Next Level Performance Training

Athlete Nutrition

2015

Just wanting it isn’t enough.

Make it happen.

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The 6 Commandments of Nutrition for Athletes

1. Eat lean protein with every meal.

2. Eat fruit or vegetables with every meal.

3. Eat carbohydrates from whole, natural sources.

4. Eat healthy fats every day.

5. Drink at least 3 litres of water a day.

6. Have a post-workout recovery shake.

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What can nutrition do for you? Nutrition is the red-headed step-child of the sports and fitness world. We all know it’s there, we know it’s

important, but we treat like it’s just something we have to put up with. In short, it’s an annoying but necessary

evil, right?

Well it’s time to change that way of thinking. The reality is, nutrition is a weapon. But just like any weapon, it can

be used to destroy your competition or you can end up shooting yourself in the leg if you don’t know how to use

it properly.

Athletes (or anyone) that take the time to focus on improving their nutritional habits have a tremendous

advantage over their competition. Benefits include:

Faster recovery from training

More rapid performance improvements (due to faster recovery)

Better body composition

Higher energy levels

Better mental abilities

Better immune function

Athletes that live off KD and Gatorade? Well…pretty much the opposite of all that stuff.

A rant…

We’re not going to lie to you and say that all of your dreams will come true if you just eat some more broccoli.

And to be dead honest with you, there will always be those few athletes who seem to excel to the top despite

following none of the rules. But what we can promise you is even those rule-breakers, despite their immense

talent, are still performing sub-optimally. What a shame.

Don’t waste your time comparing yourself to others. Be the very best only you can be. If you’re truly serious

about taking your dreams as far you can, why turn your back on something as important as putting the right fuel

in your body? Why leave stones unturned? Because donuts taste good? Come on.

Don’t be that athlete that looks back on their career and says “I could have done better.” Believe me, THAT

doesn’t taste very good.

Success starts with a mindset. Wanting it isn’t enough. It’s about doing all of the little things that others aren’t

willing to do. It’s about focusing, bit-by-bit, on getting better every single day. Whether it’s allowing your body

to recover faster, taking time to warm yourself up before games, or getting off of Twitter and cracking a book

every once in a while, it all adds up.

Be the example that everyone looks at and says, “I should be doing that.”

Be a professional.

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Philosophy of Our Approach

Master the Basics

Forget supplements, macronutrient ratios, nutrient timing or other advanced nutritional strategies. 99% of all

athletes need to become masters at the basics before they get into any of that stuff. When do you become a

master? When you no longer have to think about your nutrition. When it just becomes the way you eat. Unless

you can execute the basics consistently for at least a year, there’s no need to worry about anything more

advanced.

Process-oriented goals

Making lifestyle changes are always difficult at first. Although you may be excited and full of confidence at the

start of a program like this, it’s important to understand that those feelings usually go away after a short time.

This is perfectly normal.

“Changing your diet is about changing the habits and routines you’ve established over years of daily

ritual.”

One of the reasons this happens is that results come much slower than you hope. On a personal note, I

remember the very first tub of protein powder I ever bought. I was 16 years old thought it was the answer to all

of my prayers. I even remember the first shake from that tub of protein, half expecting my forearms to start

growing right on the spot. I was both sad and confused when this didn’t happen. I can’t really blame myself since

I didn’t really know any better at the time, but it’s a good example of excitement and energy turning to

disappointment when the results don’t happen overnight.

Anyone can train hard and eat well for a few weeks, but few have the focus to do both month-in and month-out

without fail. That’s why the cornerstone of this program is going to be achieving a high-rate of compliance. This

means that instead of the outcome being the goal (for example, add muscle), we’re going to make consistent

behaviour the goal.

Tools of the Trade

The first thing you’ll need to accept is that you’re going to have to actually prepare the majority of your food.

Going out once and a while is fine when you’re in a pinch, but it can not be part of your plan. Not only is it a

waste of money, but people tend to make very poor choices when they hit a restaurant or fast-food chain.

Preparing your food will save you time, energy, money, and set you up for success in the long run.

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A BIG Lunch Box

We’re talking big. If your friends giving you weird looks about your new piece of luggage, it’s probably a decent

size. You’re most likely going to be away from your kitchen most of the day, so you’re going to need a rugged

and durable container for keeping your food safe and fresh.

