As an athlete, dialing in the best diet for you means feeling better, being healthier and performing better! Older athletes generally need to dial in their diets better than younger athletes in order to feel and perform their best. Believe me, as a guy in his 40's who's been an avid lifter since my teens, I know!
For younger athletes it is still a great idea. I mean, who doesn't wanna feel as good as possible? And get an edge on your physique and or performance.
First order of the day is a base; You need to eat well most of the time. Maybe even all the time. It depends how freakishly dedicated you are; you choose. A good base means learning how to cook, because stuff you make is the most trustable and often least processed, healthiest and most beneficial to your body. See the eating right for dummies page for a start. Also find out your blood-type because it DOES make a difference to your health! then see the blood type eating pages for hints about your specific needs, for each blood type.
And realise that you do need supplements for optimum health and performance. you do not need as many supplements as you might think, though.
For younger athletes it is still a great idea. I mean, who doesn't wanna feel as good as possible? And get an edge on your physique and or performance.
First order of the day is a base; You need to eat well most of the time. Maybe even all the time. It depends how freakishly dedicated you are; you choose. A good base means learning how to cook, because stuff you make is the most trustable and often least processed, healthiest and most beneficial to your body. See the eating right for dummies page for a start. Also find out your blood-type because it DOES make a difference to your health! then see the blood type eating pages for hints about your specific needs, for each blood type.
And realise that you do need supplements for optimum health and performance. you do not need as many supplements as you might think, though.
readying for a 405lb deadlift
Really really important supplements for athletes (and everyone actually) are magnesium and vitamin C. If you take nothing else, as an athlete myself, these I consider to be the most important! they both lower cortisol, for starters, which is pretty sweet!
Magnesium supports heart function, increasing heart energy production, dilating blood vessels making the heart's work easier, keeping blood thin and also stabilising heart rhythm. Keep your ticker strong and healthy! Take magnesium. I'd be totally shocked if an athlete did not notice an improvement from it. The cortisol lowering effect makes it a great anti-stress nutrient.
Lower cortisol means;
- better sleep
- calmer, happier feeling
- faster recovery time
- stronger immune function
I personally take magnesium from CanPrev, Inno-Vite and Trophic, usually taking two forms at once, going for a daily total of 600mg. Works for me.
Have you heard of young healthy athletes dying for no apparent reason of a heart attack? Seriously, it happens .. young athlete in their teens or twenties, playing a game, feeling great, and BAM! they hit the floor dead. I suspect 2 things, either alone or in combination; stimulants and magnesium deficiency. Magnesium deficiency is common, and often worse in athletes since exercise depletes it. Stimulants all deplete magnesium too! the stronger the stimulant, the more they burn up magnesium.
Without enough magnesium, the heart suffers. If levels go really really low, the heart can't work. I'm good to my heart; I take a lot of mag every day as mentioned above. You cannot overdose on it, but if you take too much for your tummy in one sitting, you'll be sitting son thereafter on the toilet, lol. I find magnesium bisglcycinate and malate to be the least laxative, and for me, that's a good thing. I don't need to "go" more, because my diet and water intake are awesome. And forget your standard blood tests; they often won't show a mag deficiency, unless you have an intra-erythrocyte magnesium content test done.
Another indispensable supplement is vitamin C. Did you know it's so important that most animals make their own? A goat produces over 10ooomg daily right in their own body! Humans are genetically weak, and inferior to animals in many ways. Pretty much all we have going for us is our freaky brain ... They once showed a gorilla how to deadlift, and he picked up 600lbs his first shot! Man. And I get psyched out lifting anything over 225, lol.
Athletic research shows a big lowering of cortisol when people dose up 1500mg or more daily. Personally, I use vitamin C powder, and take about 5 to 10ooomg a day, for lowering cortisol and keeping my connective tissues strong. Collagen is the key ingredient in all of your connective tissue, and vitamin C is an ingredient in making it. As a heavy lifting guy, I am very interested in having strong connective tissue; tendons, ligaments, muscles and joints. I like lifting heavy; I need it. And vit C helps me keep doing it.
Vitamin C as a supplement greatly supports heart health, boosts immune power, helps skin health via collagen support, lowers LDL cholesterol in the blood, and has overall anti-toxin and anti-ageing effects.
Magnesium supports heart function, increasing heart energy production, dilating blood vessels making the heart's work easier, keeping blood thin and also stabilising heart rhythm. Keep your ticker strong and healthy! Take magnesium. I'd be totally shocked if an athlete did not notice an improvement from it. The cortisol lowering effect makes it a great anti-stress nutrient.
