FF Nutrition Guide
FF Nutrition Guide
This guide is for educational and informative purposes only and is not
intended as medical or professional advice. Always consult your doctor
before making any changes to your diet. The use of diet and nutrition to
control metabolic disorders and disease is a very complicated science,
and is not the purpose of this guide. The purpose of this guide is to
help healthy people gain strength and lose weight by educating them in
proper exercises, weight training and nutrition while using the Funk-Flex
Elite Strength and Conditioning for MMA and Combat Athletes.
No health claims are made for this guide. The nutrition and exercise
guide will not help cure, heal, or correct any illness, metabolic disorder,
or medical condition. The author is not a medical doctor, registered
dietician, or clinical nutritionist; the author is a fitness and nutrition
consultant. If you have diabetes, chronic hypertension, high blood
cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, or any other medical condition
or
metabolic disorder requiring special nutritional considerations, we
suggest you consult a health care professional with a clinical nutrition
background (MD, RD) for your special nutrition program.
- 5 STAPLES 7
- PROTEIN 8
- CARBS 10
- FAT 16
- WATER 20
- VITAMINS 22
- MINERALS 22
6. FUNK POWER 30 29
– CHEAT MEALS 30
INTRODUCTION
One of the main barriers most fighters face is nutrition. Just like workouts, they’re not
sure what to have, how much and when.
Over the years I have spent a tremendous amount of time researching proper sport
nutrition, working with nutritionists, bodybuilders, trainers and sport coaches and
through trial and error have. I myself have tried, tested and proven that the material in
this guide for Elite Nutrition is exactly what you should follow if you want to improve
as a Combat Fighter.
I have had professional and amateur fighters from all disciplines use this diet to help
prepare them for fights. With this they have found they were able to stay strong and lean
without any major muscle or overall strength loss.
The Funk MMA Elite Nutrition Plan is comprehensive support designed to assist you with
your performance and to stay lean, muscular, and strong throughout the year.
Get excited about your nutrition. It’s your body and you should understand everything
you are putting into it. Using this in combination with your weekly workouts and combat
training, your body will have no choice but to respond accordingly. Following these
guides will move you from a possible dream to a virtual certainty.
“I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate
his life by conscious endeavor.”
~Henry David Thoreau~
1 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
Not everyone has aspirations to become a champion, but don’t you want to the leg up on
any of your competition?
If your answer is yes to one or all of these questions, then optimal diet and nutrition
needs to be a main focus in your daily life.
I cannot emphasize enough how important proper nutrition is. In order to train and fight
at your optimal level you need to be healthy and
proper nutrition will keep you from getting sick.
It’s cyclical really.
2 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
Good nutrition also plays an important part in recovery. When you train hard your body
breaks down and needs to rebuild. The only way to minimize injury and recover and
rebuild is to eat the right foods. A good diet helps you manage your weight as well.
This is a sport with weight classes, so you may need to do some weight cutting to get
into the right class for you. Perhaps you want to pack on some pounds and go up one
weight class. The right mixed martial arts diet will let you do it and this Elite Nutrition
Guide will is the key.
To summarize, it is essential that the right nutrients are delivered to the cells for the body
to effectively repair, nourish and rebuild. With the right nutrients fighters will lose fat,
enhance performance and reduce injuries.
NUTRITION BASICS
WHAT TO EAT
The term nutrition is the overall process of ingestion, digestion, absorption, and
metabolism of food. All of these processes allow the nutrients from food to be
assimilated and utilized by the body.
The nutrition needs of Combat athletes and physically active individuals differ from
sedentary individuals in that physical activity boosts caloric needs. However, certain
guidelines and recommendations that sedentary populations employ may apply to
athletic populations (i.e., timing of nutrient intake, increase carbohydrate consumption,
etc). Therefore, it is important to understand the basic, underlying principles of nutrition
and nutrients so this information can
be understood and applied in practice.
3 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
WHAT IS NUTRITION?
BY FUNK ROBERTS & LAURA DISCEPOLA (FIT TO EAT)
The great debate...is nutrition (aka “diet”) or exercise more important for your health?
The answer, both! Exercise (cardiovascular, flexibility and strength training) is essential
for heart health, building strong muscles, joint mobility, for healthy bones and burning off
those extra calories however, nutrition will greatly affect how you feel, your energy levels
and your overall health from the inside-out!