Portable Water Container

Again, the bigger the better. We’ve noticed that the larger the container people have, the more water they tend

to drink. It’s all about creating less work for yourself, so the fewer refill trips you have to take, the better. We

recommend getting a bottle made of metal as they tend to be more durable and not likely to contain any toxic

materials found in most plastic bottles. Klean Kanteen is an excellent brand. (www.kleankanteen.com)

Tupperware

Get a good variety of sizes and make sure it’s a good brand. The cheap stuff is hard to clean and will end up

leaking all over your other food. We recommend Rubbermaid (with the red tops) that can be picked up at any

Wal-Mart.

Shaker Cup

You’ll need something for your post-workout and post-game shakes. Head to a GNC and pick up one of their

Blender Bottles for $10, they do the job.

Blender (Optional)

Although it’s not mandatory, a good blender can get you out of a lot of nutritional binds. A couple of reliable

shakes are great for filling in nutritional gaps or getting in some extra calories. We recommend the Magic Bullet,

which can also be found at any Wal-Mart or Canadian Tire. (www.buythebullet.com)

Keys to Success

Start slowly

We can’t emphasize this enough. Thanks to the internet, you have access to the answers of literally any question

that could ever pop into your head. Unfortunately, most people make the mistake of thinking that it’s their lack

of knowledge that holds them back from succeeding in something. Because information is so easy to access

these days, people never take the time to ask themselves if they really lack enough information, or if they just

need to get better at practicing it. For most nutritional issues, this is usually the case. In fact, being bombarded

with too much information at one time can lead to paralysis. People become frozen by all of the good foods, bad

foods, supplements, tips, training programs, and other stupid stuff that internet hucksters are usually preaching

about. Knock it off and just focus on doing the basics day-in and day-out.

“A compliance rate of 90% should be your primary goal on this program.”

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Expect to be uncomfortable

Don’t take the fact that we said to start slowly as some kind of sign that this is going to be easy. Change never is.

Prepare yourself for the fact that you will have to spend some extra time in the kitchen preparing your meals,

you’re might have to spend a little extra money on nutritious foods and supplements, and there are going to be

times when you have to eat even when you don’t want to. The key is to prepare for the discomfort ahead of

time. This will help you accept and deal with it. Take those moments as positive signs because it’s getting

through those moments that truly create lasting change and results.

Knowledge is power

Although the cornerstone of this program is focused on habits and behaviours, we don’t believe in sending you

out into the world with no knowledge of nutrition. You’re only going to be spending a few months at NLPT, and

after that you will resume your normal life with your team. We intend on equipping you with enough knowledge

and skills to maintain your nutritional habits on your own.

Now go forth and eat!

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The Program

Like we said, this program is about becoming a master at the basics. All we’re going to ask you to work on is 6

simple habits…otherwise known as The 6 Commandments of Nutrition for Athletes. Below are the 6

Commandments along with some basic background information to help you get started.

Again, the goal is not to gain or lose weight, but just to get really, really good at executing this stuff on a daily

basis.

One thing….

We HIGHLY suggest you work on one thing at a time. If all of this is completely new to you, don’t overwhelm

yourself with trying to do all them at once. It’s a guaranteed path to failure. Work on one at a time until it

becomes natural and then move on to the next one.

The 6 Commandments

1. Eat lean protein with every meal.

Why this is important

This probably won’t come as a shocker to anyone, but protein is kind of a big deal. It doesn’t matter if you’re

trying to lose fat or gain muscle, protein can assist both goals. How? Protein supports lean muscle growth. More

muscle means a higher metabolism and increased fat oxidation (burning). Protein, unlike fat and carbohydrates,

also takes more energy to break down in your digestive system, which means your body will work harder and

burn more fat stores to get the job done.

How much to eat?

Most nutrition textbooks will say you need 0.8 g/kg of bodyweight of protein per day. This means that a 170lb

person will “need” around 60g of protein a day. To give you an idea of what 60g of protein looks like, here are

some examples:

60g of protein = 2.5 scoops of protein powder OR

2, 6oz chicken breasts OR

10 whole eggs OR

8oz of beef steak

Note, these are not meant to be added together to get 60g. Each one of those foods contains 60g. If you’re

thinking that’s not nearly enough for a whole day, you’re right. What most people don’t read in the nutrition

books is that 0.8 g/kg/day is what is needed to prevent protein deficiency. As active athletes, you should be

interested in what is optimal for your performance, not what keeps you from getting sick.

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As an athlete, you should be looking to get around 2g/kg of bodyweight per day. That means for our 170lb

friend, he’ll be needing around 155g of protein a day. Broken down over 5 meals, that equals out to roughly 30g

per meal. Don’t get too obsessed over the numbers, most athletes will do very well on 25-35g per meal.