Lower cortisol means;
- better sleep
- calmer, happier feeling
- faster recovery time
- stronger immune function
I personally take magnesium from CanPrev, Inno-Vite and Trophic, usually taking two forms at once, going for a daily total of 600mg. Works for me.
Have you heard of young healthy athletes dying for no apparent reason of a heart attack? Seriously, it happens .. young athlete in their teens or twenties, playing a game, feeling great, and BAM! they hit the floor dead. I suspect 2 things, either alone or in combination; stimulants and magnesium deficiency. Magnesium deficiency is common, and often worse in athletes since exercise depletes it. Stimulants all deplete magnesium too! the stronger the stimulant, the more they burn up magnesium.
Without enough magnesium, the heart suffers. If levels go really really low, the heart can't work. I'm good to my heart; I take a lot of mag every day as mentioned above. You cannot overdose on it, but if you take too much for your tummy in one sitting, you'll be sitting son thereafter on the toilet, lol. I find magnesium bisglcycinate and malate to be the least laxative, and for me, that's a good thing. I don't need to "go" more, because my diet and water intake are awesome. And forget your standard blood tests; they often won't show a mag deficiency, unless you have an intra-erythrocyte magnesium content test done.
Another indispensable supplement is vitamin C. Did you know it's so important that most animals make their own? A goat produces over 10ooomg daily right in their own body! Humans are genetically weak, and inferior to animals in many ways. Pretty much all we have going for us is our freaky brain ... They once showed a gorilla how to deadlift, and he picked up 600lbs his first shot! Man. And I get psyched out lifting anything over 225, lol.
Athletic research shows a big lowering of cortisol when people dose up 1500mg or more daily. Personally, I use vitamin C powder, and take about 5 to 10ooomg a day, for lowering cortisol and keeping my connective tissues strong. Collagen is the key ingredient in all of your connective tissue, and vitamin C is an ingredient in making it. As a heavy lifting guy, I am very interested in having strong connective tissue; tendons, ligaments, muscles and joints. I like lifting heavy; I need it. And vit C helps me keep doing it.
Vitamin C as a supplement greatly supports heart health, boosts immune power, helps skin health via collagen support, lowers LDL cholesterol in the blood, and has overall anti-toxin and anti-ageing effects.
Eugene Sandow, early 1900's
Men
Guys need as much testosterone as they can get for optimum health, vitality and sports performance. Modern life is a minefield of testosterone depleters! Fight them, raise your test, and be a winner in the gym, in your sport and your life! See the man's page for testosterone boosting tips, as well as Mark Wilson's awesome site, for men who want to optimise their 'test'!
Quickly, what I do is take 30-50mg of zinc daily, I avoid plastics as far as practically possible, never consume plastic bottled water except for rare emergencies, and eat a testosterone supporting diet, as outlined in the man page.
Guys need to keep their bodyfat low for optimal health. Bodyfat makes estrogen, and estrogen is not your friend. Pitta (naturally muscular and small waisted) or Vata (naturally slim) types aim for year round levels in the 8- 12% range, and slightly higher for natural Kapha (naturally thicker, heavier waist) types. To determine your type quickly, think of your natural physique before puberty. For more detailed Ayurvedic typing and info see my Ayurved page.
Guys, remember to train legs! Many guys hate training legs, but do it! It is key for heart health, metabolism, whole body fat burning and did I mention fat burning? I have seen men burn astonishing amounts of fat from a few months of dedicated squats and deadlifts! And just say no to leg press and leg extensions! Training squats vs leg press is like comparing Salma Hayek in your bed vs a blow-up sex doll.
Also good for legs are wind sprints (do them racing against a partner) and uphill sprints - for extra brutalness.
Guys need as much testosterone as they can get for optimum health, vitality and sports performance. Modern life is a minefield of testosterone depleters! Fight them, raise your test, and be a winner in the gym, in your sport and your life! See the man's page for testosterone boosting tips, as well as Mark Wilson's awesome site, for men who want to optimise their 'test'!
Quickly, what I do is take 30-50mg of zinc daily, I avoid plastics as far as practically possible, never consume plastic bottled water except for rare emergencies, and eat a testosterone supporting diet, as outlined in the man page.
Guys need to keep their bodyfat low for optimal health. Bodyfat makes estrogen, and estrogen is not your friend. Pitta (naturally muscular and small waisted) or Vata (naturally slim) types aim for year round levels in the 8- 12% range, and slightly higher for natural Kapha (naturally thicker, heavier waist) types. To determine your type quickly, think of your natural physique before puberty. For more detailed Ayurvedic typing and info see my Ayurved page.
