I have only recently started some form of peri-workout that does not consist of only a liter of water. Currently using Surge Recovery before and after and I have noticed how much more energy I seem to have during a workout and also how much better I feel later on in the day. I do not feel as drained as before which is nice.
I was wondering if anyone had tips on doing something similar for a football game? Granted I cannot consume the same amount of calories before/during because I would probably cramp up and puke. However, there must be some moderate way to get some protein and carbs in and help improve overall performance.
I did try 1.5 scoops of Surge Recovery mixed 70/30 with water and milk. It helped but I felt a bit heavier and got tired after about an hour. I can usually last a good 90 minutes and I pride myself on being one of the guys that can run up and down the pitch all day.
I have considered a couple options:
1 scoop Surge Recovery with water only ~45 mins before my game
Pre-workout formula like Reflex Performance matrix containing BCAA, taurine/caffeine and creatine with some B vitamins
a combination of both
Any advice is welcome, especially anyone with experience in endurance sports like football or lacrosse.
Im T-Nations resident semi-pro soccer player.
I would like to bring up a few pointers for you to help with your pregame nutrition.
Like BBB said avoid milk beofe the game. You dont have time to digest the fat. You dont want to eat anything too fatty/oily before the game.
Make sure you have some carbs the night before. Some pasta maybe, rice or sweet potato is a good idea.
Everyone is different on game day, and it depends what time your game is. I like to have some toast and jelly, and maybe a banana a few hours before the game. You dont want to feel too heavy. Drink lots of water and make sure you have your electroltyes aswell(coconut juice or gatorade). If its a evening game, I often will have chicken soup for lunch(old birdy secret).
I often start my “cheat day” after the game. That way after you have recovered with fluids, and your stomach feels ok, you can get into the mars-bars, pizza, and maybe even a beer or 2.
Im T-Nations resident semi-pro soccer player.
I would like to bring up a few pointers for you to help with your pregame nutrition.
Like BBB said avoid milk beofe the game. You dont have time to digest the fat. You dont want to eat anything too fatty/oily before the game.
Make sure you have some carbs the night before. Some pasta maybe, rice or sweet potato is a good idea.
Everyone is different on game day, and it depends what time your game is. I like to have some toast and jelly, and maybe a banana a few hours before the game. You dont want to feel too heavy. Drink lots of water and make sure you have your electroltyes aswell(coconut juice or gatorade). If its a evening game, I often will have chicken soup for lunch(old birdy secret).
I often start my “cheat day” after the game. That way after you have recovered with fluids, and your stomach feels ok, you can get into the mars-bars, pizza, and maybe even a beer or 2.
I hope my wisdom has helped.
Uncle bird.
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1 Definitely no milk. Chocolate milk after is the old stanby though.
Sigh, can’t believe people still follow that one blindly. Just have a good diet all around.
Just for the record, carb loading comes before a race (the night before). The 3-4 days prior the race, you should have cut back on your program, deloaded a bit, to prime your muscles for optimal absorption of carbs. The concept is simple, your muscles are saying “we are now relaxing, who knows how long this will last, lets fill up on glycogen”. But for everyday, just have a good diet.
3 Yeppers, everyone is different on game day. It is also not a time to experiment. have your usall good breakfast. If you need to make a change, do it on practice day.
Wow, thanks a lot guys. This has been really helpful.
JFG:
Thanks for the tip about the Gatorade and BCAA’s, will definitely look to sip that during the game when I can and have some before as well.
BBB:
I honestly can’t stand most protein powders when mixed with water only because texture of it being flavoured water causes me to gag more often than not. However I will keep my milk mix to post game.
Uncle bird:
I always pig out after my games because they are late in the day(9-10:30pm) and if I don’t then I wake up starving the next morning. Usually have a protein shake shortly afterwards and then an hour or so later have a big meal. Will definitely try having just PB&J and a banana an hour or so before the game instead and see how that works for me next week. I always keep hydrated during the week and drink 2-3L of water daily along with my breakfast milk and whatever else I may have.
JFG:
I am in a recreational league right with no real practice days to speak of. Usually I just eat as usual on the day of a game consisting of breakfast(eggs, oats and fruit) then during the day at university I am snacking(banana and/or mixed nuts). For lunch it varies on my mood and whether I packed something from home but that will either be something from Subway or a the nearby chinese take out or a home packed sandwich, granola bar and fruit(apple/grapes) with a bottle of chocolate milk. Then about 2.5-3 hours before my games I will eat something light usually along the lines of a small portion of rice and a small chicken breast or some such.
I know that I may not be playing semi-pro or anything like that but I take my personal performance seriously to ensure that I give it my all.
I apologise for the response format I used but I didn’t know how to quote from separate posts at the same time.