How to Eat Right as a Volleyball Player

Like many sports it is important to eat right and prepare well for your competition. Volleyball is no different to this. It is vital that you prepare correctly for a competition ahead so that you can play as well as you can. Who knows you might even make it professional and people will be watching you, betting on you from new betting apps or taking inspiration from you all because you prepared correctly.

For a volleyball player it is imperative to keep your body fat low and have strength in your upper body, so eating the correct foods to either keep you that way or help you become that way.

So what are the correct things to do so that you keep yourself lean and fit for each game or training session?

1. Eat Carbs

Carbohydrates are incredibly important for a volleyball player as they provide the energy you need to power through in some seriously tough games or training sessions. However, eating the correct carbs is important, starchy carbs like potatoes and white rice are the wrong types of food to be eating as a volleyball player. Eating carbs such as grains, brown rice, whole meal pasta and quinoa are a great way of getting the energy you need.

2. Recover with protein

Proteins help rebuild muscle after those tiring training sessions and grueling games. Whilst the body is fatigued muscles need to be repaired so that they can be used quickly once again. Eating foods like lean red meat, seafood, chicken/ turkey, lentils and Quorn are a great source of protein meaning you will keep lean and feel good for it.

3. Fruit and veg

This might seem like an obvious one as we all need to be eating our fruit and vegetables but this is a great way to fill up and stay healthy. Fruit and vegetables are a great source of vitamin and keep you fit during the season. There will be nothing worse than falling ill right before a big game because you were not protecting yourself by eating fruit and vegetables.

4. The right fat

This does not mean late trips to McDonalds on a Friday night! Eating the correct fats is important for helping to maintain proper vascular function. Stick to “good” unsaturated fats in moderation to aid your vascular function. The ideal foods to eat are nuts, fish, olive oil and avocado because they are filled with natural fats rather than saturated trans-fats.

5. Hydrate properly

Volleyball is an intense sport. You need to have extreme levels of concentration and awareness, with the need to spring into action quickly a constant. Drinking plenty of water will keep your brain cells active throughout the game meaning you will be more alert to the game proceedings. Between 200-300ml is the ideal amount pregame as it not only hydrates the brain and body but also prepares the gut to accept more water during the game.

6. Choose the right time to eat

Eating before a game or competition can be detrimental unless you eat at the right time. Usually 2-4 hours prior to a match is the best time to eat as this avoids making you feel bloated when playing. A carbohydrate rich meal is importation prior to a game as you will need that energy. Meals like toast with avocado, pasta with tomato sauce, porridge with blueberries or yoghurt and fruit will be a sensible choice pre game.

Whilst in a competition, they can be long days for volleyball players so eating is important to fuel energy. Eating muesli, fruit bars or carbohydrate bars are perfect at giving that much needed boost.

7. Recovery

Finally, you need to recover well. Recovery is just as important as preparing for a competition. There are plenty of nutritional recovery snacks and bars that can help such as milk drinks, sports bars with lots of protein and fruit smoothies.

However, full meals such as homemade pizzas, chicken risotto or grilled salmon and vegetables are a perfect way for a volleyball player to recover after a competition or hard training session.

So follow these tips to help improve your nutritional aspect of volleyball and you will see great improvements in your game. Remember to practice all of these tips in plenty of advance before competitions to see the effects of your hard nutritional work. In order to stay on top remember to be organized and take all your snacks, drinks and food to competitions so you can perform to the highest of your ability.

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