Hi everyone Just a random question. What do you usually eat before a competition? And also how long before the competition start? Let say I will have a comp start at 9am in the morning. At what time you usually eat? I usually play social at night time during week days so every time we have competition in the morning I found that it take me forever to actually ready for game, and I sometime experience cramping and muscle tightness in the first game, which is sometime very frustrating. My coach said that because I eat too much and too close to game start, so I just want to know the experience of others Thank you very much
Time to start doing some games or exercise in the mornings. Makes a hugely big difference What do you eat, how long beforehand? You have a coach? So you don't only play social games...?
Personally i dont eat anything due to laziness.. But if given a choice, i'd always prefer and recommend banana over any readymade drinks/foods.
banana, granola bars, meat-lean(roasted or boiled), eggs, plenty of coffee, energy drinks, isotonics and cereals these are all very safe. Have seen pros doing and posting the same on instagram on competition days so i guess i am doing something right. after game eggs, heavy carbs(fries) and plenty of pepsi cola helps me retain most of energy when i have to undertake a 20kms+ metro train journey towards my homeplace.
if competition starts at 10am I will eat a lot of pasta the day before. On day of competition I will eat nothing until like 12 o clock. Then very little from time to time (banana, buns). I have a very slow stomach. I cannot run even several hours after eating...breakfast would be a bad idea for me (im full anyway in the morning and can sleep much longer that way...). So i fuel up the day before
Fries + Cola for replenishing energy? Bro, you need to be careful with that! I'd rather not prefer hsving energy, than having it from these two sources!
Taking inspiration from tennis people here. Seen Sampras siping cola between games. Seen pros gorging on fries and ice cream after games. Many pros go for these post games.
Plus I have a fast metabolism, it helps. Active metabolism helps breakdown everything and quickly. I get plenty of quick bursts of energy. You Can say it is somewhat like "Flashboost" Not "Fast break"
What sampras did 20 years back aint the gold standard anymore. No matter how fast your BMR is, one should definitely avoid wrong things. The fat may not be visible now as i assume you must be young. However, if you still want to assess the damage done, you can undergo a ct scan and the fat will be seen deposited around the organs... 35 (approximately) years later, it will start showing up! Anyway, you are the best judge of your body.. But thought should warn you
Before Leaving: (takes me 1.5 hours to reach the venue) 2 poached eggs, 2 Slices of bread and some veggies. After Playing: Chicken, Rice and Veggies.
Yeah I try to go for a run in the morning in the weekend, can't do that during work days cause I usually have to go to work early. I can't really play baddie in the morning also because of that. I usually eat rice, chicken and broccoli, usually 1h before game. It's seem fine for me during the nightly social session, but every time there is a comp in the morning I struggle and can't seem to move like I want to. It's probably also cause I am nervous as well. Usually my legs stiff up at the end of the first game or the start of the second game. It's usually go away in like an hour, but then you already lose the fist few games Haha, I can't really say that I have a coach actually. He is a really good brother of mine and teach me everything related to badminton (and life). I strictly listen to what he said so "in theory" he is my coach ) I mostly play social games actually. There is only one badminton club where I live and we don't usually have a lot of competitions. I am still considered newbie to badminton so still need to learn a lot. Thanks a lot for the reply everyone. I will try out which is the best approach for me.
I actually have 4 days in two competitions over the next seven day period (ya follow that?) so nutrition is on my mind. I'm going the protein route. I'm an intermittent faster (I don't eat 16 hours a day usually 8pm until noon the next day) so my body has gotten out of the breakfast habit. But I know I need energy during a competition so I'll usually just drink a protein shake with a banana beforehand. Then I'll bring some hard boiled eggs and banana bread with me to the tournament I can eat if I feel hungry. Also, other people always have bananas and chocolate if I need it. I just drink water but I'm also very hydrated in daily life (I track my water intake) but if you are dehydrated, that could account for some of the cramping. So maybe make sure the days beforehand you drink a lot. You take the day off before the competition right? You aren't playing at night and then competing the next morning, right? Because that's what could be causing your stiff legs if you don't have a rest day in between. Anyway, your stiff legs might not be 100% nutrition related but something with your other habits.
That's a huge amount to eat in the morning for a 9am match! I think evenings are easier because your muscles have been active during the day and it's easier to warm up. If you have a competition in the morning, you might not be getting enough stretches in or fully warmed up.
Having nuts is also good. Whey protein sounds good. Can eat cheese or have casein protein shake before bedtime for the hard run of matches.
Haha, yeah I just follow how I eat before work I was afraid that I will get hungry and don't have enough energy to last the whole morning Seem like the "eat more the night before" idea work well for people. I'll give it a try then. and definitely make sure I have enough water as well as warm up properly before game
When I have to play at 9, I would get up at 5:30 and drink a coffee. My yoga and blackroll routine to become a bit flexible and than I go for 2 small slices of bread with cottage cheese and plum jam or 3 wafer of puffed rice with a tiny bit peanut butter. I also drink around 0,8l water in the morning and go out for a short walk around 15-20 minutes. I did oatmeal before, but it makes me slow. Everybody is different. If I would do a pasta party a day before, I would perform the worst. I can't recommend to eat to much the day before. Better 2 or 3 days before. If you can eat fruits, go for grapes, dates, raisins, apple, melon and orange in the morning. Never and trust me, never dragonfruit! Also be careful with caffeine. Not too much coffee, better green tea or darjeeling if you like.