Once you start eating well and your nutrition is optimal, you will not only shed those
unwanted pounds but you will surely feel great too!
Not all foods are created equal and not all foods provide nutrients to your body. In fact,
some actually harm your body and cause illness, disease and an overall unhealthy you!
If you want to train at peak performance, lose weight and feel great, you have to eat the
right foods, the right amount and in proper combination – it’s quite simple in fact!
4 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
sent into fat storage if it they are not needed so over consumption, even from ‘healthy’
food, is still something to beware of when eating on a daily basis.
We will show you how to eat in order to keep your metabolism in full gear and energy
levels high using all the calories you are feeding it.
The Elite Nutrition Plan for MMA and Combat athletes is quite simple: consume
the micronutrients (vitamins, minerals and water) and macronutrients (proteins,
carbohydrates and fats) that your body is requires for optimal performance, energy,
health and body weight.
In simpler terms, the meals you will be eating are well-balanced and as a result, you will
get the necessary amount of proteins, carbohydrates,
healthy (omega-rich) fats, vitamins, minerals and water
your body needs.
You will be focusing on eating the foods you can have, not
the one’s you can’t. There is nothing more discouraging
than a long list of things you can’t do or can’t have.
Instead, you will have the foods you can and should have
that re right for your body and will help your goals of
achieving your optimal health and weight!
Lets’ not forget the fats. Yes, you get to indulge in fats
as well but the healthy ones for the most part. Some of
your fat finds will be foods such as assorted nuts and their
oils (almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, etc...all unsalted
however). Let’s not forget nut butters (almond, organic
peanut, cashew, etc), plus foods like avocado, extra-virgin
olive oil, omega-3 eggs, salmon, seeds and their oils (flax,
sesame, sunflower, poppy, pumpkin, etc.). Hungry yet?
5 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
You will quickly learn and live by the saying “you are
what you eat” because once you feel the benefits of
optimal nutrition, you won’t want to go back to your
old eating patterns and like me, you may even find
yourself craving vegetables.... yes vegetables!
6 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
5 STAPLES OF NUTRITION
FOR FIGHTERS
Here are the key components to a fighter’s diet that will help
propel you to compete at the highest level in mixed martial arts.
7 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
PROTEIN
FUNK PROTEIN RULE
YOU MUST EAT A SOURCE OF PROTEIN WITH
EVERY MEAL AND SNACK.
Protein needs to be an essential part of a fighters diet. The amino acids in protein are
involved in building muscles, bones, ligaments and tendons.
Protein is responsible for assisting with growth and repair of muscles and tissues. It is
also necessary for the formation of different enzymes, hormones, antibodies, cell repair,
vision, fluid balance, and blood clotting thus an obvious necessity in our diet. Protein
provides 4 calories per gram however fitness and nutrition professionals are forever
discussing the amount of energy required to break down the amino acid chains found
in protein through the digestion process which occurs in the stomach.
8 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
AMINO ACIDS
Proteins are chain-like molecules made up of
individual links called amino acids and are the
basic chemical building blocks of life. There are
over 22 different amino acids and the human
body can produce 13 of these non-essential
amino acids (known as non-essential because
the body can manufacture them), and 8-10
amino acids, known as essential amino acids
which the human body cannot produce and
hence need to be consumed through food.
The essential ones are: isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine,
tryptophan, valine and – Arginine and histidine (the last two are semi-essential as they
are needed until adolescence).
Although quick and convenient, my suggestion it to try to eat actual solid foods and
not drink your food more than once or twice a day.
9 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
CARBS
FUNK CARB RULE
EAT STARCHY CARBS WITH IN AN HOUR AFTER YOUR
TRANING OR WORKOUT SESSION.
When it comes to food choices that can boost
your energy, stamina and overall performance, one
macronutrient stands head and shoulders above
the rest...Carbs.
Carbohydrates play a number of roles in the body. Two of the primary functions of
carbohydrates are to provide glucose for the brain and energy for working muscles.
Carbohydrates are stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen. Glycogen allows fighters
to train for a sustained period of time, spar for 10 rounds or fight in the cage.
