Best Things to eat before soccer match/training?

shepthedog

Just wondering what people find best to eat before soccer match or training?

Sports Drinks? Fruit like bananas? Jaffa Cakes??

Anyone know websites with the nutrition plans for premiership players??

Aedh Baclamh

Funnily enough, I was meant to post something similar the other day.

Am I right in saying that Premiership players have a large enough meal before a match? Like a good few hours before it, but still quite big.

joker77

Depends what time the match/training is on at?

I usually find a shake is good with say 1 cup porridge oats / scoop of protein / banana + some water, about 3 hours beforehand.

My matches are on Saturdays at 2pm, so I'd get out of bed and have this about 11. I'd have an espresso about 12 to wake me up, and on the way to the game be sipping a little water/glucose/salt mix

Frederick

A tin of creamed rice.....

Almost pure carbs, low in fat and protein, gets digested very easily and doesnt give u that real full feeling that fat gives u.....

That an hour before and a protein shake just before the match should keep you going and going and going......

Aedh Baclamh

May I ask what a protein shake will do for you before a game? Should you not be looking for a carb based food/shake?

rooker7

Around 90 minutes befor my weight training I have a protein shake and a bowl of oats. I'd say this would be a good thing for your football to, complex carbs will give the sustained release of energy you would want.

iregk

While playing for Rovers we were given this diet. Wake up 8am, cerial for breakfast with a pint of water. Cerial being cornflakes, porridge is too heavy for what follows. Stretch and a light jog about 2 laps of a footie pitch, just as a leg loosner.

If the match is at 3pm at 12 have a small piece of fruit and at 1 have a medium size bowl of pasta on its own. No tomatoe and basil sauce or anything like that again another pint of water. 30mins before kick off start the warm up with the team. When you come back from the warm up 10mins before game. Bananna and glucose drink. That should be enough to get you through. If at half time your feeling a little low on reserve I always used to pack carb gel in my bag.

The reason though a lot of people feel exhausted pretty quickly into a footie game is the warm up. they dont do it properly. Your warm up is designed to do two thing. Get blood, flexability and warmth into all the muscles and also to expell your first wind. At the end of the warm up you should be feeling tired this is the end of your first wind (most get this feeling 20mins into a game!) then you get your second wind while resting before kick off which takes you through the match.

If your playing to a high level, i.e. leinster senior or the upper of the AUL then remember, what you eat the day before a footie game is more important that what you have on the day itself! If your in the 20st a man saturday afternoon kickabout league then I wouldn't worry too much about the day before

joker77

iregk wrote:

While playing for Rovers we were given this diet. Wake up 8am, cerial for breakfast with a pint of water. Cerial being cornflakes, porridge is too heavy for what follows.

Can't believe they were advising you to eat cornflakes over porridge!!

iregk

they were on basis that porridge followed by fruit followed by pasta can be very heavy even with the hourly gaps inbetween. Remember for a football match you don't need a full stomach just enough in your muscles and system to get through it.

The day before hand like I said was a carb day so yes plenty of porridge for breakfast and such like...

p.s. I notice the first thing you take on the morning of a match is an espresso. I'm sure you know that this is a diuretic and should be one of the last things on your mind the morning of a footie match.

joker77

iregk wrote:

p.s. I notice the first thing you take on the morning of a match is an espresso. I'm sure you know that this is a diuretic and should be one of the last things on your mind the morning of a footie match.

Not the first thing no. First thing is brekkie. But yes I am fully aware that caffeine is a diuretic, but after working/training all week Saturday mornings can be a bit slow for me (in fact mornings in general), so I find that I need to prepare mentally as well as physically before a game, and the espresso helps for that. I drink enough fluids before the game to counteract that, fair enough it's more of a balancing act, but a p*ss before the game sorts it out.

iregk

joker77 wrote:

I drink enough fluids before the game to counteract that, fair enough it's more of a balancing act, but a p*ss before the game sorts it out.

hahaha that beautiful sight of 10 lads facing the bushes emptying out the system!!:D always a classic.

because_I_can

carbs and fats - no protein. experiment!!!
it varies very very widely for everybody

yomchi

X-cellerate or Vitargo are good pre-match complex carbo loaders

ErinGoBrath

Great info iregk, agree with all you said there.

