Karate Training Zone

Question: Eating before karate training - overweight 40 year old karateka?

(Posted by: AladdinZane on 2010-02-24 14:07:10)

I am a beginner karate student and am overweight. I put everything I have got into my karate but sometimes feel that I am out of energy and absolutely "wasted " to the point where I cannot continue. I am worried that at some point I am going to have to raise my hand before I actually collapse. I know I need to work on my general fitness more, but my question is this... For energy, what do you recommend I eat and drink prior to training? And when should I eat if my training begins at, say, 8pm? Many thanks. Oss.

Posted by: edwin on 2010-02-25, 06:46:02

Congratulations on your karate training. I strongly believe that it is at their 40s that a man is at it's prime. Im 28, so I'm just a guppy. Different people are giving different advise, so I'll try to be very general as to not contribute to the confusion. Lets talk about calories, protein and carbs. Calories come from the word calore which is latin for "heat " or energy. Very straight forward. Protein are molecules that your body will use to repair, replenish or create tissue, but it has little energy to it. Carbs are molecules with carbon, oxygen and hydrogen atoms. They contain a lot of calories and your body uses it mainly for energy and tissue, but not too much for muscle tissue. I mention this because it's not a matter as much as when you eat but also what to eat, depending on your purpose. The fact that you are quickly winded is mostly because of your weight. Your muscles are carrying a lot of weight, your heart may be a bit overgrown and it's not delivering oxygen to your muscles as it should. A good thing to do would be to eat a small to moderate amount of carbs an hour before training. Carbs like a fruit, rice, vegetables, etc. Avoid compound carbs like pasta or cookies or pastries as they take more time to be broken down to be used. Since we want to loose some of that extra weight eat little, make your body use up some of the fat cells in your body for energy too. Aim for condition on the long run. Give your heart time to reduce it's size and for your lungs to get back into shape. Protein will not give you a lot of enery for your work out, but makes for a great after-meal to maintain muscle mass and not gain back the fat you just loss.

Posted by: Austin on 2010-02-24, 14:21:25

When you start to feel tired or like you're losing your energy during training let yourself slow down a bit in what you're doing. Don't slack off, but take a bit of time to catch your breath and feel replenished. If your training begins at 8pm you should definitely eat dinner beforehand. By that point at night your body does not have very much food left in it (unless you ate lunch at like five in the afternoon) and you will be at a loss for energy. Don't eat a heavy dinner, though. Try something light like a sandwich and fruit, and if you're hungry after training, as many often are, eat something heavier then. If you eat something that's heavy beforehand you can end up feeling more weighed down and tired than if you hadn't eaten at all. Try to stay away from soda and power drinks, as they really won't help you doing karate. The time you eat is not extremely important, but I would recommend thirty to forty-five minutes before your training starts, so your body has time to digest a bit, but you haven't waited so long that amounts of energy are already lost. I hope this helps you.

Posted by: PeaJay on 2010-02-24, 14:24:05

Well, I would definitely recommend eating very lightly around 5:30 or 6 that way it doesnt "weigh you down " during your karate session. Eat light, like a salad and tunafish. Try to stay away from bread because it tends to make you more sluggish during exercise. Drinks? WATER only in my very professonal opinion. and if you feel like you need energy then eat an orange, its fantastic for electrolytes and that extra boost of energy. if you need any more help you can consult this website. its always worked for me. purelyprogress.com I hope i helped you. :)

Posted by: Darb D on 2010-02-24, 17:50:46

Eat a normal meal with whole wheat carbs and protein 3 hours before you train. this will fuel your body for the workout. you can eat a small snack or a protein shake before you train if your body can handle it. consider a sports drink halfway through your session. and try green tea before you train as it will spike you naturally but you won't crash like coffee. its likely you need a complex carb in you a few hours before your session. your prob eating to much simple sugar and protein. your fitness will improve none the less give it a couple of months from now. its slow at the start but once you are there its easy.