Is There a Best Way To Eat to Prepare for the RKC Certification?
By Sandy Sommer RKC on in Sandy's Journal
If you are thinking of readying yourself for the RKC Certification you may want to think about what I wrote here.
The reason you should pay attention is that you may have to do some fine tuning in order to find your own nutritional sweetspot.
Preparing for the RKC clearly requires advance planning and strict adherence to a prescribed training schedule. With a goal of RKC certification you know how to train in order to pass the strict requirements. (If you don’t then I’m happy to help).
Nutrition may be an area that too many overlook, however. It can be a huge component of your prepartion. Proper fueling ensures that you will recover well between practice sessions and that you keep getting stronger and fitter. The better you eat, then the stronger you will get.
The biggest rule of thumb is that if you need a dictionary to read your food label, you should strongly consider passing on that item. I eat clean Sunday-Thursday. Not one label to read! Eat organically as much as you can but read this first!
I’ve always eating pretty well but I was using the Warrior Diet prior to the RKC. I got strong and always had a lot of energy. Recently, I’ve switched over to the Paleo Diet For Athletes and have had amazing results with it. I have NEVER been as strong or as lean as I am at age 47. I don’t practice it strictly Friday and Saturday and I think that makes it even more effective.
The reason I mention finding a sweet spot is that both, none or one of these could serve as a catalyst for you to take your training over the top. Right now the only supplements I use reguarly is Krill Oil and a post workout protein drink.
If you want to maximize your workouts and really recover well between sessions, then I suggest you keep these ideas in mind. Remember, I train hard 6 days a week, I’m and old man:) and I never am sore or lethargic.
Let me know if you have any questions at all and I’d love some feedback from you!
7 Comment(s)
By Chris J on Apr 21, 2009 | Reply
Maybe I’m doing something wrong, I’m always sore and tired, but I eat mostly clean. Chicken and Salmon are the biggest meats I eat. Lunch today will be half a grilled chicken breast, rice, and yellow beans.
Dinner tonight will be grilled Salmon, pierogies, and haven’t decided on the vegie yet.
I train about 4 days a week, that’s changing to 6 this week (I hope). Maybe in a few weeks I’ll stop being sore as I get used to the new harder workouts.
By Laura on Apr 21, 2009 | Reply
Sandy,
This is another great post. Just as your car won’t run properly if you put the wrong kind of fuel in the tank, your body won’t perform well during exercise if you fail to nourish it correctly.
That said, what’s “correct” for one person isn’t necessarily appropriate for another. Since I’m not a dietician I don’t “prescribe” diets for personal training clients, but I do suggest books for them to read (anything by Walter Willett is highly recommended!), and I give them some ideas as to what to watch out for, i.e., programs that encourage the use of fake food, programs that excessively limit fat and/or carb intake, etc. Beyond that, I encourage them to keep a food diary and workout log so they can take note of how performance and energy levels are affected by what they eat. Usually after a couple of weeks of this discipline most people have a pretty fair idea of what works for them and what doesn’t.
By genius switch on Apr 21, 2009 | Reply
My perfect balance I have found to be 40% lean protein (salmon, tuna, chicken, or on the rare occasion beef), 40% carb (brown rice, irish steelcut oats, ezekiel bread, granola, and fruits). 20% fat (natural pb, olive oil, etc.)l Supplemented with Whey Protein shakes. Veggies I don't count as carb or protein. Cheat days are Sundays, my idea of cheating is a really loaded PB & J sandwhich. Oh, and make sure everything you eat is as clean and organic as possible… absolutely NO trans fats, preservatives, or ingredients that require a science text book to translate.
This plus heavy KB traning = King Leonidas.
By Sandy Sommer, RKC on Apr 21, 2009 | Reply
Laura,
Thanks for your input! I love how you write:) Different folks get different results using the same fuel…I find it interesting. To be honest, even if I eat crappy I still look OK but certainly don’t feel as powerful!
By Sandy Sommer, RKC on Apr 21, 2009 | Reply
Christian,
I think that is a good ratio. Is that anything like the “Zone?” Thanks for your feedback:)
By Jessica on Sep 30, 2010 | Reply
Can you offer any alternative aside from krill oil? I’m not a big fan of it because of sustainability. I can’t do fish oil as well because of this article sent by a friends which says it produces free radicals http://krilloil.mercola.com/krill-oil.html
I’m confused!! Any suggestions?
By Sandy Sommer RKC on Sep 30, 2010 | Reply
Jessica,
Krill may be in fact be more sustainable than fish. That said, exercise produces free radicals. And I don’t plan on not exercising:) If you increase uptake of anti oxidants you should be OK if you take a quality fish oil from a single species.
Train with purpose,
Sandy Sommer RKC