Athletic Series: Queal Fuels Your Game

The Biggest Upset of the Year

 

Source: The Guardian

I recently watched the rerun of one of the biggest upsets in the history of MMA, UFC 196. I expected MMA superstar and Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor to bring home a huge victory over Nate Diaz. Unfortunately, he lost by way of rear-naked choke (go jiu-jitsu!) and was humble in defeat. But what really intrigued me was Conor. More specifically, his motivation on how and why he was defeated.

He indicated during the post-fight press conference that he fought in a non-energy efficient way. His range was off with his punches & kicks and he lost almost all his energy, which caused him to get stuck in panic mode instead of being comfortable and relaxed while fighting. This got me thinking…in what ways can a fighter prepare himself nutrition-wise to be on top of his energy level? What will fuel his game?

 

Queal Athletic and Jiu-Jitsu

About 7 months ago, I started training in Brazilian-Jiu-Jitsu at the Renzo Gracie Holland gym in Breda, The Netherlands. During those first couple of months I learned some fundamentals, began a strength and conditioning routine, and became a rag-doll (in the most positive way) for the more advanced belts. For most of the rolling sessions I played my game of surviving submission attempts, countering take-downs, and being able to keep breathing.

 

The one thing that frustrated me the most was my overall conditioning. Within a couple of minutes of sparring I lost my energy rather quickly and that got me thinking: I have to focus on giving my body the fuel that it needs in order to survive jiu-jitsu classes and ultimately start leading a better life.

Since last January I started to take a better look at my diet and what I’ve been putting into my own body. Around the same time, I was offered a new job at Queal within the sponsoring and sports marketing department. After the first couple of client visitations I began wondering why these athletes need their supplements and why they think Queal is a good addition to their diet.

Before you are going to make accusations that I am biased because I am working for Queal, I have to admit that you are a bit right. However, regardless of the fact that Queal is my first ever nutrition supplement and meal replacement, the last thing I want to do is put junk in my body. I want to use this blog in the most interactive way possible. I want to learn how the human body works and how we can optimise its performance by giving it all of the nutrition it needs. I would like to achieve this with the help of the people I come across, the (affiliate) nutritionists at Queal, several research centres across the country, and you!

 

How I Use Queal

 

That’s me in the middle!

So, do I really need nutritional supplements? Well no, not in the beginning. I am meeting all my vegetable and fruit requirements, eating enough protein and carbohydrates, and I am hydrated enough while training. So why the interest in Queal? Well, I am using it as a body booster.

I first asked myself, what does a human body need in order to normally function? I got some advice from several sponsored athletes and gyms and I found out that 97% of all people need their Reference Daily Intake (RDI) of 55%-60% Carbohydrates, 30% fats, 10%-15% of proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water in order to live healthy¹.

One bag of Queal, mixed with water, offers 100% of RDI intake, which basically means that you can live off of it and hypothetically stop eating traditional food entirely. However, I do not want to jump to conclusions, and I want to be able to enjoy a steak and a beer every once in a while.

The nutritional needs of athletes have been the focus of what they eat, when they eat, and which nutritional supplements they need to be taking to maximise performance. I do not consider myself a fighter, but I am a jiu-jitsu practitioner that endures some high-intensity training three times a week. And since I have a regular job and a study I need to attend to, prepping a good meal that meets all of my RDI is simply a difficult and time-consuming task.

So I’ve started to use Queal Athletic a couple of hours before my training. After a normal and balanced breakfast and lunch, I fill my shaker bottle up with 1/3 of a bag of Queal (this corresponds with a 3rd of my RDI, thus the term “body booster)”. After about three hours I hit the mats and begin training.

Results after one month? I have the feeling that I have more energy during training, which results in me keeping up with the higher belts and I can last longer rounds…or seconds. Also, my body recovers far faster than it usually did. I have the feeling that Queal gives me an edge during training because of the continuous release of fast and slow carbohydrates, which is what I was looking for all along. So I think it is safe to say that Queal fuels my game.

I will keep you posted on how Queal influences both my personal work-out and the work-outs of other athletes that I come across during my daily work routine within sports marketing and sponsoring. And since I am still learning the ins and outs of sports nutrition, I am more than open for any tips and tricks.

Feel free to let me know in the comments section below!

 

¹ Hoffman, JR. Physiological Aspects of Sport Training and Performance. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics,2002

Written by Maurice, published by Floris