Sports nutrition for Krav Maga – Pre training
The young kravist looked pale and unsteady. He complained of fatigue & nausea, he said he was feeling faint. As a coach you always worry, whether is this something serious or poor nutrition. The cause is usually the same. Skipping food then attending a Krav Maga class.
We get a lot of questions about sports nutrition for Krav Maga. Today we are looking as pre training nutrition, things to eat in the hour before training.
Remember – If you don’t eat right, you can’t train right…
Pre training nutrition
There are 2 popular but conflicting models of sports nutrition. One involves the consumption of carbohydrates to fuel athletic training, This is the most widely practiced model of nutrition. The second, a more radical approach is that of paleo nutrition which overlaps with the low carb, or ketogenic diet movement – eg Barry Sears Zone diet. This is becoming more popular and will be subject to a further article.
Pre training nutrition concerns the consumption of sufficient nutrients to power the body through a pre arranged conditioning session, without taking excessive supplies adding to fat storage. The good news is that it’s easier than it sounds. For now we will look at the more conventional sports model of carbohydrate ‘powered’ training.
Why is pre training nutrition important?
Training is powered by carbohydrate stored in large muscle groups of the body, and your liver. Carbohydrate is stored in the body in the form of glycogen. Glycogen is fast to access, easy for the body to metabolise in training but is in limited supply. Think of the fuel tank in your car. Like your fuel tank, storage is limited. Eat to much, and its stored as fat, not glycogen.
Glycogen is used to power muscular activity and stored in the liver and major muscles – however the supply is limited.
The objective of pre training nutrition is to have sufficient glycogen available to fuel training, or to top up carbs where where needed. Taking to much carbohydrate on board will leave you feeling sluggish and bloated – again not condusive to good training.
The objective of pre training nutrition is to eat to power effective training without adding additional fat stores to the body
What happens if I dont eat enough before Krav Maga class
As your body becomes glycogen depleted, you begin a process called Catabolism [Catabolism] Maraton runners call this catabolic process ‘Hitting the wall’.
You body defaults to catabolism to continue powering your muscles during training, however catabolism is slower and less efficient the using glycogen to power physical activity. This leaves a ‘drag’ between supply and demand of energy for movement. The net result is exhaustion, reduced performance and eventually nausea and dizzyness.
Endurance athletes frequently train in a catabolic state as they are using repetitive, rythmic movement and typre 1 muscle fibre. Combat athletes like Kravists use more dynamic training for shorter periods that places more emphasise on type 2b muscle fibre and a mix of aerobic and anaerobic training.
Neither anerobic training, nor type 2b muscle fibre functions well without glycogen so the body grinds to an unpleasant halt. This issue becomes significant when training for longer than 90 minutes or so and it can become very pronounced when training for 6 hours or so at a Krav Maga Bootcamp or Grading.
How can I avoid ‘Hitting the wall’
Here are a few way to manage pre training nutrition to avoid this slump in performance.
Dietary carbohydrate – Ensure your daily diet provides an ample supply of carbohydrate at all times, with around 60% or more of calories from carbohydrates (unprocessed, whole grain breads, pasta and cereals, rice, corn, all types of fruits and vegetables, beans, peas and lentils). If you train in the evenings, make sure you consume sufficient carbohydrate both at breakfast and lunchtime.
Carbohydrate drinks: For longer (60+ minutes) or more intense training sessions, you should consume 500-1000mls of a 6% carbohydrate drink (around 60 grams of carbohydrate per litre of water) each hour during training. This will help to reduce the extent of carbohydrate depletion during exercise.
Pre training snacks (1 hr before) – Eat something light 60 minutes or so prior to training. Light snacks could include:
banana is a great pre krav maga training snack
Banana: they are packed with potassium, which aids in maintaining nerve and muscle function. The body doesn’t store potassium for very long, so a medium banana before a class will help keep nutrient levels high.
Oats: Oats are full of fiber, which means they gradually release carbohydrates into your bloodstream. (But they’re not so full of fiber that they’ll cause gas.) This steady stream keeps your energy levels consistent during your workout. Oats also contain B vitamins, which help convert carbohydrates into energy. Help yourself to one cup at least 30 minutes before you begin exercising.
