How to have energy during a game

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Subject: Re: I need some ENERGY before a game
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2002 12:43:44 -0600
From: Ed Arias


whoa...you could hold an entire semester course on this subject...there are
MANY variables. But if you wnt to keep it simple...

carbo-load day before, carbo meal 3 hr before, gatorade/water (I'd recommend
water) up to 30 min before...nothing but water between 30min and exercise
(IHI exercise like rball)...gatorade during exercise...carbo meal within 1-2
hr post-exercise.

the key here is maintaining your muscle glycogen levels...and there actually
is NOT a lot of research on IHI (intermittent high intensity
exercise)...mainly endurance stuff. Endurance stuff and IHI use different
fuel pools...fatty acids (more aerobic) are the fuel of choice for endurance
athletes...and glucose/glycogen is the fuel of IHI athletes. But there is
always a grey zone also...just cause your doing IHI doesn't mean you're not
burning FAs and vice versa.

IHI exercise draws fuel from muscle glycogen...so the key is to not deplete
muscle glycogen. But also...when you start exercise, you don't want to be
making glycogen...you want to activate the opposite enzymes which breakdown
glycogen...so for that 30 min period pre-exercise...no high glycemic "foods"
like Gatorade (6% sugar)...I think they now have a low sugar (1-2%) glucose
drink which may work well...or just drink water.

Once you start playing...your muscle glycogen starts to drop...exercise also
gets the muscles to bring in more blood sugar...your blood sugar drops...the
pancreas and liver kick in to maintain your blood sugar...sugar is coming
from liver glycogen being broken down and secreted into the blood. So
you're in this cycle...but ultimately, you're liver will run out of sugar
(very limited) and the muscles will still be craving sugar and suck it out
of your blood...and you'll fatigue. SO...DURING exercise, you can suck down
all the Gatorade you want...muscle glycogen will still be the fuel of choice
but now by ingesting sugar WHILE you're exercising, you will slow down the
loss of muscle glygogen...from blood sugar coming in and getting synthesized
to new glycogen as well as a small amount being used directly as fuel...the
liver can now hold off losing it's glycogen. You stay well hydrated during
exercise (which is very hard to do unconsciously...you have to force
yourself to make sure you keep drinking fluids), and you should be able to
go longer and a higher intensity.

The MAIN POINT - MUSCLE GLYCOGEN. Starting with a lot and maintaining it
throughout and replenishing it immediately after.

Sorry for the "long" seminar...but this is over simplified...REALLY.

Practical recommendations:

Day before exercise - carbo meal
3-4 hr before exercise - carbo meal
3 h - 30 min before exercise - gatorade/water
30 min before exercise - water (or very low sugar water...you don't want to
spark an insulin response right now)
during exercise - Gatorade throughout
30 min-2 h post exercise - carbo meal (if you'll be playing again in 3-4
hrs)...or else a protein meal for repair. After the competition...protein
meal for repair...beer has protein...but you'll need a lot of it ;-)

Don't worry about fat...a competitive rballer doesn't use much during
exercise...some IS used but is not significant.

--
your friendly neighborhood...Spiderman

ProRacquetball.Net
Official Videographers of the IRT/LPRA
Official Video site of the Hilton U.S. Open

https://www.proracquetball.net

- - - - - - -

"JL" wrote in message

> Hi There
>
> What should I eat or drink and how long before a game to give me LOTS of
> energy. Some people are saying that a softdrink - Coke - is good to have
> before a game.
>
> How abt an energy bar? How abt Gatorade?
>
> Jacques

>
>
>

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Subject: Re: Low carb diet and rball
Date: Mon, 01 Apr 2002 05:43:15 GMT
From: "Ed."


Anyway...concerning the carb question. There are techniques for maximum
glycogen supercompensation...that means...if you eat a total carb meal, you
will load up your glycogen stores in your muscles...but if you deplete your
glycogen and then carb-load, you will over-load your glycogen stores. But
you guys already know this...but the thing is, the old school thought you
had to REALLY max out your glycogen stores to deplete...in other words maybe
training 80+% VO2max for 3-4 days in the week before the competition and
eating just protein/fats...this gives you a certain degree of depletion
which you can supercompensate-recover. But recent studies have modified
this training scheme to just 60-70% VO2max and low carbs...then eat the
carbs a day or two before the competition (with light training).

