HELP! my fighter felt slow and sluggish

[zink]

Cardio is not the issue, and strength is good, however he felt like he was punching through molasses...i think its diet any thoughts on best pre fight meal, and how long b4 fight? also what about breakfast that day as well?

[southpaw27]

Some things that come to mind right off the top of my head are: the fighters recovery status, glycogen availability, and hydration. Do you have any reason to believe that any of these be could the cause?

Pre-workout meals should be high in carbohydrates and low in fiber. Carbohydrates should also be consumed during intense exercise in order for the athlete to be able to maintain work capacity, spare protein, and maintain glycogen stores. Sports drinks <8% carbohydrate are readily absorbed (just use gatorade, its concentration of all solutes is perfect). I personally don't feel that protein should be consumed prior to any sort of physical work in which significant fluid loss could occur. A protein supplement has so much protein that it will most likely make the solution hypertonic (unless it is placed into a huge volume of fluid) and have negative effects on hydration.

[Asomni]

I think we need some more info before we can really make any suggestions. What makes you suspect it is nutrition related? It could be:

-overtraining
-lack of sleep
-adrenaline dump
-poor technique due to lack of exp or nerves
-poor hydration or bad weight cut
-poor technique due to inexperience in full contact
-poor nutrition
-poor conditioning

Any of these are real possibilities, or maybe he just fought like shit having an off day or looking for an excuse. What is making you think it is purely a nutritional issue?

[zink]

well i made him drink water, he was slowly drinking water and a gatorade all day...overtraining i WILL not rule out. i suspect nutrition because of his complaint of feeling sluggish. nerves? i doubt he took a nap and started snoring as soon as he got to the event. he has 4 fights so he should be starting to get used to the adrenaline dump(i hope) he wasn't shaking between rounds, he was calm enough to slow his breathing when i told him. just leaning towards a bad pre-fight meal...he chose Korean bbq, and rice and veggies. still i watched him drink water with it and hoped the protein would not drain too much water from him.he also had it 3-4 hours before the event so i would think that would help his body some.he also cut zero weight. so if that helps, i'll listen to any advice

[TokyoMMAguy]

When I fought in Thailand we just ate a fried rice/noodles with meat/shrimps/eggs/or chicken about 5hours before the fight, and immediately before a banana plus Coca Cola or redbull (I chose gatorade style electrolyte drinks though since I didn't like the caffeine)
Some fighters even had a beer before (and some of those guys where champions who even fought in K1 lol)

In Japan I had a huge cheese-vegetable omelet and high fiber muesli in the morning (high fat/protein/carbs/fiber), some fast acting protein plus white rice and gatorade 3 hours before, and a banana plus gatorade immediately before

[Asomni]

Korean BBQ could be the culprit. I know that would completely screw me up. I generally do some whey an hour and a half before training/sparring/hard cardio sessions followed by a large iced coffee and muffin for some carbs an hour before. I make sure that it is the same thing every time so that I know exactly how my body handles it. Caffeine has also been shown in countless studies to be beneficial to training.

Has your fighter had BBQ before training or fighting before?

[zink]

i think he has once before, but that was before i came aboard as his corner. hell i ain't even his full trainer. i also suspect his piss poor performance is he does MMA. Thai, San Shou and just about every type of competition. this gets his head set on one way of doing things,ie. over under tie up for a take down while fighting Muay Thai rules when he should be kneeing or punching and getting out... Even his Thai Coach who i assist only sees him once or so a week. i just thought diet and heat started a bad roll down that slope to a loss. anyway, i am glad for all the advice, i am trying to start him on the 8 weeks out conditioning program and i am trying to turn his record around. so thanx guys this has helped a lot