Nutrition For Calisthenics & Street Workout Athletes

We live in a world where every third person will try to convert you to the religion of veganism, and where people don’t eat gluten not because they are intolerant, but because it’s the cool thing to do. We’re hit with buzzwords like ‘organic’ and ‘free-range’, and we buy without doing research, because we are time-poor and sometimes manipulated by clever marketing.

Sometimes these concepts have some merit, but often, we are manipulated into paying top dollar for food that is much the same as the ordinary stuff – if not worse.

For calisthenics athletes in Melbourne and elsewhere, it is important not to get caught up in the disorientating dietary maelstrom but instead to focus on the fundamentals.

Simple sugars include glucose, fructose, sucrose (table sugar) and lactose (the sugar found in milk). They are quick to metabolise and spike your blood sugar giving you that sugar high!

Complex sugars such as starches are much slower to metabolise and have a slower more sustained release of energy.

The simpler the sugar, the closer it will be to 100. This is relevant when discussing food composition, as it can be useful to know how quickly we are able to release energy from food.

Low GI foods are associated with a more progressive release of sugar into the blood and are great for lasting energy and keeping relatively stable blood sugar levels.

High GI foods will instead spike blood glucose and consequently insulin and are associated with sugar highs and lows (this can lead to increased snacking as we try to maintain our sugar levels).

Fibre is also an important food source for the good microbes that live in our guts. Sustaining these microbes is important for overall health as they produce Vitamin K, some B Vitamins and short chain fatty acids that have many important roles in human physiology!

Fat has many roles other than storage, for instance it’s used in the natural synthesis of steroid hormones, cell membranes and bile formation.

Unsaturated fats are found in vegetables, nuts, fish. They are oils, that is, they are liquids at  room temperature.

The body is capable of producing saturated fats on its own and so it is not necessary to eat them. There are however 2 unsaturated fats that we must obtain from our diets Omega 3 and Omega 6 – we say these are essential fats because it is essential that we obtain them from our diets.

Omega 3 and 6 are in equilibrium. It is important to eat them in the correct ratio as they have somewhat antagonistic effects. Omega 6 has inflammatory effects while Omega 3 has anti-inflammatory effects.

Excess Omega 6 fatty acids are also linked with obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and non-alcohol induced fatty liver disease, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer and other diseases. There is no risk of Omega 6 deficiency as it’s ubiquitous in the Western diet.

LDL and HDL are proteins that transport cholesterol (a type of fat) in the blood. HDL rounds up cholesterol and transports it to be stored in the liver. LDL transports cholesterol from the liver to the arteries. LDL is associated with cardiovascular risk because excess cholesterol at the arteries can form plaques – a build up of fat and protein that narrows the blood vessels and leads to atherosclerosis which in causes hypertension and ultimately serious cardiovascular complications such as stroke and coronary heart disease.

By consuming saturated and unsaturated fats, the balance of LDL & HDL can change in the blood. Saturated fats increase the presence of LDL while unsaturated fats increase the presence of HDL. Because of this saturated fats contribute to atherosclerosis while unsaturated fats can help prevent it.    

Although it is generally simplified that all saturated fats are bad and all unsaturated fats are good – each fat has unique chemistry and can have an effect that does not match this umbrella terminology.

Proteins have functions from digestion to metabolism, to forming the structures of hair and nails, and forming the contractile filaments that make your muscles move! They have by far the most diverse myriad of uses of all the macronutrients.

Proteins are made up of amino acids. There are 20 amino acids, each differ by their chemical R group. 9 out of the 20 are essential, meaning we must consume them in our diets.

You can think of amino acids as lego blocks, each having unique chemical properties. Amino acids are chained together to create proteins.

Proteins are then folded into 3D shapes by the nature of the chemistry of their amino acid constituency. Each protein has a unique function.

Plant-based foods, however, generally do not contain all 9. It is therefore important for anyone considering strictly plant-based diets to understand which foods contain which amino acids – and match up their dietary choices with the full range of essential amino acids.

Micronutrients are consumed in much smaller quantities and consist of minerals and vitamins. They are required for many chemical processes in the body, and their lack can cause various ailments.

Magnesium is an important micronutrient for enzymatic reactions, bone strength and neural signalling. It has many purposes, but is especially beneficial for anyone who suffers from muscle cramps and muscle tightness. Any serious athlete should consider its use for muscle relaxation after workouts. 

We can sort your diet out and give you some useful tips.

When do I take protein, and how much? What food groups do I need to eat to help build muscle? Should I be eating carbohydrates if I’m trying to lose weight? 

We can answer all your questions – check out our nutritional guidance service page!