Karate places high physical demands on all the major muscle groups and is both an endurance and a dynamic activity, requiring high levels of stamina, suppleness and speed.

As we all know a typical class comprises of:-

A warm up – Intensity level - low.

Next the basics, static or moving, during which time you can lose a fair amount of fluid – Intensity level - medium to high.

Then kata training which mixes in every aspect of the training and requires a great deal of strength and stamina but also grace, balance and, unfortunately, memory. The effort put in to each kata should be such that you are breathless at the end, so it is very physically demanding. – Intensity level - medium to high.

Finishing off the training would be sparring – Intensity level - medium to high.

All in all, a very intense effort is put into every class you attend and therefore if you are serious about your training you will need to consider how to fuel and look after your body. Many of you will arrive at the dojo straight from work/studies without having had a drink or eaten properly, possibly also carrying niggling injuries. You will then expect to push yourself to your limits to get the most out of the class.

From personal experience this can, in worse case scenarios, lead to serious illness and an inability to train at all for many months/years. So, my view is, look after yourself properly – eat/drink the right things and don’t neglect the niggling aches and pains – see a masseur, chiropractor, osteopath etc to maintain your physical, and therefore mental, condition.

In my previous ‘hobby’ of cycling I have seen the benefits of maintaining your body properly. Working as a masseur with the Great Britain team or a professional team my role was not simply to massage the riders every day; it also involved ensuring that their nutrition was correct. There are many products on the market but, in my view, the Science in Sport range (www.scienceinsport.com) is the most complete and comprehensive - offering energy drinks, bars and gels to maintain your body's need and therefore improve performance.

Why Sports Nutrition?

Whether it’s for performance or plain fun, there is no doubt that correctly formulated sports drinks and bars can help you get more from your karate.

Nutritional supplements can greatly increase performance at tournaments and gradings

Advances in technology mean that it has never been easier to keep dehydration at bay whilst providing the carbohydrate energy your body needs if you are to get the most from a days’ activity. A 2% loss in body weight due to dehydration can reduce performance by more than 10%, lose much more than that and unconsciousness will result. Run out of carbohydrates and you will have to reduce your power by 50% - if this happens in competition then the chances are you have lost. If it happens in training, not only have you made that session much less enjoyable, but you have probably reduced the effectiveness of that work out and possibly the next.

Nutrition for Performance

Body Fuel
The body provides energy by burning fats, carbohydrates and some proteins. Carbohydrate has a much lower oxygen cost than fat, so more energy can be produced with a given amount of oxygen using carbohydrate as a fuel rather than fat, i.e. you can go faster and further per breath!

The efficient use of fat is also dependent upon the availability of carbohydrate. It is often said that "fat burns in the flame of carbohydrate". The rate of energy production from aerobic use of carbohydrate is 50 to 100% greater than the rate of energy production from the aerobic use of fat alone. Carbohydrate can also be used to provide anaerobic energy for ‘sprint’ efforts.

Fat is a very efficient store of energy, for instance, scientists have deduced that the fat stores of an average man could provide enough energy to fuel about 3.5 days running at marathon pace, so you are unlikely to run out of fat even in the longest race.

Endurance Performance
There have been many studies which have shown that endurance performance correlates with carbohydrate stores (muscle glycogen), and that fatigue occurs when these stores are used up. Most cyclists/runners are aware of glycogen depletion and describe it as "hunger knock" or "hitting the wall". Since it is impossible to burn fat anaerobically, workouts of high intensity deplete the body of carbohydrate rapidly. It is possible to deplete carbohydrate stores with as little as 20 minutes of interval training. So carbohydrate is important for power as well as endurance athletes. This is why it is important to have a diet that is high in complex carbohydrate and why many athletes have adopted the strategy of carbohydrate loading. Recent work has shown that it is possible for trained athletes to achieve an increased carbohydrate store by tapering training and eating carbohydrate in the days preceding competition. The only major problem with this is physically eating the required quantity of carbohydrate, which is usually more than that with which the athlete feels comfortable, 600g per 24 hours e.g. 3 kg of potatoes! Specific sports energy products have been devised as a more palatable way of ingesting the required amount of calories without eating too much fat or protein.

