What to Eat Before and After Boot Camp

Boot camp is a vigorous form of training and is designed to burn as many calories as possible. If your fuel tank is running on empty it will be hard to keep up with the class and train with much intensity. What you eat and how soon you eat before boot camp is a critical factor in your ability to train hard. This article discusses what you should eat before and after boot camp from a physiological perspective.

First of all it is important to understand that the average person will burn about 400 to 600 calories during a one hour boot camp workout. The blog contain about 5 grams of sugar and 7.5 grams of fat on average totaling about 90 calories. Excess calories used will be drawn from glycogen stored in the muscles and liver and fat stored in adipose tissue. This process isn’t as efficient as having a ready supply of glucose and fatty acids being absorbed into the blood stream from the digestive tract. In order to achieve maximum intensity levels during boot camp it is important to have a constant influx of fuel to power physical activity.

Boot camp training consists of bouts are cardiovascular and muscular endurance training. The primary energy source that fuels all aerobic activities is fatty acids. Muscular contraction involves the glycolysis of glucose resulting in lactic acid accumulation. At any point during training if an athlete feels a lactic acid burn in the muscle they can be assured that the muscles are entering an anaerobic state. As a result it is important to eat both carbohydrates and fatty acids before boot camp. If you are having a small snack before boot camp that doesn’t allow for much variety then complex carbs are preferred above items high in simple sugars and fat.

The time you decide to eat is proportional to the size of the meal. If you plan on eating a large meal consisting of 500 to 1000 calories you might want to eat at least an hour before boot camp. If you are just having a small snack 200 to 300 calories then eating a half hour before boot camp will allow sufficient time for digestion.

Food items containing complex carbohydrates should be chosen above food items high in simple sugars. Complex carbohydrates such as those found in potatoes, pasta, whole wheat bread, and carrots break down slowly and provide a steady stream of blood sugar. Food items such as sport drinks with high amounts of simple sugars are actually best ingested during boot camp as they time it takes to absorb into the blood stream is a matter of minutes. My recommendation would be to eat something light a half hour before boot camp such as a banana and yogurt, piece of whole grain toast and glass of milk, small portion of past or rice, or some hearty vegetable soup.

After boot camp it is important to refuel. Muscle glycogen levels are depleted and there will be micro-tears in the muscle fibers (the reason your muscles get sore). It is important to eat another small meal within an hour of boot camp. This time the emphasis is different. A small meal this time low in fat and high in protein with a moderate amount of carbs is preferred. The protein is important to help repair the micro-tears in the muscle fibers and aid in recovery. The extra carbs are important to help replenish the depleted muscle glycogen stores in the large muscle and liver. This post boot camp meal need only be between 200 and 500 calories and depends on individual caloric needs.

Knowing what to eat before and after boot camp is important to help your obtain maximum benefits from this intense form of physical activity. Best advice to eat a small snack before and after boot camp. The pre boot camp snack should be rich in complex carbs and contain a small amount of fat. The post boot camp meal should be low in fat and contain a moderate amount of carbs and be high in protein.

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