Guys, remember to train legs! Many guys hate training legs, but do it! It is key for heart health, metabolism, whole body fat burning and did I mention fat burning? I have seen men burn astonishing amounts of fat from a few months of dedicated squats and deadlifts! And just say no to leg press and leg extensions! Training squats vs leg press is like comparing Salma Hayek in your bed vs a blow-up sex doll.
Also good for legs are wind sprints (do them racing against a partner) and uphill sprints - for extra brutalness.
dunno what lift this is, but looks good :-p
Women
Bodyfat is a good thing for women, supporting hormonal balance. Minimum bodyfat percentage compatible with good health in women is 15-20%, usually 18 to 20. Everyone is a little different, so this is a general guideline.
Many athletic activities, from fitness modelling and bodybuilding to ballet and gymnastics require a leaner body in women than what could be considered healthy. If you do become amenorrheic (losing your period) it means you are definitely too lean for health. Usually, the hormonal balance will return to healthy levels once body fat increases and excessive training is lowered. Usually, and one hopes. in the meantime, herbs like Dong Quai are excellent hormonal tonics for balance and health and also for symptoms relating to hormones as diverse as PMS and menopause.
It is far safer for a woman to carry extra fat than a man, provided your waist does not get too large. Waist fat, especially what's known as visceral fat is very bad for overall body inflammation, diabetes risk, and heart attack and stroke risk. So keep your waist measurement as small as possible, without becoming too lean.
Work out, do whatever you like for exercise, because all exercise is beneficial. Things I am not super fond of are long distance running; i believe it to be hard on the body, for men and women. Sprinting is good, weightlifting is great, walking briskly is good too. Depends on your goals. If you want a hard body and a butt that other women envy, then weights are your best friend. I trained an exotic dancer for a few months and she reported making a lot more money after the pleasing changes to her body that intense weightlifting accomplished. See the Women's page here for more specific health info.
Bodyfat is a good thing for women, supporting hormonal balance. Minimum bodyfat percentage compatible with good health in women is 15-20%, usually 18 to 20. Everyone is a little different, so this is a general guideline.
Many athletic activities, from fitness modelling and bodybuilding to ballet and gymnastics require a leaner body in women than what could be considered healthy. If you do become amenorrheic (losing your period) it means you are definitely too lean for health. Usually, the hormonal balance will return to healthy levels once body fat increases and excessive training is lowered. Usually, and one hopes. in the meantime, herbs like Dong Quai are excellent hormonal tonics for balance and health and also for symptoms relating to hormones as diverse as PMS and menopause.
It is far safer for a woman to carry extra fat than a man, provided your waist does not get too large. Waist fat, especially what's known as visceral fat is very bad for overall body inflammation, diabetes risk, and heart attack and stroke risk. So keep your waist measurement as small as possible, without becoming too lean.
Work out, do whatever you like for exercise, because all exercise is beneficial. Things I am not super fond of are long distance running; i believe it to be hard on the body, for men and women. Sprinting is good, weightlifting is great, walking briskly is good too. Depends on your goals. If you want a hard body and a butt that other women envy, then weights are your best friend. I trained an exotic dancer for a few months and she reported making a lot more money after the pleasing changes to her body that intense weightlifting accomplished. See the Women's page here for more specific health info.
what about PROTEIN?
Protein is a big deal, a very big deal; it drives recovery, it's what you are mostly made of, especially your muscles. We have good evidence showing that going from the DRI to double the DRI and even up to triple the DRI helps gain more muscle mass. Protein drives your metabolism. Let me say that again; Your metabolism is raised by dietary proteins. Moreso than by carbs or fats.
Yet, protein might not be something you want to load up on every single day.
Ori Hofmekler spent much of his career researching gaining muscle mass. So did Torbjorn Akerfeldt. They both said to eat LESS protein than you need periodically. The specifics of how to do that vary from researcher to researcher. Personally I go protein free or nearly protein free 1 to 3 days a week. My regular days I consume around 1 gram protein per pound bodyweight which is about 2.5 times higher than the DRI, using the standard 0.8 grams dietary protein per kg bodyweight DRI calculation.
Fasting research shows us quite clearly that humans eating no protein every other day lose no muscle mass. Think about that; it flies in the face of all the protein shake and supplement advertising. Yet, the findings in all the fasting research is the same;
alternate day fasting results in fat loss, but not muscle mass loss.
By the way, starving periodically, as both researchers above and others advocate is a massive growth hormone booster, which likely explains some of the fat loss and lean tissue preservation.
how about Vegetarianism?
Looking at blood type appropriateness, only type A blood folks make good vegetarians. Type AB and also B can get by on it, but type O shouldn't be vegetarian or anywhere near it for good health, in my opinion.