But THIS is really just for ELITE players...I don't really think it makes a
difference for regular competitive players such as myself. For example...I
played in a tourney last weekend...I played 35+OPEN and Open Doubles. It
was a small draw so I had a total of 3 matches on Saturday and 2 on Sunday.
Saturday I had an easy doubles match (won as planned), a hard singles match
(won in an upset) and a hard doubles match (lost). But my hardest match was
the singles semi on Sunday...I lost 11-9 in the tiebreaker against a very
competivite state/national player...and I had just finished a hard doubles
match (won) immediately before the singles match.

Interestingly, I'm really not in very good shape and don't currrently have
very good stamina...but I'm very good at pacing myself and calling strategic
time-outs. I really didn't tired the entire weekend until the final doubles
match (won :).

So what did I do...not much! One thing I didn't do was drink beer...sorry
;-) I had 1 beer the whole weekend. I also ate a pasta dinner on Friday
night and Saturday night...and really just sugar (cookies) most of
Saturday...and stayed well hydrated with gatorade. These were the most
important things...keeping hydrated, loading a bit with pasta the night
before, and eating sugar immediately after a match (I didn't have time after
my first doubles match on Saturday before I played Evers but I still felt
pretty good. AND I really don't have time to train anymore...I did get
*1*-2hour practice session in that week but that's it!

So really...stay away from alcohol, pre-load with carbs and MOST
IMPORTANTLY...keep well-hydrated and eat sugar right after a match (if 1-2
hrs before next match). It works.

Ed.

--

ProRacquetball.Net
Official Videographers of the IRT/LPRA
Official Video site of the Hilton U.S. Open

https://www.proracquetball.net/


This situation can be extrapolated to 2 different matches a few hours apart.

Situation 1: You're a good player and you play a marathon against another
good player. The match mainly depends on skill but there's always that
stamina issue...but the outcome depended on say 75% skill and 25% stamina.
Then you finish...drink some water but don't want to eat anything. You're
muscles are craving sugar to rebuild the glycogen so they'll pull out as
much as they can from the blood...the blood is tightly regulated so the
liver cranks out whatever reserves it has...you are FEELING OK. You play
your second match and withing 10 minutes your out of fuel...now the rest of
the match depends on how well your stamina can hold out...it's now 25%
dependent on skill and 75% dependent on stamina...you're basically up
against the ropes trying to just stay in it. Latter you may curse yourself
that you need to train more...but it really wasn't a training problem.

Situation 2: During the first match, you've kept yourself well hydrated
with gatorade or powerade ...the glucose in the gatorade is helping spare
the glycogen a little, the liver isn't being taxed, you've got plenty of
fluids in your system and sodium. It was a war...but right after you down a
powerbar or two, or a candy bar or oreo cookies or even jelly beans. I
usually go for the cookies or power bars if I have planned ahead. You keep
drinking fluids...not too much all at once but consistently...maybe do some
stretching/massage. You probably FEEL THE SAME as in situation 1 and plus
you may feel a little full...but your match is 2-3 hours away...after the
first hour I still might down a few more cookies but most right after the
first match. The second match starts and it's much like match 1...a war but
you've got gas in the tank....75% skill and 25% stamina...staying
well-hydrated continues to spare glycogen and the match ultimately depends
on how well you played and not how tired you got.

Racquetball is a skill sport...easy to learn, hard to perfect. For the most
part, you will win if you hit better shots than the other guy...if the other
guy turns out to be Jason Mannino or Cliff or Elli or Suds and dives to get
all your shots cause they are in incredible physical shape then you're in
trouble ;-)

But even the pros win and lose on 75% skill and 25% stamina...all the top
pros are in top physical shape so the stamina factor is more or less even
(which is saying a lot if you ever watch them go at it :)

Ed Arias

the receiver have the right to see the ball leave the racquet and hit the front wall on the serve. The way I read the rules, I say no. Only on the rebound, provided he, or she, has "good" court postion. Thanks in advance.

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