Top Tips

Plan a nutritional strategy well before your training.

It's always worth having an extra energy gel with you just in case.

Add a night time protein recovery drink to your nutrition for periods of heavy training - it will aid “good quality sleep” and optimize muscle repair and the metabolic/hormonal environment to improve the adaptation to exercise during good quality sleep.

Note - Sleep is a common problem in the general population, and more so in athletes because of their training intensity. Poor quality sleep has serious implications for general health as well as athletic performance. Lack of sleep or poor quality sleep can reduce cardio-vascular performance by 11% and slow glucose metabolism by 30-40%, and increase appetite. Induced cravings for inappropriate foods causes weight gain and other wide ranging implications for athletes. Your body will naturally adapt and recover from exercise and the rigours of the day when you sleep.

Keep your drinking bottles clean - rinse them out after each use and use a sterilizer tablet (Milton’s etc) periodically to avoid problems from a build up unmixed powder, germs etc.

Try making up your bottles in advance and keeping them in a fridge or cooler.

In very hot conditions, try freezing your bottle and drinking the cool drink as it thaws – this can help to keep down your bodies core temperature.

For a special treat, mix your recovery drink up in a blender with frozen fruit. (Ice cubes also work well, but don't add milk as this will slow the absorption down).

Think quality in all your food choices.

Competition nutrition advice and tips

It is not uncommon to see athletes ruin months of physical and mental preparation by failing to consider their nutritional needs for competition, even to the extent of relying on the catering at the event where often you will be lucky to get a decent burger.

After hours of hard training sessions you are well prepared and determined for your next tournament. You’re feeling great and are in tip top form. You’ve obviously been doing a lot of things right.

However, tournament has a different set of challenges - hours will be spent in a hot/dry sports hall, and you will need to cope with the physical and mental stresses of rounds and possibly finals.

There are 3 main factors to consider when planning your nutritional strategy for competition:

1. Energy Provision
Tournaments are heavily dependent upon the carbohydrate energy system. If you are to perform at your best you will need to ensure that your nutrition contains adequate amounts of carbohydrate energy to fully replace your muscle glycogen stores.

2. Hydration
It is well documented that dehydration will cause performance to fall. Dehydration can be a major factor in tournaments because of the nature of the indoor environment.

3. Maintaining a familiar nutrition programme
It’s best to check whether food will be available at the venue before you get there rather than find out they have nothing you like when you arrive. Better still make sure you have taken enough food yourself so you know what you will be eating. Sports nutrition bars can be especially useful to provide a nutritious high energy snack that is easily carried in your kit bag. There is no doubt that the competitors who look after their fluid and energy needs will be at a major advantage over those who take less care about what and how much they drink. Sports halls tend to be very hot and humid at the best of times, by the time you’ve packed in all the competitors and spectators the temperatures soar, and sweat rates are likely to be far above normal - an electrolyte fluid replacement drink, such as ‘SiS Go’ is ideal.

Advice: Have a drinks bottle with you at all times. You’ll be doing yourself a favour even its just water.

CAUTION: Be careful about drinking too much tea, coffee, cola’s, or other drinks with caffeine in as this has a diuretic effect and can make matters worse. Keep your carbohydrate energy levels high. Maintaining optimum glycogen levels is the key to maintaining optimum performance.

Massage

	Massage does so much more than simply make you go ahhhhh

Sports massage should play an important part in the life of any sportsman or woman whether they are injured or not. Massage has a number of benefits - physical, physiological and psychological.

Physical effects of sports massage are:
Maintain the body generally in better condition
Prevent injuries and loss of mobility
Cure and restore mobility to injured muscle tissue
Boost performance
Extend the overall life of your sporting career.

