Marginal gains.
With more of an emphasis being placed on the science of human performance in an ever-evolving GAA world, diet has become one of the key components in the life of a GAA player.
Being conditioned requires work. On the field and in the kitchen.
Not only county teams, but club teams all over the country will have talks with nutritionists, they’ll be given fliers, handouts and information on how to fuel their tank in the optimum manner.
Wexford hurler Lee Chin is one of the finest physical specimens in the GAA. We caught up with him recently at a Sure GAA event and he gave us a taste of his typical diet on a training day as he prepares for the upcoming Leinster senior hurling championship.
“You need huge energy levels to get through training sessions and games, and just the whole process of being a GAA player or an athlete,” said Chin.
Below, Chin walks us through a standard day’s eating.
Breakfast
Porridge
Smoothie
“I wake up in the morning and I’ll have my porridge. I know it’s very standard. I’d have a smoothie as well and I have my own specific way of making those. I enjoy having those most mornings, and that would pretty much be it for me in the mornings, I’m not a massive eater in the morning time. I don’t like to over-do it in the mornings.
Lunch
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Some meat – Chicken/Beef/Tuna etc.
“Lunch then – Whether I’m out for lunch or having lunch at home, I’ll generally keep it to a carb-based diet where I’d have a potato or a sweet potato or something like that.
“The protein side of things is huge. I eat a lot of meat, you need the protein to get back into the muscles and prepare them. Obviously the carbs get in and fuel them, but the protein is what gets in and repairs them from tough intensive training.”
Snack
Protein bars
“You’re snacking as well throughout the day on little things. I’m very fond of a Protein Fulfil bar, I genuinely do enjoy eating them. There’s more stuff like that throughout the day.
Pre-training meal
Carbs
“Into the afternoon, before training, I’d always have something that’s pasta baked or maybe even more potato. Something that’s high in carbs is crucial for the energy. I’d often eat a good bit of bread as well, I find bread suits me, it’s a handy way to get carbs in and it’s a great snack as well.”
Post training meal (Dinner)
Spaghetti Bolognese, Chicken, beef etc.
“After training then, we have our own caterers there that dish up whatever it is, some nights it’s Spag Bol, other nights it’s chicken or beef. That’s pretty much my daily diet.
The common denominator is carbohydrates.
Generally, I suppose, my diet would consist mostly of carbs. Carbs are the fuel that are crucial to get yourself up for those high intensity training sessions.”
That’s what it takes.
Sure, Official Statistics Partner of the GAA, has announced the most comprehensive ever season of GAA statistics with new technology, more stats and greater analysis than ever before.
The partnership, which enters its third year, promises to empower GAA fans with a deeper understanding of the components of success by breaking down individual and team statistics through conversation, head to head analysis and easy to digest infographics that explore and expose the numbers behind the performances that set the Championship alight.
