Hi all. I am an avid lifter but not much of a runner or endurance athlete. I am pretty dialed in in terms of pre workout nutrition as far as a weight lifting session but I have no idea what to do before any type of cardio. I will be competing in an event next week in which I will do (2) 75 yard obstacle course runs, as many pushups/situps in 2 minutes (at least 50 of each) and a 1.5 mile run in under 11:30.
It doesn’t sound like much but this will be outdoors at around 11am in about 85-90 degree heat. There will also be an extremely high level of stress during this competition. My question is what are the best things to eat/drink the day before and the morning of the event? My main concern is loosing energy and becoming dehydrated.
I was thinking of taking 200mg of caffeine before the event which I know I can normally handle easily while lifting but I am worried that with the added stress/heat it will do more harm than good. Any thoughts on this? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
hmm… pretty short event so carb loading doesn’t really seem necessary as it would for a marathon. I’d say just 60g slow carbs at bfast (7ish), and then a similar serving of carbs mid-morning (if there’s time) before the event (you could do more if leanness isn’t a priority). Caffeine definitely sounds like a good idea. Drink up plenty of water beginning days before 2-3L is plenty to stay hydrated).
Thanks keeley. At this point I could care less about leanness but don’t want to feel bloated/weighed down by too many carbs. I will probably go with a PB sandwhich, a banana, and a glass of milk at around 8-830 and thats it. I think we can bring “lunch” so i will probably just bring a piece of fruit and a protein bar. Does this seem like a good idea? My only concern is with the milk. I don’t know how that would settle in the high heat. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks Eazy. I was thinking of drinking some HumaPro right before I get there. Do you think that would be a good option? I am afraid to try any knew products just because there is a potential of not settling well in my stomach ( i am sensitive to alot of pre workout/peri workout stuff for whatever reason though I have never tried any of the 3 Biotest supplements you mention) but I have been drinking HumaPro regularly and I think it does a pretty good job of fueling me and not weighing me down. I may skip the milk and just drink water with my PB sandwhich then have a shake before the event. I will probably get there like 40 min early and stretch so everything should be settled if I eat the sandwhich at 8:00 and have the shake at like 9:45 (event is starting at 10:30).
Also what do you think of drinking Powerade zero before hand? I would probably drink it with my PB sandwhich. I was just thinking this would give me some electrolytes and whatnot
Whatever you do, test a pre workout meal before trying anything different on game day!
What I usually do is my standard morning protein shake. Whey, Casein, Water, Oats, type shake. I don’t like to use milk if I’m going to be conditioning because of the lactose. Some fruits (strawberries, blue berries, banana, orange) type fruits. I don’t like to eat a lot of fat before these events (Although some people do… YMMV). I’ll do something light like Chia Seeds are real good. I don’t like to eat bread and something fatty like peanut butter.
To sum it up (this is what i eat before endurance type events)
Whey/Casein + Water + Oats or Eggwhites
Fruits (Strawberries, Blue Berries, Banana, Orange)
Chia Seeds
Those type of easily digested light foods. Real light on the fat. If you want some fat I usually take fish oil in the morning. You could add some olive oil to your shake.
Hope this helps. But like always, TEST it out BEFORE you actually do it. You don’t want to be trying something new.
If you can do peanut butter sandwich and you perform well, then by all means do it. But test it out yourself.
I forgot to add. Make sure to drink plenty of water before hand and I usually use a protein + carb drink for any kind of endurance/competition. You don’t need a ton of protein. about 5-10g is plenty and about 20-30g of carbs are good. I usually sip on this prior and during. Caffeine is good but be careful because it can lead to dehydration if its hot and you aren’t used to it. If its your first time using caffeine in these type of events I’d stay away from it. I usually found caffeine to get me too amped for these endurance/hot events so I stay away from it. Again, see what works for you.
Thanks ATH. I have been doing test events/test pre event meals. I had a PB sandwich today with a banana and it seemed to work well. Tomorrow I will add a Humapro shake and see how it goes. As for the caffeine, I have been taking 200mg beforehand and it is working well. My only concern as you eluded to is that I will be so amped up/stressed/nervous that it will do more harm than good. I may just see how I feel the morning of and decide whether or not to take it. I can handle a lot of caffeine so I am not worried about the dose, it’s just whether or not I will be too amped up and not be able to focus properly.
Test out the caffeine. Run a mock test as close to the real thing and see if it works for you. Personally I only use caffeine for my weight training and not for competitions. 200mg is how much I use before a lift. It definitely helps with anaerobic stuff but I haven’t seen much conclusive science for it helping on endurance. My own empirical evidence makes me a little too amped when all I want to do is stay relaxed. Good luck!
Thanks! I have been running tests with the 200mg and while I like it, I feel like the day of it will not be needed. For any lifting session 200mg of caffeine is a must lol.
If you are used to drink a lot of coffee, forget the 200 mg caffeine before, you will not see any difference. You need to stop its use 2-3 days before if you expect any effects.
For the breakfast: 8h, PB sandwich and a glass of milk is okay. Are you used to eat banana before a run event ? Upset stomach oh intestinal incomfort may arise from this fruit. (fiber)
No need to take a protein shake, you are not doing an Ironman ! One hour before, only carbs, like an energy bar or fruit juice. No Powerade before, you may experience a rebound hypoglycemia.
Thanks KIKI. I chose a banana bc I thought that it was supposed to prevent cramping? What fruit would you recommend? ALso what do you mean by “rebound hypglycemia?” I would be drinking zero calorie powerade bc I thought getting the added electrolytes would help prevent dehydration. I tend to agree with you on the caffeine, I think that I will be so energized that the caffeine will only hinder me.
For the fruit, apple sauce. Even if you eat a banana two hours before the event, you will not be able to correct potassium deficiency. You must correct it at least 2 or 3 days before. Banana is useful for its long lasting effect on glycemia.
If you use the zero calorie one, no rebound hypoglycemia. If you put to many carbs in blood circulation for the demand, insuline will hit the roof and after, go down so fast that you will crash.
For electrolytes, if you look like a steamer even when you are watching tv, go ahead. Otherwise, be careful to avoid electrolytes imbalance.