You may have heard that high protein diets are unsafe. This is largely a myth that comes from misinterpreting

the findings of nonrelated scientific studies on pathological disease. For healthy, active people with no history of

medical problems, high protein diets have been found to be completely safe in a number of scientific studies:

Poortmans JR & Dellalieux O. (2000). Do regular high protein diets have potential health risks on kidney function

in athletes? International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 10(1), 28-38.

Brandle E, Sieberth HG, & Hautmann RE. (1996). Effect of chronic dietary protein intake on the renal function in

healthy subjects. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 50(11), 734-740.

What 25g-35g looks like:

1, 4oz skinless boneless chicken breast

4 whole eggs

2 whole eggs, and 4-5 egg whites

1 scoop of protein powder

4oz of top sirloin beef steak

½ fillet of salmon

1 cup of 1% cottage cheese

Other sources of protein

Keep in mind that meat and protein powders aren’t the only way to get protein. There are lots of plant-based

sources of protein such as nuts and beans that are great to throw into your meals.

2. Eat a fruit or vegetable with every meal

Why this is important

You probably already know that fruits and vegetables are “healthy”, but do you truly understand why? More

importantly, do you know how they can help you as an athlete? The vitamins contained in fruits and vegetables

allow your body to function properly. In essence, they allow your body to keep building muscle and burning fat.

Good things if you’re an athlete.

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How much to eat?

Let’s just keep it simple and go for at least one serving every meal, but include more if you can. The key is to

choose a variety. If you get in the routine of eating the same fruits and veggies every meal, you’ll likely be

missing out on some important vitamins. Rotate your intake and choose from as many different sources as

possible. Examples include:

Fruits Vegetables

1 banana Half a head of broccoli

1 orange 3 medium-sized carrots

1 apple 1 cup of spinach

1 cup of chopped pineapple 1 sliced pepper

A handful of berries ½ of a cucumber

1 tomato (yes this is a fruit) 1 cup of frozen vegetables

3 slices of pineapple 1 cup of green beans

Strategies for getting this done

Buy Frozen

Frozen vegetables are cheap, sold in large quantities, can be easily incorporated into meals, and still retain a lot

of their nutritional value. They are perfect for meals on the go as well as stir-fry dinners. Frozen berries are also

a great way to go for making shakes, as raw berries are very expensive and don’t have a long shelf-life.

Salads

No, salads are not just for dieting. If you get creative, you can make some very high-calorie, nutritious salads to

take with you to school, work, or the gym. Here’s a quick recipe that takes about 5-minutes to put together:

Walnut Chicken Salad

2 4oz chicken breasts (cooked ahead of time and chopped)

2 cups of spinach

1 handful of raw walnuts

1 chopped apple

1 chopped tomato

2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

Balsamic vinegar to taste

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3. Eat carbohydrates from whole, natural sources

Why this is important

No low-carb for you. You’re an athlete, which means you need plenty of fuel in your system to replenish what

you use during training and competition. We recommend trying to get your carbs from whole, natural sources

that contain fibre and plenty of nutrients rather than from highly-processed glucose-spiking junk foods.

What is a whole food?

A whole food means that it is as close to it’s as close to its natural state as possible. For example, a potato is

more “whole” than a potato chip, even though they both come from the same source. Whole foods tend to have

a better nutrient profile, are lower in additives and preservatives, and in our opinion, taste better.

Food Health Claims

Here’s a word of advice. The harder a food company tries to sell you on the

healthfulness of their food, the less healthy it likely is. There’s no such thing as

healthy chips. I don’t care if they’re gluten-free, wheat-free, additive-free, trans-fat

free, 100% whatever. Just stay away from all that crap and focus on eating more

whole foods. All of that stuff just clouds your judgement and adds to your stress.

Whole Food Examples

Rice

Quinoa

Oats

Whole-grain pasta

Potatoes

Legumes

Organic breads

4. Eat healthy fats every day

Why this is important

Getting the right amount and right kinds of fats in your diet is essential. Fats support brain and nervous system

function, assist with sleep and recovery, help boost testosterone, and help transport essential vitamins and

minerals into your body.

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Healthy fat sources

Animal fats

Nuts

Peanut butter (natural)

Oils (olive oil and organic coconut are

great, avoid most vegetable oils

though)

Avocado

Eggs

Fats to avoid

The kinds of fats that you do want to avoid are trans-fats and hydrogenated oils. These fats are chemically

altered and have been proven to wreak havoc on your arteries and heart. The easiest way to spot them is simply

to look at the ‘ingredients’ list on the back of common foods and the word “hydrogenated _______ oil” will be

listed there.

