Fight Camp Principles Flashcards
- If its not broke do not fix it
When everything is going right, sometimes doing nothing is best—stay the
course and avoid the temptation to tinker with the program.
Ask the client: How are you feeling? Are you leaning out?
If all is well, you’re on the right track.
- Don’t cut calories
It’s normal for weight loss to slow down after the first week of the program, so stay
the course and resist the temptation to cut calories.
Instead of cutting calories, you might consider revising the macronutrient
make-up.
Example: Increasing the percentage of protein to take advantage of the
thermogenic effect of foods.
Stay calm, cool, and collected – always make smart and considered decisions for
your fighter.
- Balance performance with the cut
As a reminder, the purpose of fight camp is primarily to get better at fighting, not
to make weight.
You must strike a balance between getting the fighter the fuel they need,
while ensuring they are within a responsible range of their target weight.
- Increase hormone sensitivity with fasting
Hormones can have a significant impact on weight loss and performance.
It’s not just about the amount of the hormone – sensitivity to hormones is
important too.
If you can increase sensitivity to certain hormones, you can help people lose more
fat than muscle.
Fasting is one way to help increase hormone sensitivity
24 hour fast
One of the best ways to increase hormone sensitivity is with a 24-hour weekly
fast, which promotes ketones that help the body burn fat and retain muscle.
24-hour fasting works particularly well for female fighters because they are more
fat-adaptive.
What is autophogy?
Is the process of the body
breaking down old cells and replacing them with new cells.
- Understand the scale
Have fighters weigh themselves every night before they go to bed and first
thing in the morning when they wake up.
This tells you how much the fighter is “floating,” or losing overnight.
Different individuals may float different amounts of water weight.
Be aware of the range of possible responses based on factors like gender and
hydration level.
Watch for changes in the fighter’s usual float to identify issues.
A sudden drop in floating can indicate a problem, such as an impending
illness.
A fighter that is floating more weight than usual could also have a problem,
such as overtraining.
Just because a client isn’t dropping weight on the scale, doesn’t mean they aren’t
leaning out.
- Consider outside factors
Formulas and numbers are only one side of the nutrition coach’s job.
You also need to consider how human factors affect performance and
nutrition.
If the numbers aren’t adding up, you need to have a conversation with
the client to uncover what human factors might be at play – including the
possibility of noncompliance with the program.
Life events and personal problems can also affect performance, as can factors like
not getting consistent, quality sleep.
Being tired and hungry are usually correlated – which is why sleep is really
important.
Remember that if you constantly make changes, it will become impossible to know
what’s working
- Keep it simple stupid
Don’t get pressured into overthinking things.
You should never let clients with big personalities start dictating their own
nutritional programs.
Keep it simple – you are the expert and have the right information, so don’t
overthink it.
You can’t expect nutrition to magically fix other deficits in the training camp.
Ask yourself if you’re giving your client what they need, when they need it.
If you are, stay the course.
- Weight loss is different from weight cutting
Weight loss is about losing fat, while weight cutting is just about removing
water.
Muscle is about 70 percent water, so the more muscle a fighter has, the more
water they can cut.
Never do a “practice” weight cut.
In reality, every weight cut creates a negative response and should be
minimized whenever possible.
Saunas, hot baths, and other forms of heat therapy can be beneficial prior to fight
week as long as the water lost is replaced.
- Stay in your lane
Do not try to tell other facets of coaches what to do. Just stick to the nutrition
- Adapt protocol for women
There are additional factors to consider when working with a female.
One of the most important considerations is taking the menstrual cycle into
account.
There are three phases – follicular, ovulation and luteal – and it’s important to
know which stage she’s in and adjust accordingly.
Anaerobic activity lowers progesterone and should therefore be avoided or
managed based on performance particularly in the luteal phase.
Tracking temperature is one way to help determine where a fighter is in her cycle,
since the body will be slightly warmer during the luteal phase.
Aerobic activities like shadowboxing and light jogging, along with higher-fat
foods, are best during the luteal phase.
