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How to Fuel and Sleep 24 Hours Before YOUR Fight
Posted on March 14, 2013 by GSP RUSHFITMany people have asked us how to prepare for an event (race, fight, competition) in the precious 24 hours leading up to it. With UFC 158 approaching and Georges looking to defend his title yet again, we’re going to break down the day leading up to a main event and how to manage your diet and sleep demands going in. Ready? You’d better be. This just might be the fight of your life!
STICK TO THE PLAN
If you’ve been training and eating right leading up to the night before and the day of your event, it would be very foolish to change your recipe for success at the last moment. Stick within the foods you’ve eaten all along and certainly adjust your calories, portions, times, or whatever else your routine requires during that time, but don’t add new foods. Think about it: When your body needs to be at it’s ultimate prime and 100% focused, do you really want to experiment and risk indigestion, nausea, or cramping? Didn’t think so.
KEEP IT LIGHT
The deciding factor in exactly what and how much you eat on the day of an event is really the kind of event; is it a longer 90+ minutes endurance event, or is it a shorter high intensity bout that lasts 45-90 minutes? If you’re going for endurance, hydrate throughout the day and eat more carbs in the form of complex carbs and starches (whole grain pastas, brown rice, check the Nutrition Guide for more) 3-4 hours before your event, much like you would for training. If it’s a high intensity activity, you’ll want more simple sugars (fruit, honey, etc) with some complex carbs to balance your energy needs 2-3 hours beforehand. The key is to have a relatively empty stomach with enough glycogen in your muscles at the start of your event so that you are neither hungry nor bloated during your workout. Emphasize carbs, moderate protein, avoid fats and oils. Same as you would pre-workout.
It sounds more daunting than it is. If you can eat right for your training, follow the same steps for competition. If you’ve eaten garbage for months, changing your diet the week of your event won’t help and will probably backfire. After all training is just the practice that leads up to the challenge. Aside from time management you shouldn’t have to make any other changes to your diet.
SLEEP
8 hours, 8 hours, 8 hours, 8 hours… You’ve heard it over and over and you know the value of a full night’s sleep. But what happens if you’ve got an event that starts later in the evening (for example 8 or 9 pm) like many UFC Championships do? There are one of two ways to handle this. Some athletes will start adjusting their sleep and training patterns a week or two in advance so their body clocks are more in tune with their schedule. They might stay up later the night before so in turn they sleep longer the next morning and start their day later. It’s more like shifting your schedule than changing the routine.
Others will maintain the same times for getting up, but rather than wait out a long day, they’ll use a power nap midway through to catch a small recharge and sharpen their focus for the evening. If this is your first major event or first time competing in the evening it’s a good idea to try out both methods a month or two in advance to see which is easier for your body to handle rather than experiment and hope you get it right.
If it’s an early morning event, change your sleep pattern to factor that in, and make sure you get up early enough to have time to eat and digest at least a small meal beforehand. Don’t risk several months of training and 8 weeks of battle camp by guessing. Get it right ahead of time, and sleep well either way knowing you’ve got the plan for success.
CONCLUSION
You might be running a marathon, completing and adventure race, cycling for a charity, or fighting a contender for the UFC Championship. Regardless of the event and your competition, fueling and sleeping the 24 hours before an event can seem like a task unto itself with all the hype, travel, attention, anxiety, excitement, and new surroundings. Much like the keys to a successful HIIT program require sticking with your routine and seeing it through, the keys to a successful competition dictate following the same recipe that brought you there and has worked all along. Adjust sleep and eating for time and for portions if need be, but otherwise relax, breathe deep, and unleash you inner beast. The biggest challenge will be to remain mentally focused to maximize your physical performance. Do you want to feel heavy and sluggish at the start of a 10 mile run? No. Do you want to be distracted by hunger while dodging fists and elbows in the ring? Probably not. Remember that mental and physical performance depend on each other so don’t risk victory by upsetting your approach at the last minute. Stick with the reipce for success. If it works for GSP, it’ll work for you. Tap in to your inner strength, you’re worth it. Sweaty when you are!
-Team RUSHFIT
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