Carbohydrates are the body’s first and preferred energy source not only for daily activity
but also for your brain and red blood cells, so yes, they are very important so make sure
you consume enough of the right kind which you will learn to do throughout this section
Sources of carbohydrates come from fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes. No matter
the type of carbohydrate, they are all converted to glucose (a unit of energy) used by
the body. This is done through digestion of the carbohydrate which occurs in the mouth
with the help of saliva (and amylase, an enzyme found in the saliva) to breakdown the
carbohydrate into glucose before it leaves your mouth and enters your stomach.
10 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
it overflows and your glycogen stores are no different. Excess glucose will be stored in
your body as body fat when the liver and muscles are at capacity so beware of loading
up on those carbohydrates in one sitting, especially the simple carbohydrates!
The trick to carbs is eating the right ones and staying away from the bad carbs.
SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES
(Disaccharides)
The refined sugars (found in most simple carbohydrates except fruit) have very little, if
any, nutritional value other than the calories they contain. Yes, I am aware that they taste
sweet and delicious but not without serious repercussion on your waist line, your health,
body and your life so why consume them?
11 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
• White sugar
• Brown sugar
• Confectioner’s Sugar
• Rice Syrup
• Caramel
• Maple syrup
• Corn syrup
• Honey
• Molasses
• Cakes
• Pastries
• Candies
• Doughnuts
• Chocolate
• Juices
• High sugar cereals
• Breads
• Pastries
• Cookies
COMPLEX
12 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
CARBOHYDRATES
(Polysaccharides)
13 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
Since soluble fiber dissolves in water, it forms a gel and adds bulk and softens your
stools. As a result, it expands in your stomach and it helps to delay the emptying time of
the stomach after a meal keeping you full longer. It is important however to ensure you
are consuming water with fiber for it to do its job efficiently. Insoluble fiber on the other
hand is exactly as it states, insoluble, and for this reason it does not dissolve in water
however it does make up the bulk of your stool helping it along it’s trajectory through the
intestinal track to then be excreted.
The health benefits of fiber as a whole are numerous and necessary for your digestion,
detoxification and colon health. Fiber (both soluble and insoluble) will help:
• Decrease constipation
• Promotes regular bowel movements
• Decrease the occurrence of intestinal disorders
• Lowers blood fats
• Boots one’s energy levels
• Improve one’s immunity
• Control diabetes
• Control cravings
• Helps to reduce the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream
• Decrease the risk of cancer of the colon
• Decrease the risk of heart disease
• Decrease cholesterol in the blood
• Decrease the occurrence of gallstones
• Helps control obesity
It is amazing that even with all of the above mentioned health conditions, the majority
of North Americans are still not getting even half of their daily recommended dosage of
fiber in a day (25-30 grams)!
14 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
As you read earlier on, Carbohydrates are the body’s main and preferred fuel source
so ensuring that you have a meal before a workout will enable you to have your best
workout as your energy levels will be high, you will have better concentration, endurance
and burn more calories as a result!
If your training session is going to go over an hour, slower burning carbs like brown pasta,
oatmeal, yams or brown rice whole grains are great choices because they provide a more
sustained energy over a longer period of time.
It is safe to start with about 1 gram of carbs per 3 pounds of your bodyweight. (So if
you weight 180lbs you would consume 60 grams of carbs). As you gauge your levels of
energy during training, you may need to add 10-15 grams of carbs, especially if you find
yourself lethargic well before your session is over
15 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
By replenishing the carbs that you burned in the hour or so after the session you actually
put the body in a better position to perform at a high level again, sooner.
Something to consider is that when there are not enough carbohydrates in your body
and you are performing a high intensity activity, the secondary fuel source in this case is
protein.
Not only is protein not a clean fuel source (due to nitrogen) but it is talking away from
your muscles and hence will have a mor e difficult time repairing and restoring those
muscles after your workout.
The only time your body will use fat as a secondary fuel source is at a low-intensity
level of exercise. Thus, if you eat too few carbohydrates when performing high intensity
exercises, protein is used instead of fat so in order to use fat as your energy source; you
must reduce the intensity of your activity.
16 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
FATS
FUNK HEALTHY FAT RULE
EAT A SOURCE OF HEALTHY FATS WITH EACH MEAL
EXCEPT BEFORE TRAINING.
For a fighter healthy sources of fat will help nourish your
body and athletic performance.
