Performance Nutrition
Pre-Game/Practice/Training Meals:
Competitive lacrosse athletes must consume an ideal pre-game/practice/training meal prior to activity to enhance performance. According to Litt (2004), the purpose of the pre-game/practice/training meal is to keep blood sugar at a normal level to prevent Hypoglycemica (low blood sugar = crashing effect). Consuming a proper pre-game/practice/training meal at the appropriate time allows an athlete to maintain performance by providing sustainable energy.
Pre-game/Practice/Training Meal Guidelines:
- Key timing of an appropriate pre-game/practice/training meal is 2-3 hours.
- Meal should be large enough to prevent hunger during competition/training but not “too large” as to entice bloating or any other gastrointestinal disturbances.
- Food selections should consist of high natural carbohydrate (complex carbohydrates), low protein, and low fat. Protein and fat take longer for the body to digest and absorb.
- Sample pre-game/practice/training meal:
1-2 cups of whole grain pasta with tomato sauce
1 cup mixed vegetables
1 piece of fruit (e.g. pear, apple)
16 oz water
Performance Training Tip #2
Exercise: 3-Cone SLDL (Single-Leg Dead-Lift)
Muscles utilized: Hamstrings
Why is this exercise important for lacrosse-players?
Competitive lacrosse involves a tremendous amount of high-intensity activity that involves simultaneous accelerating, decelerating, changing direction, passing, shooting, checking, and maintaining defensive and offensive body position. During these high-intensity movements, there is a great deal of eccentric force/load produced by the hamstrings. If the hamstrings are not adapted to this type of force, the risk of injury (e.g. muscle strain) is considerably higher. The 3-Cone SLDL (Single-Leg Dead-Lift) exercise forces the hamstrings to produce force eccentrically which is similar to the force exerted in game-like situations.
Coaching cues:
- Stand in a one leg balanced position with knee of the right leg (support leg) slightly flexed (stand approximately 2 feet behind the center cone). *Never lock the knee joint as this places a great deal of stress on the knee joint*.
- Engage the core, lifting the chest and maintaining the natural curvature of the lower back (note: you may consider placing your right hand behind you back as this will assist you in keeping your chest up).
- Initiate the movement at the hips and continue to flex your trunk until you feel a stretch in your right hamstring or you touch the center cone with your left hand. Ensure that the hips remain stable throughout movement (e.g. don't allow hips to move up or down) and push the heel of the left leg back as you descend.
- Hold stretch position for 1 full second and slowly return to the original starting position. Remember to maintain a high chest and lower back curvature throughout the entire movement.
- Repeat movement for the right cone and then the left cone.
- Repeat for left leg.
- 1 set = 12 cone touches (4 center, 4 right, 4 left). Recommended: 3 sets of 12 repetitions.
- Progressions: You may progress this exercise by increasing load by wearing a weighted vest or creating a more unstable environment by standing on an Airex pad or Bosu Ball."
Archived Training Tips
Training Tip #1
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