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Parkour Diet
A well-optimized parkour diet can take your performance to the next level and can cut your practice efforts to half. Parkour Running is an anaerobic activity combined with sub-maximal aerobics. It requires some extreme power to perform the various maneuvers within a quick span of time. Thus, the runners or trainees have to generate high-intensity muscular force continuously that supports a rapid series of body movements. Such brute force is impossible in the absence of a nutritious parkour diet.
To achieve and maintain all the necessary endurance, energy, and muscle strength that the Parkour game demands, you, as a trainee, have to follow a nutrition plan that involves core micro-nutrients and macro nutrients. Moreover, the timing does matter, and you should not eat randomly. Let me guide you through this all:
Before we begin its important to announce that you need to be properly prepared before you start training for parkour. I recommend a good pair of shoes, and quality freerunning gloves to keep your hands safe!
The Core Nutrients Of A Good Parkour Diet
The human body is a versatile machine that requires proper maintenance and fuel to work and perform smoothly and these energy fuels are macronutrients and micronutrients. Let’s explore them:
Macronutrients
These are the four necessary nutrients to keep the body pumped. These are Carbohydrates (carbs), Protein, Fat, and Water. Let me explain them all:
- Carbs: It contains glucose that breaks itself and turn into energy for the body. Besides, the human body converts glucose into glycogen and stores it in the liver. The liver converts it back to the glucose at the time body demands for it.
- Proteins: It is care-taker for the muscles. It helps to rebuild the muscles, creates red blood cells, and maintains a healthy hormonal balance in the body. The Traceurs go through some hard training that breaks their muscles and they sore. Protein comes here as a savior and revamps the muscles up.
- Fats: It is a common belief that the Fat increases the body weight and a Parkour should not intake any food that contains fat. But I advise against the fact. During the high-intensity activities, the body burns fat and turns it into energy. You must include some healthy fat in your daily diet.
- Water: Basically, water is not a macronutrient, but I could not help mentioning it as it’s as essential as other three. It keeps your body hydrated thus saves your body from muscle cramps. Not only this, It is the water that helps to distribute the Micro and Macro Nutrients throughout the body.
Micronutrients
These are the vital vitamins and minerals that the body needs to perform its essential functions such as hormones production and maintaining good nervous system health. The major names include Iron, Zinc, Copper, Chromium, and Iodine. Zinc is good for traceurs as it helps heal injuries and provides energy. Iodine is available in table salts, copper can be gained by consuming nuts, and Iron can be found in leafy vegetables, legumes, and a whole wheat bread. Iron conjuncts with the copper to provide great energy to the body. Chromium can be found in peas, potatoes and rye bread.
The Practical Parkour Diet Guide: What Exactly You Should Ingest?
There are three critical time durations when a trainee should optimize his dietary intake. What are the important timings and what exactly should be the part of the meal? I lay down everything here:
Before The Training
It’s ideal to take a meal 1-4 hours before the actual training moment. That is an enough timespan so as the body digest and consume the energy from the food and the metabolism is back to its normal functioning. It will improve your performance.
This pre-training meal should be rich in carbs. It should also contain proteins, fats, and fibers but in a small percentage and the majority of the intake should include Carbs. Adding further to this, keep the food intake in low quantity as eating in excess can cause stomach pain during the training.
Around half an hour post your meal drink plenty of water. Do not mistake to drink water with the food as it dilutes the digestive acids and makes the digestion process harder and longer.
During The Training
If your training lasts for more than 60 minutes, then you should add some snack to support the body. Carbs are recommended at first as they provide glucose to the body that increases the performance. The 30-60 grams of carbs are considered per hour of training, and you must take into account Raisins for the sake.
Besides, drink small sips of water after every 10 minutes even if you are not thirsty. It increases your performance and keeps you hydrated. But make sure not to intake too much water as it upsets the stomach and makes it prone to Hyponatremia (lack of sodium in bloodstream). Notice how much you sweat and drink accordingly.
After The Training
Once the training is over, your muscles feel exploded, and body feels down. Before you crouch in bed, make sure to re-energize your body with essential nutrients:
- Gulp some glasses of water to recover the fluid. It is even better if you can intake some fresh fruit juices.
- Rebuild the muscles with power shakes. The body absorbs nutrients quickly if they are in liquid form. So, inhaling a glass of fruit shake containing proteins and carbs can renew the muscle strength and help them grow. Power shake is not a supplement or gross processed powder but is a blending of different fruits. You can take a few and mix them up. For example strawberries, bananas, flax seeds, apples, coconut water, kale, spinach, oranges, etc. You can also pour a cup of milk in it.
- Recover glycogen by consuming some foods rich in carbs. That will speed up the glycogen recovery rate. It takes up to 12 hours to get the depleted glycogen back.
Why Diet Matters For Parkours?
Parkour trainers incessantly put a lot of efforts during their training and practice session to increase the performance. The hardcore training that includes running, jumping, rolling, vaulting, climbing, and other physical movements, depletes the body energy rapidly. All this energy needs sucks the nutrients out that are available in the body.
You have to replenish the loss by feeding the body with a nutritious diet. Otherwise, the body will start sucking out the stored resources of the body and will start eating on your muscles, etc. So instead of being stronger with the training, you are pushing yourself down and weakening your body.
Conclusion
I don’t think I must elaborate the necessity of a nutritious diet for parkour any further. If you set your food and training in harmony to each other, you will see some drastic improvements in your performance. On the other hand, if you are eating little but training in excess, you are doing more harm to yourself than strengthening your body. So adjust your dietary chart and make sure you are consuming all the necessary nutrients. Hope That Helped.