Physiological effects of sports massage are:
Pain reduction - Tension and waste products in muscles can often cause pain. Massage helps reduce this in many ways including releasing the body’s endorphins.
Relaxation - Muscles relax through heat generated, circulation and stretching. Mechanoreceptors which sense touch, pressure, tissue length and warmth are stimulated causing a reflex relaxation.

Psychological effects of massage are:
Anxiety reduction - through the effects mentioned above relaxation is induced and so reduces anxiety levels.

Invigorating - if massage is done with brisk movements such as what would be done before an event then this can produces an invigorating feeling.

Chiropractic

You will often feel instant improvement after visiting a chiropractor

Chiropractic is a primary health-care profession that specialises in the diagnosis, treatment and overall management of conditions that are due to problems with the joints, ligaments, muscles, tendons and nerves of the body, particularly those of the spine. Treatment consists of a wide range of manipulative and muscle energy techniques, ultrasound, medical acupuncture and exercise rehabilitation designed to improve the function of the joints, relieving pain and muscle spasm and ultimately reduce re-injury and improve performance.

The journey to black belt and beyond is as much about keeping an open mind as it is about training. Look beyond the ancient traditions – come into the 21st century with your approach and reap the rewards. The more you look after your body the more you will be able to achieve from your karate - both personally and in competition.

Glossary of Terms

Aerobic exercise refers to exercise which is of moderate intensity, undertaken for a long duration. Aerobic means "with oxygen", and refers to the use of oxygen in a muscle's energy-generating process. Many types of exercise are aerobic, and by definition are performed at moderate levels of intensity for extended periods of time.

An effective aerobic exercise should involve 5-10 minutes of warming up at an intensity of 50-60% of maximum heart rate, followed by at least 20 minutes of exercise at an intensity of 70-80% of maximum heart rate, ending with 5-10 minutes of cooling down at an intensity of 50-60% of maximum heart rate.

Anaerobic exercise (”without oxygen”) is typically used by athletes in non-endurance sports/sprint events to build power and by body builders to build muscle mass. Muscles that are trained under anaerobic conditions develop biologically energy needed for prolonged exercise.

There are two types of anaerobic energy system, the ATP-PCr energy system, which uses creatine phosphate as the main energy source, and the lactic-acid (or anaerobic glycolysis) system that uses glucose (or glycogen) in the absence of oxygen. The latter is an inefficient use of glucose and produces by-products that are thought to be detrimental to muscle function. The lactic-acid system is the dominant energy system during high to maximal intensity exercise over short durations (up to about 1 min), but the lactic acid system can still provide a proportion of the required energy during aerobic exercise, as the body has the capacity to get rid of the anaerobic by-products at a certain rate. The efficiency of by-product removal by muscles can improve through training.

Interval training is broadly defined as repetitions of high-speed/intensity work followed by periods of rest or low activity.

Interval training is a favorite of coaches because of its effectiveness in cardiovascular buildup and also its ability to make more well-rounded sportsmen/women. More generally, it can refer to any cardiovascular workout (e.g. stationary biking, running, rowing, etc.) that involves brief bouts at near-maximum exertion interspersed with periods of lower-intensity activity. One popular workout that incorporates this methodology is so-called "walk-back sprinting," in which one sprints a short distance (anywhere from 100 to 800 meters), then changes directions and walks back to the starting point (the recovery period) to do it again. To add challenge to the workout, each of these sprints may start at a predetermined time interval, e.g. 200M sprint, walk back, and sprint again every 3 minutes. The time interval provides just enough recovery.

It is believed by many in the fitness industry that this method of training is more effective at inducing fat loss than simply training at a moderate intensity level for the same duration. This has been confirmed in at least two studies.