As a general rule, most processed foods will contain unwanted fats. If most of your diet comes from whole food

sources, this isn’t really a concern.

Below is a great example of why we recommend natural peanut butter. Look at the ingredient list on this jar of

Jif. Notice the hydrogenated vegetable oils, added sugar, and salt. Stay away from this crap!

Peanut butter should have one ingredient: peanuts.

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5. Drink at least 3 litres of water every day

Why this is important

Simply put, this is the easiest thing you can do to start feeling better. Getting properly hydrated will increase

your energy levels, help you recover in between workouts, and dramatically improve your overall health and

body composition.

Strategies for getting this done

Buy a BIG water bottle

Getting enough water from just glasses or water bottles isn’t the most efficient way to get hydrated. The fewer

times you have to refill, the more likely you are to be successful. We suggest buying a large, durable bottle

(preferably metal) so it can go with you on the road. An excellent brand is Klean Kanteen

(www.kleankanteen.com).

Add flavor

Another great tip for drinking more water is to add some flavor to it. Lemon juice, lime juice, and slices of fresh

cucumber, and cinnamon sticks are ways of making this chore taste a little better.

Take big drinks

The real challenge of this habit is that you’re going to have to drink when you’re not thirsty. That means when

you do take a drink, take advantage of it and get a lot in.

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6. Have a post-workout recovery shake

Why this is important

Training is an intense stress on your body that causes muscle damage and depletes them of their energy stores.

If you want your muscles to adapt to this stress (grow), it’s important that you give them the right nutrients to

do so. In order to optimize this recovery in between workouts, it’s best to get those nutrients in as quickly as

possible. The best way to do this is a shake, since solid food can take a few hours to digest.

What’s in a good post-workout shake?

A good shake has two primary components: fast acting carbs and

protein. The carb to protein ratio should be about 2:1. A good mix to

shoot for is about 30-40g of carbs and 15-20g of protein.

BioSteel Advanced Recovery

We highly recommend using BioSteel as your post-workout shake of

choice. Having a pre-mix like BioSteel is the easiest way to ensure

your pre and post-workout needs are taken care of. No measuring or

estimating, just add water and you’re done.

Most importantly, BioSteel is made of high quality ingredients and

has been quality tested to be free of banned substances, which have

been known to find their way into many of the supplements sold in

stores. Cost per serving: $2.81 (2 scoops: carbs 42g, protein 24g)

Make your own

Another great way of getting your shakes made is to make your own mix. The simplest way to do this is to add

some powdered Whey protein to a serving of Gatorade. Most 500ml bottles of Gatorade contain about 35g of

carbs, and a typical “scoop” of protein is about 20g, which means it meets our ratio recommendations. Cost per

serving: $2.90* (Carbs 36g, Protein 24g)

*Based on the cost of a $2, 20oz Gatorade and using a 2lb tub of Kaizen whey protein

Chocolate milk

Chocolate milk is another popular choice for post-workout shakes. The nutrition profile is good, however it does

contain a bit of fat and is a little high in sugar. Combine that with the fact that it’s sometimes difficult to keep

refrigerated AND it can be an expensive option, we feel there are better ways to go. But chocolate milk is a

convenient choice and is certainly better than having nothing at all. Cost per serving: $3.50 for 16oz serving

(carbs 50g, protein 16g).

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Moving Forward

There you have it. While this may seem like a pretty simple list, don’t underestimate its power. A DO NOT make

the mistake of saying “I know that already.” What you know doesn’t matter, it’s what you do that counts.

Moving forward, we are going to equip you with more help in getting these habits done. We’ll be writing

articles, giving out recipe ideas, and of course coaching. If you have questions, problems, doubts or anything else

on your mind, come talk to us and we’ll help you through it.

On the next page is a compliance chart. Tear it off and put it someplace visible like your fridge or bedroom wall.

This isn’t homework and you don’t have to hand it in, it’s entirely for you. If you stick to one of the habits, give

yourself a check-mark. If not…don’t.

Good luck and eat well!

Week No. Week of 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 Total / 42 %

Week 8 (ex) June 3 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 31/42 73%

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The 6 Commandments Compliance Checker

1. Eat lean protein witth every meal =

2. Eat a fruit or vegetable with every meal =

3. Eat carbohydrates from whole, natural sources =

4. Eat healthy fats every day =

5. Drink 3 litres of water every day =

6. Have a post-workout recovery shake after each training session =

=

=

Athletic Nutrition Compliance ChartNext Level Performance Training

24%

36%

ComplianceSUNDAYSATURDAY

25

30

35

40

38

20

15

10

48%

60%

71%

83%

90%

100%

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY