Low Carb Vs High Carb Diet for BJJ Athletes
Table of Contents
1.1 . Basis of the Low Carb Vs. High-carb Diet
2.1. What happens when athletes go to “Low” Carb?
2.3 Carbohydrates and Calories Counts
2.4. Theory behind the carbohydrate intake
3.1 Effect of carbs on the body of BJJ Athlete
4.1. Ideal Nutrients for Athletes
4.2. Best carbs for BJJ Athlete Endurance
Carbs or carbohydrates refer to one of the three macronutrients. The primary, purpose of carbs is to provide fuel to our bodies.
Most of the carbohydrates break down and turn into glucose; used as a form of energy. The rest of them are stored and turned into fat for later use.
Glycogen (a product we get from carbs breakdown) is utilized during physical training. Endurance sessions or activities like running, and swimming require more carbs than weightlifting or BJJ training.
Holland & Barrett nutritionist Alex Thompson explains that a low-carbohydrate diet means eating no more than five to ten percent of carbohydrates in a day. It induces a metabolic state that burns fats for energy in place of carbs of carbs.
Low carb method can be effective to lose weight quickly. However, long-term benefits could not be achieved.
On the other end of the scale, High Carb means taking the enlarged amount of carbohydrates in your diet. Usually, carbs are increased up to 70% of the overall diet but with a lower amount of fat and protein.
Can you practice BJJ without the intake of Carbs? More importantly, the question arises why do you want to cut off the supply of carbs to your body?
Especially when the practitioners require more energy and endurance in the performance.
When training something as demanding as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, does it make sense to stop the intake of carbs?
Carbs are transformed into glucose that is later used for energy. All the excess carbohydrates are stored in the liver or muscles. The bottom line is that carbs help to increase the endurance, and strength of BJJ athletes to perform better. Eating the carbs neither creates obesity nor affects your body negatively.
The key component of human performance is diet. A low-carb diet goes by turning the fat metabolism into a primary source of energy. The grapplers have to understand that if you decide to perform with a low carb, they have to significantly increase the amount of fat in your diet. The fewer the carbs the more the fat. The main trouble in any low-carb diet is sustainability.
To achieve certain goals you have to focus on tools, here diet acts as a tool that manifests the ways of better performance. A BJJ grappler’s high-carb protein diet is essential for boosting the muscles during resistance training sessions. Performing at the higher level requires 65% of your maximal efforts for durations of 90 to 180 seconds. At high intensities, high-carb diets work wonders to achieve the desired outcome.
Consistently the study shows that, on average low-fat and low-carb diets produce similar amounts of weight loss.
The mixed meals boost the metabolism more than the meals that leave out one of the three macronutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrates).
Fat utilization is highest during low-intensity aerobic exercises for instance running, cycling, and swimming sessions.
As the pace or speed of the training increases; the athlete relies on carbohydrate metabolism to fuel their performance.
When and how to use the carb is important, is it good for the BJJ athlete to take the carb before or after the endurance session?
Let’s get to know about the facts and effects of Carb Intake:
Glycogen is a product that comes from the breakdown of carbohydrates. The amount of glycogen used in the body depends on the intensity of the training session.
Conditioning aerobics requires more carbs than usual; for instance, if a practitioner is doing weight lifting to enhance their performance he/ she requires more carbs in the diet.
A rough estimate of carbohydrates is required after every training session. The easy way of estimation is that the amount of carbs can be calculated with the weight of an athlete.
For that purpose divide the body weight by 2 then you will get the amount of carbs that BJJ athletes should take. If an athlete’s weight is 180 pounds he should take approximately 90g of carbs after a training session.
More importantly, the element that needs to be taken with attention is the Glycaemic Index (GI). There are two types of GI
High GI carbs (white bread, potatoes, and pasta)
Low GI carbs (whole grains, beans, and non-starchy vegetables)
Carbs with High GI become part of the body in less time while on the contrary Low GI carbs take more time to dissolve.
In all probability, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is a great way to improve overall health and wellness. But if your training is not supported, by a nutritious diet plan then BJJ cannot provide you with any health benefits.
Moreover, BJJ might damage your health if you are not taking proper nutrients. To achieve this aim athletes ought to follow a nutritious diet plan if they want endurance in performance.
The main source of energy for our brain and body is carbohydrates. If the diet contains enough carbohydrates; the performance as well as recovery will be ruined.
The BJJ athletes should focus on the intake of the nutrients that help in the digestion of food. Food that contains carbs is rich in minerals, antioxidants, and vitamins. These food essentials cannot be gained without eating carbs. To gain the muscle’s endurance, the body should have an adequate amount of stored glycogen.
Moreover, a diet low in carbs will decrease; muscle potential and aggravate the BJJ athlete’s performance on the mat.
You can incur unwanted weight gain if you consume too many carbs in your diet, which gives way to blood sugar issues and a long list of chronic ailments.
On the other side, if you eat a little, you could feel hormonal imbalance, rapid weight loss, dizziness, and major drops in athletic performance.
To figure out this conundrum, intake recommendation is entirely inadequate, as one person high carb can be another person low carb.
The right intake of carbs and the other queries of how and when create a wider difference in the performance of BJJ athletes. Eating the appropriate amount of this macronutrient can open up the way to achieve good health, natural leanness, and physical strength.
Grab the list of healthy carbs for strength and endurance; that add fuel to the performance of athletes. The beneficial nutrients are attained like fiber, antioxidants vitamins, and minerals. It signifies that this type of carbs not only provides energy; but also keeps the function of the body well maintained.
The following food items can be added to the BJJ diet:
If you want to get perfection in grappling and submissions then it is mandatory to follow a set of diet plans that aim to build your physique. Hence, gives way to the endurance and strength of BJJ athletes.
You will get motivated by the notable changes that carbs bring into your body. So you need to be mindful when planning your meals as low carbs leave you fatigued, and high carbs provide you energy and fiber.
