Nutrition - Coconut Water Explained.

Coconut Water - The Mystery Explained. Is It Hype Or Something You Should Add To Your Training Program.

Will it fix all your problems and turn you into a pro Athlete? I have been asked many questions about the benefits of Coconut water, and do people need it in there lives.

I came across coconut water years ago when our then England Nutritionist, who is still the man in the know, Matt Lovell introduced it to the guys, During one of our England Camps.  I think the version we tried had actual little bits of coconut in, and came in plain packaging.  It went down really well,  as the boys would have it at snack time or in the evening, to help with recovery. It however disappeared next camp and wasn’t really seen again until recently. The benefits have always been clear, but only now has it become so popular

I have always been a fan of coconut water, as for someone who drinks loads of normal water in their daily routine, either bottled or still will it can get a bit tedious. However there aren’t loads of alternatives, that don’t contain sugar, fructose, colourings, E numbers and are easy to drink pre and post training. I found my self adding squash to large amounts of water, which wasn’t really doing me any good.

Coconut water however fits the bill in loads of ways and is very easy to drink, and great for hydration. I once went to coach out in Tobago many years ago with Phil Greening, we would have fresh coconut water from the green young coconuts every day, in the hot sun, and this was where my interest in it all came from.  As it seemed like a great way to hydrate, avoided drinking any dodgy local water and tasted sweet.

Things are very different now with loads of brands out there jumping in on the market, with exciting packages, flavours , etc. I got hold of some @Vitacoco about 2 and half years ago when a girl friend of mine had some and haven’t looked back.  I have tried a few others, but I am basing much of my experience on Vita Coco.

Training.

I will always try and have some @Vitacoco with my breakfast, as I am always dehydrated in the morning and this is the quickest way, and easiest to drink method of getting me back to where I need to be, and ready for the first session. Plus it has high numbers of natural electrolytes in it, so I don’t need to have anything else.

My Usual Breakfast.

• 3 eggs
• A bowl of porridge made with water, with  mixed nuts, hemp seeds, chia seeds, and some honey or brown sugar.
• 1 large cartoon of Vita coco
• 1 glass of orange juice
• Protein shake- Promax, Alkalive green, BCAA’s

I will also try and have some after my last session of the day. Again for the fact it quickly hydrates you, but is really easy to drink. If you have been drinking energy drinks and water all day, you really want something else, that isn’t full of sugars and carbs.

Vita Coco for example has

• No Added sugars, colours , etc.
• All Natural
, from fresh coconuts.
• Bursting with all 5 key electrolytes
• 
Zero fat, zero cholesterol & low in calories.
• More potassium than a banana!

YOU AND COCONUT WATER

Should you add it to your own training program and diet? The answer is yes. You can’t go wrong with water, and being hydrated is one of the most important elements to anything you do. If you want something that tastes great, hydrates you and offers a really healthy alternative to water then @Vitacoco is the answer. Using it in conjunction with water, not as a full replacement is the best and only method.

It is not however going to revolutionise things to a whole new level, or suddenly make your training gains go through the roof. It’s not why it’s so popular, and you see so many sports people using it on twitter. Athletes love it because there are very few healthy options out there to replace water. Those “sports” drinks that do, have loads of things in them and aren’t always the best option.

If you can get some in during the morning, post a session and my favourite use of all, whenever I actually get to let my hair down and have a few drinks, which is extremely rare, it is an awesome hang over aid. Drink a litre of coconut water and you are back in the game.

Some Ideas For Using Vita Coco

1. In post training recovery drinks. For example instead of water, use 3 scoops of Recovermax and cartoon of vita coco.
2. Shake before bed @Vitacoco and a scoop of Maximuscle Promax.
3. Added it to your breakfast smoothie, with Promax, oats, frozen berries, Manuka honey.

I hope that goes some way to explaining things and why you always see cartons of Vita Coco in rugby player’s hands.

Nutrition - Tips to Get BIGGER

This is the one question that everyone wants to know how to do. Its all i get emailed about, tweeted about, so i have decided to speak to various Nutritionists and trainers to put together some top tips for you guys. who want to get bigger and leaner. 

One point you will see which is a common theme. Get your diet right and then add supplements. Not the other way round.
The first  top tops are from our Wasps Nutritionist 

Michael Naylor , Performance Nutritionist, English Institute of Sport -

Key muscle gain points

1. 
   

1. Consume an energy intake slightly higher than what you expend – around 500kcal extra on training days is sufficient.

1. Include a quality source of protein as part of your breakfast, eggs or salmon are great choices. You can of course go or steak as well.