SATURATED FATS
Are solid at body temperature and have been linked to increased
cholesterol, heart disease and stroke. A diet high in saturated
fats is considered the least healthy. Saturated fats tend to come
from animal sources (with the exception of tropical oils such
as coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil which are all high in
saturated fats). Saturated fats are found in meats, butter, lard and
dairy products. Picture that steak in the butcher counter full of
white marbling – looks delicious doesn’t it? Well, that marbling
is saturated fat and as it sits then solid throughout the steak, it
is doing the same thing in your arteries, not so healthy now is
it? Instead, when selecting a steak from the butcher, choose one
with no or very little marbling such as beef tenderloin. Any fat
that is solid in any way is saturated.
17 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
The downside to saturated fat (in relation to body fat and weight) is that your body
does not know what to do with saturated fat. It knows that it negatively affects your
cardiovascular health however it cannot find a positive twist to its properties and as a
result it directly deposits the fat into your fats cells of your body and is there to stay
only stretching out your already existing fat cells to add inches to your hips, thighs and
butts! Do you still want to consume saturated fats? Of course I realize that you cannot
omit them from your diet 100% because even very lean protein sources do have a small
amount of saturated fat but they will be monitored and limited throughout the program.
UNSATURATED FATS
18 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
Trans-Fats
An unnatural polyunsaturated fat known as trans-fats goes through a process of
hydrogenation.
Essentially, these fats will increase oxidation which will help burn off excess body fat.
Yes, you need fat to burn fat but not any kind, only the essential fatty acids omega-3 and
omega-6.
19 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
WATER
FUNK WATER RULE
DRINK AT LEAST 2 GALLONS OF WATER PER DAY
The most important nutrient in your body is
water. You can survive indefinitely without
carbohydrates, you can live for days without
proteins and fats, but without water on a daily
basis and you will die.
Replacing water lost during training is vital to both performance and health. Staying
hydrated is key. How do you know when you have enough water in your system? An
athlete who is properly hydrated will have urine that is light in color, large in volume, and
has minimum odor. With the exception of those taking vitamins, poorly hydrated athletes
have dark yellow urine with a strong odor. Drink plenty of water before, during, and after
exercise.
Water helps flush out toxins in the body (through urination and perspiration) and also
aids most of our bodily functions, including the digestive process. Adequate water
intake will keep constipation at bay, especially when dietary fiber has been increased.
It’s important to drink water in between meals however, and not during meals, to avoid
diluting our digestive juices which would otherwise slow down the digestion of food.
20 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
Water also promotes blood circulation by raising blood volumes, thereby maintaining the
flow of oxygen to our muscles. This helps keep our energy levels up.
In the instances that you do buy bottled water, avoid reusing these bottles
at all cost! The chemical leakage continues and accelerates when reused.
This in turn increases the carbon footprint on our precious Earth, making
plastic bottled water an unsustainable water source.
21 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
We often solely associate losing weight with our macronutrient intake, i.e. consumption
of fats, carbohydrates and proteins. Yet an adequate vitamin intake is equally as
important for healthy, sustainable weight loss as the healthier we are, i.e. when our bodily
systems function optimally, the easier it becomes to loose and maintain a healthy weight.
The B vitamins play an vital role in weight loss, specifically Vitamins B1 (Thiamine), B2
(Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), B5 (Pyridoxine), B6 (Pantothentic Acid ) and B12 which support
everything from thyroid function, to metabolism for energy.
Choline and Chromium also promote metabolism and maintaining balanced blood sugar
levels to curb cravings.
Recent studies also suggest that Vitamin C can affect the rate at which fat is burned, i.e.
the more citrus fruits and other foods high in Vitamin C that are consumed, the more fat
is burned.
22 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
• Are responsible for keeping cells strong, binding tissues, fighting infections, etc.
• Help regulate metabolism
• Help convert fat and carbohydrates into energy
• Assist in forming bone and tissue
MINERALS
Minerals also play an important role in weight loss and maintenance. They are natural
elements found in the soil, and when ingested, support numerous functions in the body
thereby maximizing energy levels for exercise!
Sodium (also known as salt) regulates water distribution in our cells. Although it is
required to prevent dehydration, we are more likely to have an excess rather than
deficiency, so intake should be limited to a natural source of sodium e.g. sea salt as much
as possible.
Potassium controls the transmission of nerve impulses, and also prevents muscles from
overheating when exerted, supporting our ability to exercise efficiently.