How long did you play for Rovers for?

iregk

Played for Tallaght town for years as a kid, left to try other clubs (basically where the mates were all moving to!) and went back to them when I was 17. This was when they were bought out by Rovers and the whole op became Shamrock Rovers and obviously they got the pick of the players from the old tallaght town. I stayed with them until 22 when previous knee and ankle injurys caught up with me and put an end to my high level envolvement in football. So take from all those years what you will... I don't play ball anymore and to be honest, I dont really miss it either!

Aedh Baclamh

Jon wrote:

X-cellerate or Vitargo are good pre-match complex carbo loaders

Do you stock these Jon?

iregk - I see where you're coming from with the whole cereal thing. I remember for one match last year I had a massive carb filled brekkie, including porridge, then more carbs at midday, then the match was on in the afternoon. Felt extremely bloated during the game, not a pleasent experience.

As you said, it's all about experimentation but it's still interesting to read other people's comments as to what they do pre-match.

By the way, did you apply the same principal to training days, assuming training was on in the evening? Would you have porridge in a situation like this?

yomchi

Do you stock these Jon?

Sure do!

Aedh Baclamh

Cé mhéad?

Superdub2

Frederick wrote:

A tin of creamed rice.....

Almost pure carbs, low in fat and protein, gets digested very easily and doesnt give u that real full feeling that fat gives u.....

That an hour before and a protein shake just before the match should keep you going and going and going......

portein skaes tend to dehydrate you in my opinion so i cant see how that could be a good idea befor e a match.....

the best things within an hour or so of a match is fruit! plain and simple

Aedh Baclamh

The Vitargo one seems interesting enough, just having a bit of a read on it now. I can't find anything on the other one though.

Transform

Your whole theory on second wind etc is complete crap.

You should not feel tired before a match and this is coming from someone who is currently helping a footballer back from an injury to league of ireland.

Also the food suggestions you are making are about 10 years out of date.

All the current research shows that a combination of simple carbs and protein will work best as a pre, peri and post workout e.g. banana with small protein drink or just a cytomax carb drink.

Yes some foods are too heavy to eat before training or a match but from experience everyone functions best on certain foods and most will do best on a simple piece(s) of fruit. Most soccer players i have trained or retired ones have terrible diets and i would fear they would become diabetic if they maintained their loading of high GI foods

Aedh Baclamh

Transform, do you know if it's common for breakfast to be heavy on the day of a match? Or is it changed around a little?

As for feeling tired before a match, if I feel this, I know I'm in for a bad one.

davyjose

iregk wrote:

.

The reason though a lot of people feel exhausted pretty quickly into a footie game is the warm up. they dont do it properly. Your warm up is designed to do two thing. Get blood, flexability and warmth into all the muscles and also to expell your first wind. At the end of the warm up you should be feeling tired this is the end of your first wind (most get this feeling 20mins into a game!) then you get your second wind while resting before kick off which takes you through the match.

I've watched proffesionals warm-up at the beginning of games, and indeed they do give it socks, but I find it hard to believe they thrash themselves to the point of needing a 2nd wind. A light sweat would be the extent of it, in My humble opinion.
I think most people get tired 20mins in because they are simply not fit enough.

iregk

Transform wrote:

Also the food suggestions you are making are about 10 years out of date.

Well it is almost 10 years since I played at a decent level so maybe things are a lot different now! I remember the times when they gave players suger cubes at half times during cup games in case there was extra time. I'm sure thats not the case anymore, a glucose and carb drink I'd guess is the ticket now.

More and more I am seeing a lot of players taking supplements and drinks before games. This wasn't the case when I was playing, lucozade sport was really the only thing people got their hands on.

With regards to the second wind, again thats the way we did it then and it worked for us. I haven't worked out a training regime or diet for any footballer in a good number of years nor have I bothered keeping up research on whats new and improved so if you have anything that can help the op instead of saying mine are complete crap please do post up and offer the help. Thats what its all about. Maybe I will learn something too in the process. I can guarantee if he tried mine it would work, that said every person is different, but if you have a better one throw it up and let the man know.

davyjose wrote:

I think most people get tired 20mins in because they are simply not fit enough.

