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Basic Volleyball Nutrition

Simple ways to improve your nutrition for volleyball

Basic volleyball nutrition information for players and coaches.

So why are you interested in volleyball nutrition?

Are you curious about how to eat for tournaments?

Do you find yourself not making it through an entire tournament without being too tired to finish strong?

Or are you someone that is looking to specifically improve your strength and power for volleyball and is wondering how to eat?

How you eat is going to depend on what your goals are.

For example, if you're a volleyball player that is really skinny and weak, then your sports nutrition program is going to be much different than a player that is over weight and trying to get in better shape.

Or lets say you are a male volleyball player that wants to put on a lot of muscle but also strength and power for volleyball. This persons diet will be much different than a female player that just wants to maintain her weight and improve her performance at the same time.

The following are some basic concepts to consider when thinking about basic volleyball nutrition.

Water

Most athletes don't drink enough water.

You need 3 to 4 grams of water for every gram of carbohydrate.

Have you ever suddenly felt light-headed or dizzy when playing volleyball? You may have been dehydrated.

The brain uses water to function. The brain is about 90% water.

You want to be sure you are consuming a lot of water because if you're low on water, water is going to be removed from your brain. You don't want this to be happening because this would decrease your neurological functioning.

Especially when playing in long tournaments, you want to be drinking water through out the day. Don't wait until you're thirsty. If you're thirsty then you likely aren't drinking often enough.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are important for providing energy to play volleyball.

Sports drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade are popular because the carbohydrates (sugar) they provide athletes.

Most sports drinks also have a combination of electrolytes (calcium, potassium, and sodium) that are necessary for many normal bodily functions.

Electrolytes are chemical substances that are dissolved or lost in sweat.

Electrolytes are important for many reasons including assisting in the neuro-metabolic expenditure of caloric energy.

Basically, performance is severely compromised if adequate levels of electrolytes are not present. This is especially true when playing volleyball in the heat or when practices go beyond the two-hour mark.

Recovery

Whether it's recovering after a match, a practice, a workout in the weight room, or a long volleyball tournament, your preparation and recovery is important.

It has been proven that consuming carbohydrates and proteins together after an athletic event, aids in recovery.

Also, rest and sleep is important. If you miss out on sleep then you won't recover as fast for your next workout/practice. Eating early in the day is also really important, so don't skip breakfast or lunch.

Basic Nutrition Tips

The following are some basic volleyball nutrition tips.

1. Drink plenty of water throughout the day.
Even on days you don't have practices, workouts, or tournaments, you need to stay hydrated.

2. Don't skip meals.
You especially don't want to skip breakfast. You should consume foods that contain carbohydrates and protein every 2 to 3 hours every day. Consume foods that contain carbohydrates especially before a practice.

Basic Volleyball Nutrition to Volleyball Basics