Wholegrain bread: A slice of wholegrain bread is a good source of carbohydrates. Consider spreading jam or honey for more fuel or sliced up hard-boiled eggs for high-quality protein. Add a couple slices of turkey, Try to eat about 30 grams of carbohydrates and 15 to 20 grams of protein.
Fruit and Yogurt: Fruit is high in carbohydrates and Greek yogurt is packed with high-quality protein. People tend to skip fruit and other foods that are high in carbs but protein doesn’t break down fast enough to become fuel for a workout. The carbs from fruit break down quickly and the protein is used later to prevent muscle damage.
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Krav Maga North Bristol
Krav Maga North Bristol is run by British Krav Maga Instructor Will Bayley. Krav Maga North Bristol offers regular Krav Maga classes in the Patchway/Little Stoke area.
Krav Maga North Bristol Instructor
The Instructor for Krav Maga North Bristol is Will Bayley. Will is a full time, professional Krav Maga Instructor offer recognised Krav Maga classes and courses in North Bristol.
Class/Location – Patchway Community Centre, North Bristol
Service offered – Classes, Seminars and Personal Training
BKMA Certifications:
– Graduate Instructor
– Adrenalised Training Coach
– SIA Licensed Close Protection Officer
Tel: 07866417618
Email: kravmagaswindon@gmail.com
Krav Maga North Bristol Training Ethos
At Krav Maga North Bristol, we’re focused on reality-based training. This means hard sessions, sweat and exertion, effort and grit. But it doesn’t mean only the fit or the very experienced can train. We welcome beginners of all ages and abilities. It’s professional instruction all the way – you won’t get hurt or pushed past your limits. Bring effort, however, and you will get fighting fit, with rapid gains in conditioning, shape and ability. Krav Maga classes aren’t like other martial arts lessons. No belts or hierarchies. When the training gets tough, there’s no room for attitude and ego. Just encouragement and teamwork, people urging you on to achieve your best and challenge your limits.
Krav Maga North Bristol Instructor Bio
At Krav Maga North Bristol, you’ll learn authentic Krav Maga with Will Bayley, a martial artist with over a decade of teaching experience. A qualified bodyguard and adrenalised training coach, Will understands what it takes to keep your head and defend yourself on the street, but balances this understanding with a welcoming, inclusive teaching style where everyone can find a place to learn and challenge old fears or limitations. Will has experience coaching people of all abilities and has an outstanding reputation as an instructor totally committed to the development of his students.
Krav maga North Bristol – Class Location
Classes are held Monday and Thursday evenings
Krav Maga for weightloss
Krav Maga for Weightloss
There is an assumption that only only those who are already fit, can train in Krav Maga. Our research shows that in excess of 50% of new students describe them self as overweight or unfit and chose Krav Maga instead of the gym as a method of combining weightloss, health and self defence.
In this post we explore what Krav Maga offers those people.
Starting a new healthy lifestyle routine is hard for everyone, but it can be especially hard if you are overweight. Cultural emphasis on the body beautiful can make the gym or health club environment intimidating and putting together a program on your own can be both uncomfortable and confusing.
If you are overweight, exercise is vitally important to a healthy lifestyle. Workouts help you to lose weight, change the way you feel about yourself, boost your mood, improve your health, and make daily activities more comfortable. It even makes you better in bed …
Barriers to change
You need to be clear, a lifestyle change including exercise and healthy eating is required to lose and sustain weight loss. No gym membership, Krav Maga class, or any other type of exercise can compensate for poor diet and life style.
Once we understand that sustainable weightloss is a lifestyle problem, you can now begin to address the root causes. Exercise classes like Krav Maga can be part of the solution, however you need to understand that at least 70% of the problem is diet and we cant address that today.
A significant barrier facing people trying to lose weight, is the sheer volume of misinformation promoted by those with financial motives. Weightloss is a booming industry, people want your money and will sell you anything – whether it works or not. So we will keep this simple.
The following are commonly sold as weightloss methods. In simple terms the DONT WORK as effective ways to lose weight – despite the advertising…
The key to sustainable weightloss is whole lifestyle change and community support – community like that offered in Krav Maga class
Getting started in Krav Maga
So how do you get started? First, make sure that you are healthy enough for physical activity. This becomes more significant if you are over 45 years of age, potential health problems or have a BMI over 30. Visit your GP and ask if you are healthy and safe to commence a martial art (they probably wont know what Krav Maga is – so keep it simple).