That is also very true in fairness, most people at weekend footie around parks in ireland are not very fit.

rediguana

Don't eat a large meal withing four hours of a game. An hour before kick off, have a wholemeal sandwich with chicken or tuna and salad. Hold off on the mayo or butter, drizzle some olive oil instead.

During the game, have a bottle on the sideline with some kind of isotonic drink. The commonly sold ones (Powerade etc) contain a lot of rubbish, so instead just make your own - tap water + pinch of salt + pinch of sugar. This should keep you hydrated more effectively than pure water during a game. Sip, don't glug, it.

Have a half a banana / orange @ HT and reflect with warm pride on all your goals scored in the first half.

davyjose

iregk wrote:

Well it is almost 10 years since I played at a decent level so maybe things are a lot different now! I remember the times when they gave players suger cubes at half times during cup games in case there was extra time. I'm sure thats not the case anymore, a glucose and carb drink I'd guess is the ticket now.

Arsene Wenger is widely regarded to have changed the way professional footballers in England eat (and no longer drink). And he's exactly ten years in the job. Also apparently the English pre-match meal at Euro '96 was a disgrace. Spag bol and the likes.

yomchi

Aedh Baclamh wrote:

Cé mhéad?

The Vitargo retails at 49.99 and the Xcellerate at 34.99. Can do the Xcellerate for 30 if you mention that its your good self!

Transform

iregk wrote:

Well it is almost 10 years since I played at a decent level so maybe things are a lot different now! I remember the times when they gave players suger cubes at half times during cup games in case there was extra time. I'm sure thats not the case anymore, a glucose and carb drink I'd guess is the ticket now.

More and more I am seeing a lot of players taking supplements and drinks before games. This wasn't the case when I was playing, lucozade sport was really the only thing people got their hands on.

With regards to the second wind, again thats the way we did it then and it worked for us. I haven't worked out a training regime or diet for any footballer in a good number of years nor have I bothered keeping up research on whats new and improved so if you have anything that can help the op instead of saying mine are complete crap please do post up and offer the help. Thats what its all about. Maybe I will learn something too in the process. I can guarantee if he tried mine it would work, that said every person is different, but if you have a better one throw it up and let the man know.


That is also very true in fairness, most people at weekend footie around parks in ireland are not very fit.

I have posted my suggestions already and with regards to the warm up they pros use all the SAQ drills they would normally do in training.

In reference to diet i guarantee your method will produce highs and lows in energy levels nothing else. Finally the problem with sugar cubes, lucosade etc is they all have too much sugar and the stomach cant empty and use the sugar fast enough as the quantity is too high. Thus the use of lower sugar drinks with minerals, amino acids and some vitamins.

iregk

davyjose wrote:

Also apparently the English pre-match meal at Euro '96 was a disgrace. Spag bol and the likes.

Yeah I'd well believe this. I remember a good few years back, probably talking about 6, Denise Wise was saying on a dvd I borrowed the changes that happened at Cheslea with the influx of foreign talent in the mid-late 90's. Apparently when Gullit, Vialli, Di Matteo etc... came in they were horrified to find that the match day morning meal was a full fry up with beans, black pudding the works! Within 1 season they had recommended getting dieticians in from italy to completely re do pre and post game prep.

Rumour was the english players at the time were disgusted they had to eat all this nonsence food as they called it and all the chips and frys went missing from the training ground canteen! It really is only in the 10 years that diets and suppliments have been taken seriously for football. I'd personally go so far as to say that from what I have heard and noticed, there has been more advances and changes in the past 10 years than there have been in the previous 50!!! Maybe Transform will be able to confirm that.

Transform

iregk wrote:

Yeah I'd well believe this. I remember a good few years back, probably talking about 6, Denise Wise was saying on a dvd I borrowed the changes that happened at Cheslea with the influx of foreign talent in the mid-late 90's. Apparently when Gullit, Vialli, Di Matteo etc... came in they were horrified to find that the match day morning meal was a full fry up with beans, black pudding the works! Within 1 season they had recommended getting dieticians in from italy to completely re do pre and post game prep.