Calcium helps control muscle contraction and regulates most of the chemical reactions in
our body. It is the most abundant mineral in our bodies.
23 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
Prepare your meals beforehand so you do not find yourself slipping into eating the junk
food that may readily be available. Being prepared keeps you focused and on the right
track to success.
Ensure that your pre-training meals are planned with slow digesting carbohydrates and
faster digesting carbs for after training.
Prepare your food and meals in bulk and refrigerate them for ease of use. This will help
you create meals quickly and without effort, preventing you from reaching for the wrong
things. Cooking in bulk is great so that you don’t have to cook one or two chicken breasts
from scratch. It can become quite the hassle if you have to get out the pots and pans
every minute to cook something. Use Sundays as your planning and preparing day.
When you are prepared you can handle emergencies much better, like when you are
stuck without having any healthy snacks and resort to eating foods that will only hinder
your training or make you lethargic
Plan your grocery list too. You will see that I have included a grocery list of literally what
I get each time I do a big shop. Use the Funk Power 30 Foods List ad shopping checklist
to help you.
24 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
Proper nutrition is the key to getting a consistent and effective workout. Now depending
on what your goals are will determine some of your food choices. If you are trying to bulk
up or add crazy muscle, you will eat a bit different from someone that is trying to lose
weight, slim down or get ripped.
A bodybuilder wants to eat more egg whites and tuna whereas someone trying to lose
weight would opt for whole-wheat pastas and salads. Remember to gain weight you
must take in more calories than you burn. To lose weight, you must burn more than you
take in.
I bolded that line because I know so many people that do not follow the rule of eating no
longer than 1 hour after working out. If you are not doing it now, then start today.
25 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
POST WORKOUT
Post workout you can increase the carbs and protein to
restore those muscles.
Some suggestions are:
• Post Workout Drink with 3-1 Carbs to Protein
• Bagel with jelly
• Baked potato
• Stir-fried chicken and vegetables over brown rice
• Eggs
26 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
• Fish
• Beans
• Watermelon, banana
• Sports Drink – throw some protein in it
Meats, doughnuts, fries, potato chips, and candy bars should be avoided.
I suggest not have any sugar prior to your workout, as some people do not perform well
after a blood glucose spike.
If you’re squeezing a workout into a busy schedule, you may be tempted to grab a
protein bar on the way out the door, but DON’T DO IT.
Most bars are “glorified candy bars, often providing even more
calories and are likely to be loaded with sugar.
27 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
Why is Your Post Workout Nutrition The Most Important of the day?
1. Recovery
During training or your workout session because of the high intensity you’ve totally depleted
your muscle glycogen, your blood sugar’s dropped, and your muscles have been broken
down. You need the proper nutrients after your training session so that you can body can
recover and repair, continue to burn fat and feed your muscles so they can grow.
2. Metabolic Rate
The focus behind this Nutrition Plan is to help you burn fat and keep your metabolism
high so that we are constantly burning calories. If you are not eating the right foods after
your workout session your blood sugar levels will not normalize, which in turn causes
your body to go into a catabolic effect.
Catabolism will cause you lose your muscle and slow down your metabolism. These
are roughly 60-minute window post workout that your body needs nutrients. It is
so important that you eat during this time. For the Combat Athlete who is training to
keep your muscle mass and burn fat, if you miss this window you WILL slow down you
metabolism and feel sluggish for the rest of the day. Which isn’t helping you accomplish
your goal either.
So what should you eat during your Post Workout Recovery? About 15 minutes after
your finished training you want to ingest a post workout drink. The body digests it much
quicker and nutrients get your body almost immediately.
1. Protein
To repair or build muscle mass.
You can use protein powder like whey because it’s the fastest
digesting protein.
And your fast digesting carbs (simple sugar) can come in the form
of fruit, juice, a sports drink like Gatorade (this is the ONLY TIME you should drink
Gatorade), or even skim milk.
I use Prograde Post Workout Drink because it already comes mixed with two to one
carbs to protein.
28 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
It’s no wonder at 44 years old I feel like I’m 20. These are the foods that should be in
your kitchen at all times.