A good instructor will advise to get a GP check up if you are very heavy and over 45 years, or if you have high blood pressure and are overweright.
Take a good honest look at your self – when was the last time you exercised. We don’t mean an exercise class, it could be a brisk walk or activity that makes you heart pump faster for at least 30 minutes and how many times a week do you do that.
Sports Nutrition for Krav Maga
Sports nutrition for Krav Maga – Pre training
We get a lot of questions about sports nutrition for Krav Maga. Today we are looking as pre training nutrition, things to eat in the hour before training.
Pre training nutrition
There are 2 popular but conflicting models of sports nutrition. One involves the consumption of carbohydrates to fuel athletic training, This is the most widely practiced model of nutrition. The second, a more radical approach is that of paleo nutrition which overlaps with the low carb, or ketogenic diet movement – eg Barry Sears Zone diet. This is becoming more popular and will be subject to a further article.
Pre training nutrition concerns the consumption of sufficient nutrients to power the body through a pre arranged conditioning session, without taking excessive supplies adding to fat storage. The good news is that it’s easier than it sounds. For now we will look at the more conventional sports model of carbohydrate ‘powered’ training.
Why is pre training nutrition important?
Training is powered by carbohydrate stored in large muscle groups of the body, and your liver. Carbohydrate is stored in the body in the form of glycogen. Glycogen is fast to access, easy for the body to metabolise in training but is in limited supply. Think of the fuel tank in your car. Like your fuel tank, storage is limited. Eat to much, and its stored as fat, not glycogen.
Glycogen is used to power muscular activity and stored in the liver and major muscles – however the supply is limited.
The objective of pre training nutrition is to have sufficient glycogen available to fuel training, or to top up carbs where where needed. Taking to much carbohydrate on board will leave you feeling sluggish and bloated – again not condusive to good training.
What happens if I dont eat enough before Krav Maga class
As your body becomes glycogen depleted, you begin a process called Catabolism [Catabolism] Maraton runners call this catabolic process ‘Hitting the wall’.
You body defaults to catabolism to continue powering your muscles during training, however catabolism is slower and less efficient the using glycogen to power physical activity. This leaves a ‘drag’ between supply and demand of energy for movement. The net result is exhaustion, reduced performance and eventually nausea and dizzyness.
Endurance athletes frequently train in a catabolic state as they are using repetitive, rythmic movement and typre 1 muscle fibre. Combat athletes like Kravists use more dynamic training for shorter periods that places more emphasise on type 2b muscle fibre and a mix of aerobic and anaerobic training.
Neither anerobic training, nor type 2b muscle fibre functions well without glycogen so the body grinds to an unpleasant halt. This issue becomes significant when training for longer than 90 minutes or so and it can become very pronounced when training for 6 hours or so at a Krav Maga Bootcamp or Grading.
How can I avoid ‘Hitting the wall’
Here are a few way to manage pre training nutrition to avoid this slump in performance.
Dietary carbohydrate – Ensure your daily diet provides an ample supply of carbohydrate at all times, with around 60% or more of calories from carbohydrates (unprocessed, whole grain breads, pasta and cereals, rice, corn, all types of fruits and vegetables, beans, peas and lentils). If you train in the evenings, make sure you consume sufficient carbohydrate both at breakfast and lunchtime.
Carbohydrate drinks: For longer (60+ minutes) or more intense training sessions, you should consume 500-1000mls of a 6% carbohydrate drink (around 60 grams of carbohydrate per litre of water) each hour during training. This will help to reduce the extent of carbohydrate depletion during exercise.
Pre training snacks (1 hr before) – Eat something light 60 minutes or so prior to training. Light snacks could include:
banana is a great pre krav maga training snack
Banana: they are packed with potassium, which aids in maintaining nerve and muscle function. The body doesn’t store potassium for very long, so a medium banana before a class will help keep nutrient levels high.