Aim to regularly (every 2-3 hrs) consume meals/snacks  high in Protein (around 20g or 0.25g per kg of body mass) and rich in BCAA’s particularly leucine to up regulate MTOR signalling pathways to maximise protein synthesis for muscle maintenance and recovery.  Milk protein, egg protein and muscle protein are all rich sources of BCAA’s and leucine.  You can also use a whey isolate based ice cream which contains ~ 22g of protein.  Aim to consume 1.5 – 2g of protein per kg of body weight daily.

To maximise recovery from training sessions consume a meal/snack/shake specific to the session undertaken. A 0.25g per kg serving of protein is again a good guide to maximise protein synthesis for gains in lean mass and recovery. After intense sessions which lower your glycogen, replenish them with carbohydrates to aid recovery and start the fuelling process for the next session.

Eat Oily fish (e.g. fresh salmon or tuna steaks) 2-3 times a week or use a good fish oil liquid, gel or capsule. This may also aid protein synthesis to increase gains in lean mass.

Fuel your training sessions effectively to get the most out of them…that means not dodging carbohydrates around intense training sessions! Enjoy the energy they provide!

Make sure you consume a variety of vegetables (aim to include in 2-3 meals a day, especially greens) and fruits (mixed berries are a great source) each day.

Consume a source of protein before bed to promote muscle development during the night. Casein protein may be better than whey at this time as the delivery to muscles is slower to fuel the muscles throughout the night.  

Maintain a hydrated state, 2L a day plus an additional 500ml-1L (depending on sweat rate etc) is a good general guide.

Once you have all the above right and your training, eating and sleeping are optimal, then some supplements may be of benefit. Not the other way around!!

Training - Posterior Chain

Leg Session – Courtesy of Terry Evans or Aka Big Tel (Wasps Trainer)

This is currently the session I have been doing the last few weeks at Wasps. If I only get one chance to go into the gym once a week, due to quick turn arounds and shortened weeks, this is what I would be doing.

I haven’t been doing a lot of squats, as I need to focus a lot on my posterior chain more than anything. So most of the session is geared towards that. I also like to try and do something metabolic at the end.

As a youngster I spent way too much time of big lifts, and have become too quad dominant, so have weaknesses in my hamstrings and Gluts. If I could go back and start from fresh, I have always said I would do more body weight work, and make sure I did well balanced sessions, instead of beach weights

Session

Warm up – I use this as an opportunity to get a pump on my legs, but also do some rehab. If you have some specific areas you need to work on then speak to a qualified trainer and get some appropriate exercises.  We can all get better at something.

• Foam roll – thoracic, ITB’s, quads, hamstrings.

• @wattbike – 45 seconds medium intensity, 20 high intensity. Perform this 4 times through

• Single leg squats to a box 10 each side – try and get a box that is just above parallel and you can reach comfortably with out over working, or loosing your form. Squat down- just till your bum touches and then come back up.

-       If its way too easy then use a weighted vest or hold a 10kg plate

• Shoulder dislocations with a barbell or broom handle as shown in the picture. The idea is to go as far back as you can till you feel a stretch. Then you come back forward and repeat 10 times.

• Mini band – circuit as mentioned in other blogs

1. Side shuffle
2. Monster walks
3. Standing for way leg wings.

Place the band round your knees, and do 20 body weight squats, keeping knees shoulder width a part.

Low box jumps.  – Find a small sturdy box and perform 3 jumps onto. The focus is a good soft landing. Step of the box and then do another jump.

Session Part 1

Trap bar Deadlift 4 x5 reps.

- You are doing both phases of this exercise. A good deadlift, then a good eccentric lower. You aren’t just deadlifting and dropping the bar.

-   You need to find a good weight to perform both.

(If you don’t have a trap bar, then use a normal barbell, but the same 2 lifting phases apply)

Box jumps – 4 x3 reps.

-       The same as the warm up. Really good hip drive and soft landing. You are trying to make the movement smooth. You shouldn’t hear a massive clunk when you land.

Perform the above as super set. Take a 2 mins between each double set. Try and use the rest period to have a stretch. Like hip flexors, hamstrings, lats etc. Tappers who I mentioned in my last blog got me into this and it’s a great use of your time.

Part 2

Weighted sled pulls 4x 2 runs – the focus here is a good ground strike, and good stride length. You are trying to run as powerfully as you can.

Start in a low position run 20 meters. Rest for 15 seconds then repeat.

Nordic Hammies 4x 5 reps  – as shown in the picture. Your partner holds your feet and you lean forward as far as you can go without tipping forward, if you can get all the way down then great. But for most beginners it’s pretty hard. Then either pull yourself back up right using your hamstrings or rest yourself and go again.

Note that I use a free bench, I have the rear part up,  so I can perform the lowering phase to a point where I touch the upright bench then I pull myself back up with my hamstrings. You set the bench height as high as you can go. As I said mine aren’t the best so I don’t get that low.