Rumour was the english players at the time were disgusted they had to eat all this nonsence food as they called it and all the chips and frys went missing from the training ground canteen! It really is only in the 10 years that diets and suppliments have been taken seriously for football. I'd personally go so far as to say that from what I have heard and noticed, there has been more advances and changes in the past 10 years than there have been in the previous 50!!! Maybe Transform will be able to confirm that.

Absolutely - even today most professionals have to be strictly monitored and tested as their compliance rates are normally terrible.

No different to movie stars and the contracts they must sign to keep in shape e.g. colin farrell for his next movie has to be in tip top shape (action movie) otherwise no movie can be shot and the bills get pulled from his pay cheque

So enough with the amateur approach, if you want to look like a pro eat and train like one that has a long career e.g. Teddy sherringham

Aedh Baclamh

Transform - What would you recommend diet-wise for a training day (keeping in mind that training is at 8pm)? I presume you would still keep the bowl of porridge in the morning, but how would you fill out the rest of the day? From 4 till 7 have food like fruit?

Interested to hear, thanks.

iregk

Training at 8am?

Bowl of porridge at 7, steak egg and chips at 7:30. Post training meal, deep fried mars bar with a generious portion of battered onions... That should do it for you

ErinGoBrath

This thread makes for interesting reading.

All good points however as a footballer I am familiar with this 2nd wind theory. We have a fantastic coach with the necessary coaching badges and he brings use through a 15-20 minute match warm up which includes drills, stretching, ball work and some sprints.

For these 15-20 minutes you tend to feel tired and out of breath, sweat a good bit too. After the warm up we'll do some set peice work, name the squad and have a prematch talk.

Once the game starts it's really does feel like you've got your 2nd wind, although your probably exerting yourself more than the warm up it doesn't feel like your suffering at all. This also could be down to the adrenaline rush you get when in competiton?

Aedh Baclamh

We had a coach with the 'necessary coaching badges', he still sent us on laps of the pitch for a good bit of the training though.

I hate laps.

Transform

Necessary coaching badges does not mean anything - all teams bring in specific fitness coaches for true training programs e.g. Liam Hennessy worked with Man Utd and Munich the year united won the European championship (he is one of the most respected irish fitness coaches - google)

The warm-up may feel difficult as it takes most people about 10mins to warm up and during this time your HR will go up and its just a big change from sitting on your arse. e.g. in the gym you do not go in and lift your haviest weight straight away, prior to a 10km run you do not warm up to the point your are exhausted so you can get your 'second wind'


In reference to the food suggestions - everyone is different and depends on goals but the principles are the same i.e. good proteins, High GI foods pre- peri and post workout, low GI all other times, good fats and plenty of massages or rolling to speed recovery.

e.g. for me yesterday

Breakfast 6.30am- apple, carrot, celery juice then blended into frozen berries and a scoup of protein powder with a homemade flapjack (oats, nuts, fruit etc)

Clients between 6.45 and 12pm (4 one hour sessions) some travelling involved and do not feel hungry until 11.30am

Lunch 11.30am - meusli with yoghurt + protein drink mixed into it

Workout in gym at 12.30pm
Workout

Squats 10 reps + Bench press 8 reps 5sets
Lunges 8 reps + Flys 8 reps 4 sets
Calf Raises 15 reps + 12inch parallel bar press ups with feet elevated 15reps 4 sets
Stretching 10mins
During workout i usually take a carb drink but did not drink it all as felt ok with a litre of water and about 200ml of it.

Post workout (1.45pm)
1 banana + 2 scoups of protien (different one to the morning one) + 1g vit C + EFA's

Client at 2pm

Snack 3 oatcakes + nut butter + one banana (5pm) and log workouts clinets have done, call clients etc

Client at 6.30pm - run with him for 30mins easy pace (10-11kph)

Dinner 8pm chicken wrapped in parma ham stuffed with ricotta, apricots, pine nuts and baby spinach + roasted sweet potato + steamed broccoli

9pm herbal tea with 2 squares of dark chocolate

This is just one day and today is different again so find what works for your i.e. 1. gives you energy, 2. feel satisfied and 3. gets your to your goals as junk food will achieve the first 2 most of the time and does nothing for the last thats why i call it fat people's food.

connundrum

rediguana wrote:

During the game, have a bottle on the sideline with some kind of isotonic drink. The commonly sold ones (Powerade etc) contain a lot of rubbish, so instead just make your own - tap water + pinch of salt + pinch of sugar. This should keep you hydrated more effectively than pure water during a game. Sip, don't glug, it.

