Train to Jump High - Nutritional Timing

By Daniel Back


I just have a few tips on nutritional timing with your training.
First, do not eat right before your workout. This is basic physiology. Your body sends blood wherever it is needed. When you lift weights, your muscles get big because they are filled with blood. In the same way, when you eat, blood is sent to the digestive tract for the process of breaking down food. If you try to do intense exercise following a meal, your body cannot fully commit blood flow to the muscles for exercise.
Second, although you don't want to eat right before exercise, you also do not want to go into your workout hungry. Your muscles have glycogen stores which are used for an efficient energy source. If you wake up in the morning having not eaten for 8 hours and begin working out, your glycogen stores will be low and you will run out of your best fuel source. If this happens, you will begin to break down protein for fuel instead. The goal is to use protein for building and strengthening various structures in your body, not for energy. And if there is not protein readily available (which is likely since you haven't eaten) your body will actually break down muscle tissue to get protein. That is really bad.
So try to eat 2-3 hours before your workout, depending on the size of the meal. A light snack in the middle of your workout is not a bad idea; it can be quickly broken down and help sustain the glycogen stores in the muscles. Mid-workout is actually probably the best time for sweets like candy or cookies. These foods are made of simple sugars, which can be broken down faster than anything to serve as the quickest source of energy.
Third, following your workout, your body will be in an anabolic (muscle-building) hormonal state. Basically you will have high levels of testosterone and low levels of cortical. You want to stay in that state for as long as possible. What you need to do is restore the glycogen supply in your muscles. This is done with carbohydrates. At the same time you also want to make protein readily available for use in repairing the things that you damaged or stressed in your workout. Milk has a good carbohydrate:protein ratio for post-exercise consumption. A typical protein shake will also fill this need. This consumption should be immediately after your workout. Then within a couple hours make sure to get plenty of healthy carbs and lean protein.
Beyond that, it is best to eat several smaller meals throughout the day to maintain stable levels of things like blood sugar, vitamins, minerals, available protein, etc... These are the very basics of nutritional timing.
I am a college student and former D3 basketball player. I have given up basketball and now focus solely on jumping higher. I have been successful enough to achieve a 43 inch vertical. I plan on going higher. I have learned a lot and now have also been successful in training other people. I have a free vertical jump training report available on my blog.

By Daniel Back