Tennis players often ask if carb loading before a match is something they should do.
Here’s a question submitted by one of our subscribers who gave us permission to post it:
“I have a match scheduled for 10:30am. I usually play in the afternoon or evening and therefore have plenty of time to make sure I’ve been properly hydrated and energized.
I’m not worried about hydrating, but I’m really not sure when to eat to make sure I don’t feel weak on the court that morning.
Should I eat a high carbohydrate meal like pasta the night before? I understand that it takes 6 hours for the body to convert complex carbohydrates into useful glycogen, so I don’t want to get up at 4am just to eat. I’m really struggling with the right approach. Can you help me?”
Here is our answer:
Although many people believe the opposite to be true, it is extremely important for everyone to understand that “carb loading” is not really the answer to continuous energy on the tennis court.
Carbs, particularly starchy carbs, are very important, but you also need some protein and some vegetables (which are the colorful carbs). The inclusion of protein before a match ensures a faster and more complete recovery from the match (assuming you are eating adequately after the match) and the inclusion of vegetables, raw and/or cooked, is recommended as they contain nutrients that are necessary for convert starches into energy.
I have worked with players who were convinced that pure carb loading was the answer, but were not yet performing at their best on the court. Imagine her surprise when her energy skyrocketed as a result of reducing her intake of starchy carbohydrates, as well as including protein and vegetables!
The previous night
All your meals should consist of about one-third (or slightly less) lean protein, one-third (or slightly less) starch, one-third (or slightly more) colorful vegetables, raw and/or cooked.
The night before a game, slightly increase the starch content. The ideal would be not to have a single type of starch but a variety.
We’re all familiar with pasta, bread, rice, and potatoes, but consider a (or any part of) sweet potato, bean mix, couscous, cooked parsnips, carrots, or any other root vegetable. The greater your variety of starches, the more nutrients there are in them. All these nutrients (vitamins and minerals) help in the process of energy production, as well as recovery (in case you need to play several games).
the morning of the game
Get up early enough to have a good breakfast and time to digest it. It’s best to try this on a training day and not a game day.
How long does it take you to digest food before you feel comfortable enough to run? For me that’s a good 3 hours, but for some of the youth players I work with, they can have a full meal and play right away! Of course, some of this will depend on what you eat.
Fatty foods like mackerel or salmon tend to be a bad idea for breakfast, as they can take longer to digest than less fatty foods. Eggs aren’t usually that much of a problem, but whatever you decide, remember that breakfast should consist of protein, starchy carbohydrates, and colorful carbohydrates in the form of vegetables or fruit.
Milk and yogurt aren’t as protein-dense as eggs, seafood, poultry, or meat, so if you decide to have porridge with milk and some chopped fruit, you may want to consider including a protein powder as part of it. of your food. Whey protein is my recommendation with nothing added, so pure whey, no sugars or sweeteners or any other additives.
If eating a full meal is not possible due to the time it takes to wake up and eat to digest properly, then have a whey protein drink and eat a piece of fruit.
Whichever breakfast you choose, 1/2 hour before the game have any part of a banana or any part of an energy bar (I say any part because some people do better to eat small amounts).
During the match
When you’re on the track, don’t just hydrate with water at every break, but take a bottle of isotonic (or homemade) drink with you, a banana or something sweet to snack on.
If you don’t start eating some form of glucose until you feel tired, it’s too late and your game will suffer, so start getting some glucose into you, even in trace amounts, within 1/2 hour to start your game. .
Is little and often better?
In general, eating smaller amounts more often is much better, you will never feel too full and your body will be constantly energized, so if you can, consider doing this:
The day before your game: Have 6 meals that are smaller but still contain protein, starchy carbs, and colorful carbs. This would mean eating every 3-4 hours (if you work in an office during the day, this may mean you carry multiple containers of your food with you. It can be a real hassle, but it works wonders for mental clarity and focus). Larger meals tend to make you sleepy, which is not good for tennis.
On the day of your game: Get up at 0600. Have half of your breakfast at 0630 and the other half at 0830. Half an hour before the game have a snack as recommended above. I’m going to say it again though… if this is totally new to you, give it a try first! Don’t do anything new before a match!
keep a journal
If you’re serious about performance enhancement and want to take that extra step to really individualize your eating plan, write down exactly what you ate, how much, and when, and then include how you felt right after, 1/2 hour later, 1 hour later and 3 hours later.
This is how you rate your mood, energy and mental clarity. No one ever remembers this information, so write it down. This way you can always look back to see what worked and what didn’t. If it didn’t work, you should be able to figure out why by looking at what you ate the past few hours.
Remember that you are biochemically unique: what works for someone else may not necessarily work for you. Only by keeping track will you be able to make subtle changes to your diet to achieve peak performance.
So use this information to help you get going in your matches and keep things running at a high level!