty easy you probably want to eat a banana and drink a glass of salt water or have something with a decent amount of sodium in it prior to workouts. Gatorade and other sports drinks will help reduce cramp incidents also because it replenishes those electrolytes. A cramp is simply when you body does not have enough of those electric impulses in your nervous system to allow your muscles to function and as a result causes a painful involuntary contraction that can last for several minutes. Sodium (Na) is an element used in the body to charge the bodys muscles and nerves. It helps the signals from the brain to the nerves work by creating electric impulses that communicate to the muscles when to lift, push, or move. Potassium (K) is an element that is used in the body to convert sugar into glycogen which, when depleted cause your body to feel the lactate building up during intense runs. K and Na are both two of the electrolytes and is excreted from the body through sweat and as you can see need to be replenished.

After practice it is good to get in an ice tub when your muscles are sore. When they are heavy and tight I would suggest a hot bath. Also some things that will help your body recover are choco milk, protein shakes, after workout supplements like glutamine, apples, other fresh fruit. Of course you also want to continue to drink water to prep for your next day.

Occasional check-ups with a massage and physical therapist, trainer, or chiropractor will also help keep your body in tip top shape to continue intense training. These specialists help to relieve tension in muscles, keep them limber, and to verify that all muscles are working properly and in line together. A lot of times an people may have injury problems because their body is out of line which can cause stress on other areas of the body, eventually affect the muscle mobility and performance. Some people are against chiro because they do so much with rearranging you bones and they feel there are more natural ways to get the same things done. Im indifferent thus far...being that I've never gotten massages or visited chiro prior to this rookie year of mine as a professional.

~This is the life of a student of his profession~