REFER TO THE
FUNK POWER 30 FOOD
EBOOK AND GROCERY LIST
29 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
Real foods don’t have as many calories, and they don’t have near the amount of terrible
side effects
CHEAT MEALS
I get asked quite a bit if having “cheat days” are okay. A “cheat Day” for those of you
that are not up to speed is usually a dedicated day most people have to eat whatever
they want.
I AM NOT a fan of cheat days, as most people just end up people overindulging and all
the hard work performed during the previous week goes to waste because of the excess
calories they consume.
I AM a fan of a cheat meal once a week. I encourage a cheat meal because it can throw
your metabolism into hyper drive. You see when you are eating healthy and clean your
body gets used to processing the same types of foods over and over again and then
when you eat something your body isn’t used to, your body has to work much harder to
metabolize it, hence speeding up your metabolism and burning more calories.
They key is one cheat meal a week, NOT cheat day. If you can, try to eat your cheat meal
earlier in the day to give yourself a better chance at burning it off during training. When
having a cheat meal, make sure you consume protein with your meal as it slows down the
digestive process and you are still getting some nutritional value out of your meal.
If you do make it a plan to cheat then having one cheat meal a week will not hinder your
progress at all. It will also keep you from going crazy and help motivate you to stay on
track with your elite nutrition.
30 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
2. You must eat REAL FOOD meal within an hour after your training.
(This does not include post workout drink right after. You still need to eat real food)
4. Plan and Prepare your Meals – Plan out your meals on a weekly or daily basis.
This will help you to make sure that you are getting the proper nutrition. You
have to have food ready to eat at all times. Leave room to be flexible.
6. Eat Clean – Your nutrition plan should have complex carbs, lean proteins, and
unsaturated fats. Add lean meats, fruits, vegetables, Greek yogurts, nuts, fish,
poultry, legumes, and whole grains.
8. Eat Smaller Meals more Often – Eat 6 small meals per day. Eating more
frequent will give you more energy throughout the day, keep your body
burning fat, help keep the blood sugar levels stable and help you to avoid
binging. Add another meal if you feel like you have no energy or if you
have a LONG DAY
9. Eat veggies with every meal and snack (Vegetables are like having free food.
They have little calories yet the body expends more energy to metabolize them
10. Use the grocery list I supplied of the Funk Power 30 Foods to ensure you
are purchasing the right foods to keep you at optimal level of training
and health
31 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
BREAKFAST/PRE
BREAKFAST BREAKFAST
WORKOUT MEAL
TRAINING/WORKOUT
AM SNACK MID-MORNING SNACK
SESSION – (START 8:30-
9:00AM)
LUNCH/PRE WORKOUT
POST WORKOUT DRINK LUNCH
MEAL
TRAINING/WORKOUT
PRE-WORKOUT MEAL-
AFTERNOON SNACK SESSION – (START 1:30-
DRINK
2:30PM)
TRAINING/WORKOUT
DINNER POST WORKOUT DRINK SESSION – (START 6:30-
7:00PM)
DINNER/POST WORKOUT
BEDTIME PROTEIN PM SNACK
MEAL
32 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
The goal of my plan is that you NOT have to cut so much weight days before the fight.
This meal plan keeps you cutting throughout the camp, while sustaining your muscle
mass and keeping your strength.
If you are preparing for a fight and need to cut, being 8 to 12 lbs. above your targeted
weight class will make the cut go much more smoothly.
What you weigh in at the completion of your diet depends upon body fat and how much
muscle mass you have.
The FunkMMA Nutrition Plan isn’t about building huge muscle mass and packing on
weight. The diet is designed to maintain current muscle mass or possibly build a little,
increase strength and decrease body fat so you can have the leanest and meanest
physique possible.
33 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
Final Thoughts
For You to Remember
HEALTHY FATS
Make sure you do not shy away from healthy fats, which are essential and derive
from – omega oil, fish, walnuts, olive oils, seeds and avocados. Eat healthy fats
with all meals except before you train.
WATER
Drink at least 2 gallons of water per day and make sure to drink water
throughout your training session.
MULTIVITAMIN
Take a multivitamin every morning with your breakfast.
34 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com
Funk & FLEX ELITE NUTRITION FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
FUNK POWER 30
GROCery SHOPPING lISt
Tomatoes
DRINKS Oats
Water Quinoa
Beans
Berries
Apples
35 FUNK & FLEX ELITE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING // NUTRITION GUIDE // www.funkflexmmaworkouts.com