Oats: Oats are full of fiber, which means they gradually release carbohydrates into your bloodstream. (But they’re not so full of fiber that they’ll cause gas.) This steady stream keeps your energy levels consistent during your workout. Oats also contain B vitamins, which help convert carbohydrates into energy. Help yourself to one cup at least 30 minutes before you begin exercising.
Wholegrain bread: A slice of wholegrain bread is a good source of carbohydrates. Consider spreading jam or honey for more fuel or sliced up hard-boiled eggs for high-quality protein. Add a couple slices of turkey, Try to eat about 30 grams of carbohydrates and 15 to 20 grams of protein.
Fruit and Yogurt: Fruit is high in carbohydrates and Greek yogurt is packed with high-quality protein. People tend to skip fruit and other foods that are high in carbs but protein doesn’t break down fast enough to become fuel for a workout. The carbs from fruit break down quickly and the protein is used later to prevent muscle damage.
If you found this useful, you can subscribe to get more training hints and tips emailed right to your inbox.
Krav Maga Instructor Courses – what to look for
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Training Ethos
“If Training and Reality are different, then training is wrong.”
British Krav Maga Association has become the fastest growing Krav Maga Organisation in the UK. We run what is probably the most demanding Krav Maga Instructor course in Europe. We rejected some of what is taught by the existing orthodoxy in favor of more modern training practices.
Our Ethos
We believe Krav Maga training should remain a simple, aggressive and realistic survival system. Its not a martial art, it is a simple, aggressive personal protection system. Think Saturday night pub brawl – not Jackie Chan movies. This is what Krav Maga was designed for. There are few subtitles about repeatedly kneeing or kicking somebody in the groin – however the consistency of effect is undeniable. This is the core of Krav Maga. Simplicity – aggressive defence and undeniable realism.
As an association we reject the watering down of the system as can be seen in many of the larger commercial Krav Maga Organisations. As these organisations add more and more techniques to the curricula, the system becomes increasing like every other martial art and is a million miles from what made Krav Maga what it is.
Although many organisations stress the military roots of Krav Maga they have added so much to their curricula that the core of Krav Maga is lost amongst a mish mash of techniques. This is a million miles from the simple, effective training found at the roots of Krav Maga or in the Israeli Defence Forces.
This may be great for business. More techniques means more lessons, more gradings, more seminars and of course more money.
We reject this commercialisation of Krav Maga. Krav Maga training should be a tough, realistic,and a true fighting system. Techniques taught should be simple, versatile and forgiving of error.
So who are we and what do we do…
Who we are.
The British Krav Maga Association is an Association of Krav Maga schools that are committed to a set of shared training ideals. We provide a high standard of professional training under the supervision of carefully selected and well trained Instructors. The system we teach is logical, intuitive and continually evolving.
An open approach to training
The BKMA encourages the open exchange of training and learning. We encourage members to develop an ethos of rigorous, open minded training and continued personal development. This applies to students, instructors and the Association as an entity.
Continual development
Krav Maga is a dynamic, evolving self protection system. Its not a martial art. It should not be time locked. Krav Maga should evolve in the face of any better information or training methods. The system should be focused on the survival of the individual – not obsessed with Organisational politics or the ego of an instructor.
As an Association we are committed to continue to –
*Evolve and not to be bound by someone else’s opinion of what Krav Maga should be.
*Review and up date our curricula in the face of research, common sense, better practice or changing threats.
*Evolve Krav Maga training methods if safer, easier or more efficient training methods are found.
*Recognising that when training and reality differ – training is wrong.
The Founder
The British Krav Maga Association was founded by Paul Grey, a life long martial artist and professional Krav Maga Instructor. Paul heads up the Association but remains a perpetual beginner at heart – always learning and constantly mindful that we never know as much as we think we do
Krav Maga and Politics
In short, we don’t do them. We reject the assertion that any single Person or Organisation ‘owns’ Krav Maga. Imi (the founder) chose not to name a successor. He actively encouraged different organisations to flourish during his lifetime. Since his death no fewer than 8 people have proclaimed themselves his successor. We are happy to train with or learn from good Krav Maga practitioners – regardless of what badge or logo they wear.
Krav Maga and Middle Eastern politics
Again we don’t do them. We are a British organisation teaching an Israeli combat system. We welcome people of all races, creeds and religions.