2 mins rest – stretch.

Part 3

Explosive bench throw. 3 x4 reps – put 50kgs on a barbell (or whatever you can explosively throw). Set up in your normal bench press position. Have your partner stand over you. The aim is for you to bench press the bar and release it. Literally throwing the bar out of your hands, your partner catches it. You reset and start again.

Weighted chins 3 x 5 reps – under hand grip chines with either a dumbbell between your knees or better still a plate or dumbbell hanging from a harness. Make sure you do this with good tempo. I.e. fast up 3 seconds down to full extension then back up again

Double leg Hip thrusters 3x8- if you have weak glutes you can do these without weights. The focus is to get a good foot position and lower your hips to the flower, and then drive up through your glutes. If you feel it too much in your hamstring then adjust your feet. This is a glute exercise.

-       If you are strong then, like in the picture put a weighted bar across you and perform the same movement. But with the added weight it makes it harder.

Rest 2 mins and stretch

Part 4

Weighted prowler push 3 x 1– Push a weighted prowler 20 meters. With good leg drive. The prowler is ideally quite heavy.

Tyre flips 3 x 6 flips- The tyre in the video is pretty damn heavy. But you can use whatever weight you want. The idea is a good low starting position. Flat back and lift through your legs.

Finish – get a shake in or some  quality food. Some pre cooked chopped chicken breast goes well, cold meats. Or if you have time cooks something up with good protien, veg and some good carbs. like sweet potatoes, brown pasts, butternut squash.

nufaelboutique

nufaelboutique

Training - One Bar Circuit and Core

                                    One Bar Workout and Core.

I was looking to do a little session, a couple of days after a game. This is the period I get most sore for some reason, but I always feel better for getting up and doing something.

This session can be done as a quick full body conditioning circuit and helps you get a pump on. Due to the small number of reps, you aren’t going to use this to gain size or strength. It’s not a session for everyone, but beginners can use if for practicing good technique with a lighter weight, and old dogs like me use it to get a conditioning hit and pump on.

So I put this session together, and then got a few finishing touches from the help of our wasp’s conditioners. One in particular Tappers or Ian Taplin as he is actually known. (Who looks after most of my training at the club)

Session

You can do most of the session with 1 Olympic bar 20kg with a 15kg plate on either end so you are working with 50kg for each exercise. If you don’t have a bar then use dumbbells in each hand.

Warm up

Get yourself ready to work, so you can either do your own thing or follow the below. I like to use warm-ups as an opportunity to do some rehab, while getting the body ready.

1) Bike warm up I prefer to use a @wattbike but a spin bike will do.  45 seconds middle resistance, at a medium pace, then switch up for 20 seconds on a high resistance.

Repeat this 4 times through.

2) Mini band circuit – place a mini band round your ankles. Do the following

• Monster walks 10 forward and 10 back
• Side shuffles (keeping feet shoulder width a part)
• Standing leg swings -20 each side
• Standing knee raises, the band sits round one foot, and round the ankle of the other. you drive the knee to the ceiling.

3) Perform a late stretch, chest opens.

Part 1

Have the bar set up on the floor. Perform the following in order, with no rest between them. You may need to but the barbell down to change grips. If not then all the better.

1) 4 each side, single leg press ups on the bar. See pictures. It’s a combination of the both.

2) Bent over row x4

3) Bicep curl x 4

4) Up right row x 4

5) Standing press x 4

6) Back squat (take the bar from standing press and put it behind your head then perform squats) x 4

7) Then straight away 4-body weight chin ups – if you can use @fatgripz that makes things harder.

8) Then 5 heavy overhead med ball slams.

As soon as you have finished the slams, then you start over again. 

                            

 Doing 4 rotations in total of all the exercises.

Ideally no rest, but if you need to take 30 seconds to gather yourself then no problem.

Once you have finished this circuit. Have a rest for 2 mins and then perform the following core circuit.

• Hanging knee raise (either just hang from a chin bar, or use elbow slings) squeeze a light Medball between you knees. Hold at the top for a 2 count and lower them back down. Do this for 30 seconds

• Then into side planks 30 seconds each side

• Front planks 30 seconds

• Stir the pot on a Medball for 30 seconds, work on big and small circles, and go backwards and forwards

• Finally partner balances. Stay in the stir the pot position, and have a partner push and pull you around, for 30 seconds. Obviously not to violently, and changing the places where he pushes, i.e. shoulder, head, sides.

Rest for 45 seconds and go through completely once again. so two times in total.

Take on a recovery shake, either something like RECOVERMAX, MAXI MILK EXTREME, or CYCLONE, PROMAX. Wasps are supplied by Maxi Muscle so use You can add some BCAA’s and Creatine if you want to.