Submitted by Scott Herkes on Wed, 03/19/2008 - 23:02.
This is the first article in a series on nutrition for hard training athletes.
MMA is arguably one of the most demanding sports a person can undertake. It requires explosive strength, massive cardiovascular endurance, a high tolerance for pain and mental toughness that most people couldn’t endure. The training regimen to be competitive in this sport is equally demanding. Many MMA athletes train multiple times per day. While people in other less demanding sports may get away without paying too much attention to their nutrition, an MMA fighter may quickly find out they are lacking the energy and motivation to focus which can quickly lead to poor performance and injury.
As our bodies undergo strenuous physical activity, a very complex cascade of chemical reactions takes place to produce energy. A byproduct of this intense chemical cascade is oxidative damage from increased production of free radicals. The harder the workout, the more free radicals are generated. Free radicals are basically molecules with a single unpaired electron in their outer shell. If you remember your chemistry classes; because these molecules are missing an electron they are now unstable and will try to reach equilibrium by replacing their lost electron. As they get in close proximity of other cells, they pull the electron with the weaker bond from those tissues, causing damage to those cells. Now the other cell has an unpaired electron in its outer shell and becomes a free radical itself. This causes a free radical chain reaction. Unfortunately, the cells that are most often damaged by this phenomenon are lungs, muscles and heart tissue. The symptoms of free radical damage will manifest as muscle soreness and inflammation. This can slow down recovery and do harm to an athlete’s health and performance.
What can we do about this? Luckily we have something called antioxidants that basically can "give up" electrons to these free radicals. This stops the free radical cascade and prevents them from doing further damage to surrounding tissue. Antioxidants are stable with or without the electron in their outer shell so when they give them up they do not need to replace the lost electron.
Before you stop reading when you see, “eat more greens”, please read on…A very good natural source of phytonutrient antioxidants are brightly colored fruits and vegetables. While fruits are a great source of antioxidants you will need to be wary of the amount of sugar they contain. So, bottom line, don’t eat too many of them thinking that more is better and you are doing a good thing …just because you are eating something natural doesn’t mean it is good for you…tobacco is natural too… and not necessarily good. Some people also would rather take a beating than eat green vegetables. If that is “you” then think about alternatives. There are some great sources of natural vegetable phytonutrients contained in capsules so you don’t have to “taste” them. There are also products that contain all the nutrients and benefits of natural fruit sources minus the sugar. Ask your local “certified sports nutritionist” what they recommend.
I would also recommend Vitamin C (water soluble) and Vitamin E (fat soluble) after every workout. They are both very good sources of “antioxidants” and making sure you have minerals such as selenium and zinc in your multivitamin isn’t a bad idea either.
The main thing to remember as you train intensely is to make sure you get antioxidants in your diet every day to minimize free radical damage. You’ll feel better, recover quicker and perform better!
Scott Herkes is Certified in Sports Nutrition Specialist. He believes there is a strong connection between nutrition and athletic performance and that nutrition can sometimes be the difference between a win and a loss in highly competitive sports. He is strongly committed to education and regularly speaks at local gyms and businesses.
Scott and Karen Herkes are co-owners of Max Muscle Sports Nutrition in Bettendorf, Iowa. For contact info: www.qcmaxmuscle.com .
