NUTRITION
THESE THINGS WE DO
FOR THE
THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE
PARARESCUE
ATHLETE
WRITTEN BY
JUSTIN COCHRUM &
BRIAN SILVA
WWW.BEAPJ.COM
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
I. Meal Planning Guidelines
II. The Foundation
III. Hydration
IV. Individualizing Your Nutrition
V. Pre, During, and Post Workout
VI. Recovery Guide
VII. Supplementation
VIII. Female Considerations
Intro
The following information shouldn’t be used to treat any medical
condition. It is a recommendation only. Consult with your Doctor or
Physician before changing your diet. By no means is this an exhaustive
compilation of nutritional knowledge. This is intended to be a guide in
order to facilitate your nutrition needs throughout the rigorous training
you are about to go through. The nutritional needs of the Indoctrination
course were used as a guideline while creating this.
Being a PJ requires an extremely high level of mental and physical fitness,
specifically endurance. This is not a CrossFit workout or a powerlifting
competition. You must shift your mindset into thinking of yourself as a
professional endurance athlete. Proper nutrition for an endurance athlete
should help improve performance, sustain performance, and support
recovery.
In summary, it is essential for a pararescue athlete to ensure proper intake
of nutrients in order to support and sustain performance and subsequently
their recovery for further training. Longer duration training (lasting longer
than 1 hour) may require intra workout nutrition strategies (explained
later). There will be workouts where the duration is longer than 4 hours
over the course of one day. If you fail to execute these guidelines you not
only risk performance, but potentially your overall health.
Meal Planning
Guidelines
Whole foods are far more nutrient dense than refined foods. This is why
you should limit your intake of refined foods as much as possible because
they contain empty calories. 500 calories of sweet potatoes or brown rice
will have a profoundly different impact on your body than 500 calories of
french fries. If you’re going to consume refined sugars they are best taken
immediately post workout.
Every meal should have 1–2 palms of protein.
Examples:
Meats ,wild game, fish, whole eggs, seafood, protein powders
Meals should have a cupped handful of slow digesting, High fiber carbs
and/or fruits.
Examples:
Sweet and regular potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, oatmeal and whole grain
products. Berries, apples, bananas, pineapple, etc.
Every meal should have at least 1 fist of colorful vegetables and/or fruit.
Examples:
Greens (Kale, Collards, Spinach, other cruciferous greens)
Vegetables (Broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, onions, asparagus)
Meal Planning
Guidelines
Every meal should have 1–2 thumbs or tablespoons of healthy fat.
Examples:
raw nuts and seeds, Seed oils, nut butters,
Avocados, Avocado oil, Coconut oil, olive oil, fresh olives, fatty fish
(salmon), fattier cuts of meat (lamb) , grass fed butter, and high fat dairy
Lean protein at each meal - The less legs the protein has the better it is for
you eg. fish>chicken>cow
Fruits and vegetables at each meal - Your plate should contain at least
three different colors.
Slow digesting, high fiber carbs at each meal - look on the package of
anything you buy at the store, make sure it contains at least 3g of fiber.
Healthy fats at each meal - This will aid in brain function as well as stress
resilience.
Consume protein shakes in between meals for more calories and in order
to facilitate a more steady blood glucose level ultimately aiding in
endurance.
The Foundation
Macronutrients
Protein is essential for structural repair, maintenance and growth of all the
tissues involved in the various activities you're training for. The volume of
training for an Endurance athlete is much higher than normal so insuring
a proper intake of protein is essential to maintain tissue health.
Carbohydrates are the fastest available source of energy for your body.
Maximum effort (anaerobic) events such as calisthenics, and higher
intensity efforts like sprinting and sandbag carries primarily use glucose as
their fuel source.
Fats provide the largest amount of energy by far. They are primarily used
for long duration lower intensity (aerobic) efforts.
Micronutrients
Vitamins and minerals contribute to almost all processes within your body.
Growth, repair, production, regulation, immune function and nervous
system function are just a few broad examples.
Eat whole, unprocessed foods as much as possible - these are much more
nutrient dense.
