What you eat prior to competing for any sport can affect your overall performance. Different sports require different pre-competition diets and finding the diet that's right for your sport can be quite confusing. The President's Council on Fitness recommends determining what your goals are for your specific sport before beginning your training diet. Along with determining whether you need to gain weight, lose weight, eat for strength or eat for endurance you must also determine when your pre-contest diet should begin.
Bodybuilding Pre-Comp Diet
If you are a bodybuilder, you will need to begin your pre-competition diet eight to 12 weeks prior to your competition. First you will need to determine how much weight you need to lose to get to your ideal competition body. The key to an easier pre-comp diet is eating well during the off season and staying relatively lean. Bodybuilding.com recommends beginning a strict diet of 1.5 to 2 g of protein per pound of ideal competition body weight daily, with five percent fat and alternating your complex carbohydrates between 15 to 20 percent every other day. Choose only lean proteins such as fish, lean beef, turkey, chicken and eggs and complex carbohydrates such as wild and brown rice, steel-cut oatmeal and fresh vegetables.
Endurance Competition Diet
When you are training for an endurance competition such as a marathon or triathlon, you will need to eat to increase the amount of fuel stored in your muscles, often referred to as carbohydrate loading. Contrary to popular belief, carb loading is not sitting down to a giant bowl of pasta the night before your race. To properly carb load you will need to adjust your daily diet to 50 to 55 percent of slow burning carbs one week prior to your race, notes MayoClinic.com. Three to four days prior to your race increase this to 70 percent. Choose complex carbs such as wild, brown and basmati rice, whole grain pasta, whole grain bread, whole grain cereal. During this time decrease your daily fat intake.
Power Sport Competition Diet
Power sports that require excessive strength need a pre-competition diet that is high in calories. If you are preparing for a power sport competition such as dead-lifting, hammer throw or shot put you will need to begin increasing your calories three to four days prior to your event, according to the USA Track and Field Pacific Association. Keep your diet healthy and well rounded with lean proteins, complex carbohydrates and essential fatty acids.
References
- President's Council on Exercise: What Diet is Best For Athletes?
- Bodybuilding.com: The Greatest Pre-Contest Diet, Greatest Weapon: Dr. Joe Clemczewski
- Bodybuilding.com: Crash Course, 12 Week Contest Preparation: Jon Huston
- CNN: Attaining Those Six Pack Abs is Only Half The Battle
- MayoClinic.com: Carbohydrate Loading Diet
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