The Swedes came up with a term for this type of training: Fartlek, which means speed play. Not only is it an efficient training method, Fartlek training can help you avoid injuries that often accompany non-stop, repetitive activity, and provides the opportunity to increase your intensity without burning yourself out in a matter of minutes.

Complex carbohydrates are high-fibre foods, which improve your digestion. They help stabilize the blood sugar, keep your energy at an even level, and help you feel satisfied longer after your meal.

In contrast, sugar and other simple carbohydrates can alter your mood, lead to cravings and compulsive eating, cause wide swings in your blood-sugar levels, and cause weight gain in most people. In addition, a high consumption of sugar can lead to uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms when you finally decide to improve your diet and forgo the sweets.

Examples of simple and complex carbohydrates

The healthiest foods are high in fibre, and contain complex carbohydrates along with many other vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. They will also contain other nutrients, such as protein and fats, in moderation. These foods will not be highly refined.

Some examples of healthy foods containing, complex carbohydrates are:

Spinach	Whole Barley	Grapefruit
Turnip Greens	Buckwheat	Apples
Lettuce	Buckwheat bread	Prunes
Water Cress	Oat bran bread	Apricots, Dried
Zucchini	Oatmeal	Pears
Asparagus	Oat bran cereal	Plums
Artichokes	Muesli	Strawberries
Okra	Wild rice	Oranges
Cabbage	Brown rice	Yams
Celery	Multi-grain bread	Carrots
Cucumbers	Whole meal spelt bread	Potatoes
Dill Pickles	Skim milk	Soybeans
Radishes	Yogurt, low fat	Lentils
Broccoli	Split peas	Soy milk
Brussel sprouts	Tomatoes	Kidney beans
Cauliflower	Onions

                   

Simple carbohydrates are more refined, are usually found in foods with fewer nutrients, and tend to be less satisfying and more fattening.

Some examples of foods containing simple carbohydrates are:

Table sugar
Corn syrup
Fruit juice
Sweets
Cake
Bread made with white flour
Pasta made with white flour
Fizzy drinks, such as Coke®, Pepsi®, Mountain Dew®, etc.
All baked goods made with white flour
Most packaged cereals

Tapering is a phase in a training programme where the training performed is reduced. It usually occurs after a period of hard/overload training or just before a major competition/grading.

The general principle for tapering is similar for all sports although some events do require longer than others, for example, in athletics:-

The marathon may require the athlete to taper, or decrease the mileage in their training programme, 2-4 weeks before an event. This allows the muscles time to fully recover from the heavy slog of a marathon training programme.

Middle to long distance events requires less of a taper, but short intense events (like weight-lifting and sprinting) need longer tapering periods. This is because the fatigue associated with strength or speed training takes longer to subside when training is reduced.

American research reveals a lot more than that. A review of 50 studies on tapering published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise shows that levels of muscle glycogen, enzymes, antioxidants, and hormones--all depleted by high mileage--return to optimal ranges during a taper. The muscle damage that occurs during sustained training is also repaired. And if that isn't enough, immune function and muscle strength improve, as well, which reduces the odds you'll catch a cold or get injured just before the race. And get this: The average performance improvement by the subjects who tapered in these studies was 3 percent. That works out to 5 to 10 minutes in a marathon.

The review's main conclusion: "The primary aim of the taper should be to minimize accumulated fatigue, rather than to attain additional physiological adaptations or fitness gains." In other words, it's time to chill.

Gels are basically liquid, fat-free carbohydrates which are absorbed faster and so release energy sooner. They range from thin liquids to thick, gooey sludges - usually packaged in foil envelopes. Most must he taken with plenty of water, although isotonic versions (eg SiS Go-Gel) have water already added.

Diuretic is something that elevates the rate of bodily urine excretion (diuresis). There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics increase the excretion of water from the body, although each class of diuretic does so in a distinct way.


This article has been written by guest contributor Steve Ellis. Steve has been a dietician/nutritionalist and masseur to the British cycling team, and is a sensei in Essex.