The Foundation
Healthy Snacking options:
Fruit, Nut butter, Nuts and seeds, Trail mix, protein bars, Cliff bars or
similar.
I recommend eating 3 solid meals per day and snacking or consuming
protein shakes in between meals. While you are attending the
Indoctrination course you will have the opportunity to eat breakfast, lunch,
and dinner. The main goal is to keep your caloric intake at the same level
as your energy output and to ensure a steady level of energy throughout
the workout. DO NOT SKIP MEALS and eat a snack every hour.
Protein Shake Formula Example:
-Source of protein (1 serving of Whey or any other powder)
-fruit (1-2 cups of any fruit)
-fat source (1-2 tablespoons of nut butter or some other healthy fat)
-Filler (water,milk, almond milk)
-Optional but highly recommended (greens powder, Creatine
monohydrate)
Cheat Meals
2-3 cheat meals spaced throughout the week shouldn’t have a profound
effect on your goals and performance. This is highly individual and you
should pay attention to how your body responds to different meals.
The Foundation
After having a “cheat meal” how do you feel and perform? If the answer is
poorly than you should limit those food choices in the future.
Many foods are promoted and thought of as healthy. The first rule is, if you
have to question it then probably not healthy. The more processed a food
is the less healthy it becomes. Cereal is a common food that is thought of
as healthy but most cereals contain added sugars and must be fortified
with nutrients. Second rule: Check the ingredients list. If it looks like a
small essay the food is probably not good for you. The fewer ingredients
the better.
Hydration
Proper hydration is crucial to your success in this workout program. Inside
your body, water serves many crucial roles. It acts as a lubricant,
temperature regulator, catalyst for intracellular reactions and a solvent
and transporter for various chemicals within cells. Just a 3% water loss can
impact your performance. At 6% you can begin to experience cramping,
fatigue, reduced aerobic and muscular endurance and heatstroke. Staying
properly hydrated is a key factor for high performance. DO NOT DRINK
JUST WATER ensure you are consuming electrolytes while you are
hydrating. Failure to do this will result in H2O toxicity!
- You should be drinking 4-6L of water each day
- During a workout you should consume 500ml of electrolyte/water mix
every 30 min
- Larger people and people who live in warmer climates should drink more
water
- Ensure you are hydrating before you go to bed as well (you should wake
up to pee once a night)
Individualizing Your
Nutrition
- Record Intake, you can’t manage what you don’t measure
- Everyone has different needs, the following recommendations are rough
estimates and shouldn't be considered exact amounts. Utilize them as
baseline recommendations from which you can individualize for yourself.
Macronutrient needs
Protein
You should consume roughly 0.8-1 gram of Protein per pound of
bodyweight each day
Example: 175lbs = 96-134g of protein/day
Carbohydrates
You should be consuming roughly 2-5g of carbohydrates per pound of
bodyweight each day. Example: 175lbs = 525-787g of carbs/day
Fats
You should consume roughly 2-5 tablespoons of fat with each meal
Water
You should consume at least 87 oz or close to 3 liters of water/day
Individualizing Your
Nutrition
From here most of you can either eat more or less depending on what goal
you have in mind. Gain, maintain or lose. This is why recording your intake
becomes important because it allows you to make adjustments. It’s
difficult to say what an ideal body weight is for you. A few things to
consider... If you’re 220 pounds but can run a 6-minute mile and perform
all calisthenics to the standard, you are at an ideal body weight. If you’re
220 pounds and can’t run or perform calisthenics to the standard, you
should probably lose weight. If you’re a smaller guy who has trouble with
calisthenics then putting on some muscle will probably help you perform
better. You should try gaining some lean mass.
The bottom line
To gain weight you need to eat more calories than you expend
To lose weight you need to eat less calories than you expend
Pre, During, and
Post Workout
Pre-workout
-Drink 500ml of water prior to exercise.
-Do not consume a pre-workout supplement. You will not have these at
Indoc so get used to being able to mentally amp your intensity instead of
relying on a crutch. If your nutrition and sleep have been consistently good
a pre-workout supplement is unnecessary. Crack open a can of discipline
and go to work overcoming the pre-workout mental block.