Used that last night in the gym, fair play! I went through maybe 1/2 litre of the stuff instead of the usual 1- 1.5 litres of water in the same 60-80 minute period. Fell sufficiantly hydrated and it also cleared up some heart burn

Aedh Baclamh

Just came across this on the Clontarf GAA website regarding nutrition.

"To start eating more CHO you generally need to eat less fat."

That's not right, is it?

Transform

no

tribulus

You play with Clontarf Aedh Baclamh? I've a few mates that play football for them and they're training is rubbish even from my unexperienced self. Maybe the new management team's is better but last seasons 05-06 was right off the top of their heads most of the time.

Aedh Baclamh

Not at all trib, just came across their site while I was googling stuff earlier. Interesting to see they have a nutrition page up there. I presume they're a big enough club though? It's a wonder that clubs still train like that, espeically the big ones. Our training last year was a disgrace, absolutely awful sessions. This year has been a big improvement, more sprint focused. Plus they've started to do some planks, which was nice.

[/fast show]

tribulus

Senior Division 2 team so yeah they're big enough, crap season this year but the last two they lost in the playoffs.

AFAIK they're also a wealthy enough club, they have an all weather training in pitch and are even getting their main pitch sectioned off and floodlights installed I believe. They could do with getting Transform or someone to help them out! I've heard how they train and seen 1st hand what they eat :rolleyes:

Aedh Baclamh

Transform,

Appreciate you posting up your diet from the other day, interesting to see what others do while they're working/training. But that's for a primarily lifting day, isn't it? What should a team sport day look like, and I do realise that it can vary for people, but there is usually a norm with these sort of areas.

So say for someone training at 8pm.

Breakfast : Bowl of porridge, honey+seeds, apple
Snack : Banana, homemade bar (whey,raisins,oats,pb,nuts etc) x 2
Lunch 1pm : Chicken fillet with flax seeds, pitta bread x 2, glass of milk
Dinner 3pm : Chicken fillet, some pasta (not sure whether to go mad on this or keep it small?), peppers, milk
4pm onwards : Some apples and bananas, fat free yogurt, maybe a protein drink with water and glucose at around 6:30-7:00?

Immediately after training have a banana. Taking sips of water during the day also.


Be interested to see what I've posted is anywhere near the norm, thanks.

Transform

Lifting or a non lifting day - the only thing that would vary is the carb intake i.e. slighly more carbs on an aerobic session

Also i don't give a sh&$ what the 'norm' is i am always looking for the ideal so if you feel good on this and play well then continue

I would only take a high GI food 30mins before any session as any longer and your blood sugar levels may drop

Finally, i do not drink milk nor do i recommend it to ANY of my clients - this point has been covered before and i do not want to return to it
Best of luck

Aedh Baclamh

"Also i don't give a sh&$ what the 'norm' is i am always looking for the ideal so if you feel good on this and play well then continue"

Not trying to be smart with this answer, but some guys would say a fry in the morning, a bar of chocolate etc does wonders for them on a training day. I want my diet to be effective on the field, but I also want it to be healthy for my body, a combination of the two. That's why I said 'norm', sorry for the confusion.

"Finally, i do not drink milk nor do i recommend it to ANY of my clients"

Interesting, must look out for some of your posts on it since I drink three litres of the stuff daily.


Thanks.

Aedh Baclamh

Had pasta and a small bit chicken with sesame oil about 4 hours before training yesterday. Between 4 and 6 I had some fruit, then a smoothie with banana, fat free natural yogurt, milk and honey. Protein shake about an hour before training, then with 30 mins to go I had a drink of water with 50g of glucose in it. Isotonic drink during training with 30g of glucose and pinch of salt.

Was pretty happy with energy levels to be honest.