A full day of paintball practice can be long and exhausting. Much more tiring then a paintball match at a tournament. Practice with X-Factor usually starts at 9am and goes until 2-3pm with little to no breaks. This is the norm for most all pro teams, including many divisional teams that have the paint to back the long day of practice. With so many games being played in practice you need to give your body the proper fuel to energize yourself as well as recover properly. Keep in mind, when you are playing for 5-6 hours with little to no rest you cant eat a full meal in between because your body will not digest it properly. So what do you do? You get a viable meal plan in order.
Liquid nutrition during the practice or small meals, backed with solid meals pre and post practice.
Below is an example of what I do during practice.
My pre and post meals are solid foods with whole proteins and complex carbohydrates for sustained energy and recovery. My intra practice meals are mostly liquid or smaller bites of foods with protein, fats and simple carbohydrates packed with higher sugar content for quick release energy.
*I shoot for 2 gallons of water on practice days. Given the amount of sweat that comes with paintball in the hot weather, you need to replenish your H20 and stay hydrated.
7:30am – Pre-Practice Meal
- 1 cup oatmeal
- 5 egg whites
10:00am – Intra Practice Meal
- 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
- 1 green apple
12:00pm – Intra Practice Meal
- 8oz Gatorade
- 25g whey protein
1:30pm – Intra Practice Meal
- 8oz Gatorade
- 25g whey protein
4:00pm – Post Practice Meal
- 8oz grilled chicken
- 1 cup brown rice
- 1-2 sides veggies
- *Chipotle or any restaurant that can match this meal
8:00pm – Dinner/2nd Recovery Meal
- 6-8oz salmon
- Side of veggies