Athletic research on vegetarians is very clear and consistent. Vegetarians have more endurance than meat eaters. And they have smaller muscles. So, if you want to do well in a really long race, go ahead, be a vegetarian.
If you want a larger amount of muscle mass, then vegetarianism is not going to work in your favour. Period. Can you gain muscle on a vegetarian diet? Yes, if your goals are modest and definitely if you are a novice to resistance training. But your muscle mass progress will be lesser, and slower, according to all the research I have ever seen on humans and muscle gain.
Meat causes faster and larger muscle gain than vegetarian protein in male and female research, even at the same intake of proteins, gram-for-gram!
Also I would guess that meat eaters will do better in sports requiring explosive power; boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, and definitely anything involving lifting weights.
Having said that, I have to give props to my friend Keita Hopkinson who always was way more muscular than I (not that that's such a high standard, lol) and pushed some very impressive poundages, like 405 lbs close grip bench, 500+ pounds deadlift. He was vegan until a soy allergy caused him to start consuming whey protein, but to this day, Keita has not eaten cheese, meat, poultry or fish since he was a young child. I can't help but wonder what he could do with animal protein, but athletic achievement is not the only consideration for everyone, myself included.
Protein is a big deal, a very big deal; it drives recovery, it's what you are mostly made of, especially your muscles. We have good evidence showing that going from the DRI to double the DRI and even up to triple the DRI helps gain more muscle mass. Protein drives your metabolism. Let me say that again; Your metabolism is raised by dietary proteins. Moreso than by carbs or fats.
Yet, protein might not be something you want to load up on every single day.
Ori Hofmekler spent much of his career researching gaining muscle mass. So did Torbjorn Akerfeldt. They both said to eat LESS protein than you need periodically. The specifics of how to do that vary from researcher to researcher. Personally I go protein free or nearly protein free 1 to 3 days a week. My regular days I consume around 1 gram protein per pound bodyweight which is about 2.5 times higher than the DRI, using the standard 0.8 grams dietary protein per kg bodyweight DRI calculation.
Fasting research shows us quite clearly that humans eating no protein every other day lose no muscle mass. Think about that; it flies in the face of all the protein shake and supplement advertising. Yet, the findings in all the fasting research is the same;
alternate day fasting results in fat loss, but not muscle mass loss.
By the way, starving periodically, as both researchers above and others advocate is a massive growth hormone booster, which likely explains some of the fat loss and lean tissue preservation.
how about Vegetarianism?
Looking at blood type appropriateness, only type A blood folks make good vegetarians. Type AB and also B can get by on it, but type O shouldn't be vegetarian or anywhere near it for good health, in my opinion.
Athletic research on vegetarians is very clear and consistent. Vegetarians have more endurance than meat eaters. And they have smaller muscles. So, if you want to do well in a really long race, go ahead, be a vegetarian.
If you want a larger amount of muscle mass, then vegetarianism is not going to work in your favour. Period. Can you gain muscle on a vegetarian diet? Yes, if your goals are modest and definitely if you are a novice to resistance training. But your muscle mass progress will be lesser, and slower, according to all the research I have ever seen on humans and muscle gain.
Meat causes faster and larger muscle gain than vegetarian protein in male and female research, even at the same intake of proteins, gram-for-gram!
Also I would guess that meat eaters will do better in sports requiring explosive power; boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, and definitely anything involving lifting weights.
Having said that, I have to give props to my friend Keita Hopkinson who always was way more muscular than I (not that that's such a high standard, lol) and pushed some very impressive poundages, like 405 lbs close grip bench, 500+ pounds deadlift. He was vegan until a soy allergy caused him to start consuming whey protein, but to this day, Keita has not eaten cheese, meat, poultry or fish since he was a young child. I can't help but wonder what he could do with animal protein, but athletic achievement is not the only consideration for everyone, myself included.
Don't I need whey protein?
Do you? Look at Eugene Sandow above; no juice, no protein powders. Neither of those things were in use when he was in his hey-day. Whey protein is high quality, in terms ov BV, or NPU, or PDCAAS or whatever analysis method. It is also easily and quickly digestible. It also gives a lot of people strange craps. Honestly, how many people have told me that? If anything gives you strange craps or other gastro-intestinal symptoms, it means it is likely not well tolerated by your gut. Which means inflammation is almost a guarantee, in the gut and therefore the body. The body is integrated.
I do recommend protein powders for people who just can't make a whole food diet happen, due to time constraints, or lack of cooking ability, or lack of will for a real food diet. I do firmly believe that real food is not powdered dried stuff in a tub.
If someone is going to use protein powders, then 90 years of research tells us that rotating them is a good idea. We also know that only type B and AB blood people can really thrive on dairy, provided they as individuals happen to tolerate it well.
Remember Dr. Philpott who confirmed that foods are rotated in the human diet, ideally. Meaning nothing gets eaten every day. Read more about rotation here, on my allergy page.
Protein powders that I recommend are Sun Warrior (the one with no rice), as a non whey vegetarian mixed protein, and Progressive makes a good organic whey protein powder. I am a type A blood, so I have one or 2 dairy days a week only, and a tub of protein powder lasts me at least 4 months, due to infrequent use. Prairie Naturals makes a few interesting grain protein powders, but if you are type O blood, steer clear! Actually for a type O, I'd recommend only using the above mentioned rice-free Sun Warrior protein, and only occasionally. Stick to meat, eggs, poultry and fish if you're type O.
Do you? Look at Eugene Sandow above; no juice, no protein powders. Neither of those things were in use when he was in his hey-day. Whey protein is high quality, in terms ov BV, or NPU, or PDCAAS or whatever analysis method. It is also easily and quickly digestible. It also gives a lot of people strange craps. Honestly, how many people have told me that? If anything gives you strange craps or other gastro-intestinal symptoms, it means it is likely not well tolerated by your gut. Which means inflammation is almost a guarantee, in the gut and therefore the body. The body is integrated.
I do recommend protein powders for people who just can't make a whole food diet happen, due to time constraints, or lack of cooking ability, or lack of will for a real food diet. I do firmly believe that real food is not powdered dried stuff in a tub.
If someone is going to use protein powders, then 90 years of research tells us that rotating them is a good idea. We also know that only type B and AB blood people can really thrive on dairy, provided they as individuals happen to tolerate it well.
Remember Dr. Philpott who confirmed that foods are rotated in the human diet, ideally. Meaning nothing gets eaten every day. Read more about rotation here, on my allergy page.
Protein powders that I recommend are Sun Warrior (the one with no rice), as a non whey vegetarian mixed protein, and Progressive makes a good organic whey protein powder. I am a type A blood, so I have one or 2 dairy days a week only, and a tub of protein powder lasts me at least 4 months, due to infrequent use. Prairie Naturals makes a few interesting grain protein powders, but if you are type O blood, steer clear! Actually for a type O, I'd recommend only using the above mentioned rice-free Sun Warrior protein, and only occasionally. Stick to meat, eggs, poultry and fish if you're type O.
a word about SPORTS DRINKS
Aren't you glad I have no sponsors? Gatorade is STUPID. So is Propel, and every other damned "sports" drink I have ever seen. Vitamin water is pure retardation. Should be called sugar water. If you legitimately need a sports drink, then make a healthy one; here's the recipe;
1/2 pure water
1/2 pure juice, any kind, so long as it is pure
one pinch of unrefined salt
When do you legitimately need a sports drink?
1. If you are exercising and sweating like a mo' fo' for over one hour.
2. You experience serious clinical electrolyte loss, ie; bad case of diarrhea or vomiting.
The sports drink recipe above is way, way better for you and just as "effective" as any crap toxic commercial sports drink or Pedilayte for that matter. Pedialyte is astonishingly disgustingly bad for health. If I had a baby or child requiring it for medical reasons, then the above sports drink recipe would be the way I would go!
If you are not sweating like a mo' fo' or even if you are but training an hour or less, then pure water is just fine. In fact, it would be great.
I add lemon and a pinch of salt to my water, since I use no salt in my diet.
Aren't you glad I have no sponsors? Gatorade is STUPID. So is Propel, and every other damned "sports" drink I have ever seen. Vitamin water is pure retardation. Should be called sugar water. If you legitimately need a sports drink, then make a healthy one; here's the recipe;
1/2 pure water
1/2 pure juice, any kind, so long as it is pure
one pinch of unrefined salt
When do you legitimately need a sports drink?
1. If you are exercising and sweating like a mo' fo' for over one hour.
2. You experience serious clinical electrolyte loss, ie; bad case of diarrhea or vomiting.
The sports drink recipe above is way, way better for you and just as "effective" as any crap toxic commercial sports drink or Pedilayte for that matter. Pedialyte is astonishingly disgustingly bad for health. If I had a baby or child requiring it for medical reasons, then the above sports drink recipe would be the way I would go!
If you are not sweating like a mo' fo' or even if you are but training an hour or less, then pure water is just fine. In fact, it would be great.
I add lemon and a pinch of salt to my water, since I use no salt in my diet.