I had an incredible opportunity to see world-class athletes this weekend – the final day of an AVP tournament where I watched the U.S. battle Brazil. The athletes:
Phil Dalhausser
Todd Rogers
Misty May-Treanor
Kerri Walsh
Juiliana Felisberta Silva
Larissa Franca
Alison cerutti
Harley Marques
Absolutely amazing performances! These athletes take what seems to be a chaotic game and make it look so easy and graceful.
When it comes to body composition, beach volleyball players are near the top of the pack. When you need to move around in the sand, jump, dive, cut, pivot and take off after a wayward ball, you don’t want to be carrying around non-functional body fat, and these athletes definitely weren’t. I’d be willing to bet their diets are pretty strict to keep them looking and functioning like that. That type of body doesn’t happen by accident.
It’s important to understand that an elite athlete’s diet is tweaked for performance first (at least it should be) and aesthetics and health are a secondary consideration. So, don’t think that the food choices an athlete makes apply to you. The players of the AVP might not perform well on a strict weight loss plan like S.P.E.E.D. and you might not be able to achieve the look you want with a diet like theirs. However, certain athletes could apply some of the principles and do very well, especially weight-class athletes like boxers, wrestlers, MMA fighters, etc. and most of the core principles of a healthy diet apply to all of us:
eat real food and focus on quality
take a few necessary supplements
eat 30+ grams of protein per meal
measure/weigh all foods
journal intake
So, whether you’re an athlete or not, if you’re not doing at least these steps, you’re not on S.P.E.E.D. and you’re not on the best path to weight loss and your ideal body!
The AVP on S.P.E.E.D.?