During
- A snack like trail mix is perfect to munch on prior to and during a
long(more than 1 hour) bout of training as it will provide energy for your
body to utilize during the workout. Any snack works. Look for something
that contains a mix of fats and carbs.
- Drink 250ml of water every 15 minutes
- Drink a solution of 30g of carbohydrates and 15g of protein(BCAAs)
dissolved in 600ml or more of water per hour of training. Try to sip this
instead of drinking it all at once. This can help sustain performance and
improve recovery.
Post-workout
-Post-training try to consume a whole foods meal or protein shake within
an hour or 2 to help replenish fluids and stimulate recovery, the earlier you
eat the better.
Recovery Guide
Stress and Inflammation
-Actively reducing your stress and inflammation levels will help you
recover faster, perform better and reduce injury. This will help keep your
hormones in an Anabolic(growth) state rather than a Catabolic(break
down) one. Below are various strategies and supplements that will help
you reduce stress and inflammation.
Sleep
-Hands down your most powerful tool for recovery besides your nutrition
-Getting enough sleep every night helps maintain hormonal balance
within your body. This will help you recover faster, gain muscle more easily
and make better decisions.
-7+hours of sleep per night is a minimum. As a side note, it’s not a bad idea
to throw in random days of very little sleep to help inoculate your body to
the stress of training in a sleep-deprived state. No more than once or twice
per every two weeks. Only do this if you are getting a consistent 7+hours of
sleep every night.
Supplementation
Guide
Look for supplements that are as natural as possible with few ingredients.
Try to stay away from products with added sugars and additives.
-Fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, sage, oregano and other herbs are great
whole food sources that contain various phytochemicals that can help
reduce inflammation and improve recovery.
-EPA/DHA: Powerful anti-inflammatory. Take 5g (1 tbsp) of Fish/Krill oil
daily with food. Injured athletes can take double.
-Turmeric/curcumin: Is a powerful anti-inflammatory. Take the
recommended dose and if injured take double.
-Ginger: Another powerful anti-inflammatory. Gravol is a great product.
Take the recommended dose and if injured take double.
-Papain/Bromelain: Enzyme found in Papaya and Pineapple. Both have
anti-inflammatory properties and can also help with digestive issues.
-MSM: Methylsulfonylmenthane is found in onions and garlic. May help
decrease inflammation and joint pain. Take 1-2g daily with food. Injured
athletes may take double.
-Glucosamine Sulfate: Can help alleviate joint pain and inflammation. Take
1-1.5g daily with food. Injured athletes take 2-3g daily with food.
Supplementation
Guide
Additional supplementation
-Vitamin D: Has wide-ranging benefits. Deficiencies in athletes can be
associated with muscle pain, muscle weakness and decreased
performance.
-BCAAs: Enhance muscle protein synthesis and reduces muscle protein
breakdown. 5-10g during and/or after training.
-Glutamine: Can improve exercise tolerance, performance, and recovery in
athletes. 5-15g daily.
-ZMA: Can help with muscle recovery and better sleep.
-Creatine monohydrate: May improve performance in short-duration high-
intensity tasks. Take 3-5g daily.
-Greens Powder: For greater intake of vitamins and minerals
Alcohol
Alcohol doesn’t support your performance or recovery. Therefore, it should
be strictly limited if not outright prohibited. Absolutely no more than 3
drinks per week.
NOTE: The only supplement you are allowed to take while at Indoc is 100%
whey protein.
Female
Considerations
Disrupted menstrual cycles can be a sign of an energy deficit or metabolic
stress. Think of this as a dashboard warning light. This can lead to
hormonal imbalances, which can then cause further issues like bone
density loss. If disrupted menstrual cycles are accompanied by noticeable
dips in performance, get more aggressive with the recovery strategies
above and add more food to your daily intake. Sometimes women with
low body fat can also experience disrupted menstrual cycles. Again just
consider this a warning light and pay close attention to how you’re feeling
and performing. If things are going good, you shouldn’t worry but should
maintain your awareness. If your performance and day to day feeling are
degrading, follow the above recommendation.
