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"Only ladies need water during practice!" - The Lies Your Coach Told You

Men's Fitness, Feb, 2004 by M. John Fayhee

His name was Coach DeBolt, now deceased. He was in his 50s, sported the most flattened nose I'd ever seen, and never appeared in public wearing anything other than a gray sweat suit--with high-waisted BIKE-brand shorts worn over them. The best way to describe him is to say that after years under his guidance. I never knew his first name; even his wife called him "Coach." I bet instead or saying "I do" on his wedding day, he blew his whistle and told his new bride to drop and give him 20 right there at the altar.

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If you played high school sports a decade ago, you had your own Coach DeBolt. Sadly, much of what these old-time disciplinarians laid on us about fitness, health, and sports psychology has not only crumbled under the research tests of time but is now considered flat-out bunk. Even dangerous. Since so many of us got our first dose of fitness misinformation from these whistle-blowing Torquemadas, MF figured now was the time (since we're approaching the age when body parts will start to pop and make loud noises) to revisit the most outrageous tales they told us. If not because we labored through the pain and verbal lashings only to limp our way onto the school bus the following morning, then because there's a great chance we could pass on this foul knowledge to the youngsters in our charge.

"ONLY LADIES NEED WATER DURING PRACTICED!" HYDRATION WAS USED AS A REWARD (and a smoke-break opp for Coach), not as a means of maintaining performance. "The process of trying to build mental toughness by limiting intake translated to poor performance and a potentially lifethreatening situation" says Dave Zaitz, who has worked as an athletic trainer for the University of Colorado football team and the Denver Broncos. NOW WE KNOW Fluids don't cause cramps. A decrease in just 1-2% of your body weight during activity could be dangerous. "And it hurts performance" explains sports nutritionist Chris Mohr, R.D. If you weigh 200 pounds and sweat out just two pounds, which is likely going to happen, you're going to feel it. THE NEW PLAYBOOK Rehydrate with about 6-8 ounces of fluid every 10-15 minutes. Since you would rather focus on your workout than on counting ounces, drink some fluid every chance you get.

"WANNA LOSE THOSE POUNDS, FAT BOY? START SWEATIN!" MANY WERE THE STRUGGLING overweight teen athletes who were forced to run extra laps in the summer heat in order to lose excess flab. NOW WE KNOW "What you had were kids who were overweight because of metabolism combined with a poor diet at home," says Ted Layne. According to the

American College of Sports Medicine, the average weekly weight loss among high school and college wrestlers is 4-5 pounds. That's too much, too fast. "Assuming someone is overweight, the safe and healthy weight loss is about 1% of body weight per week" says Dr. Howard Rankin, author of The TOPS Way to Weight Loss. THE NEW PLAYBOOK The only way to lose weight is through sensible diet and exercise. And some shaming. Exercising in the heat doesn't make you burn more calories. That is, heat speeds water loss but doesn't help you shed fat. So abandon the sweat suit and forget about the sauna (except for the girl talk on page 30).

"EAT MEAT BEFORE THE GAME, YOU ANIMALS!"

WHERE THERE IS A LACK OF TALENT or spirit (most likely resulting from poor motivation by the coach), the old "a meat diet increases aggression on the field because it's a manly diet" was the fake fix. NOW WE KNOW Here the coach's advice might be right, but for the wrong reason. "In most cases, you tell athletes to eat what they are used to eating," says Jeff Volek, Ph.D., R.D., an exercise and nutrition researcher at the University of Connecticut.

"If that's steak and eggs, go for it. What's more important is when you eat it." That said, if you're not used to eating high-protein, high-fat foods, don't start pre-contest. You'll probably suffer an upset stomach. THE NEW PLAYBOOK Eat your meal 3-4 hours before the big event. Blood flow to your digestive system is shut down during exercise, so eating too soon leaves food "sitting like a rock." If you think you need a blast a little closer to game time, grab a sports drink no sooner than 5-15 minutes prior (and keep sipping throughout the game).

"NO PAIN, NO GAIN!" NOT ONLY DO YOU REMEMBER IT, you use the phrase in everyday conversation. A staple in every coach's operational philosophy, the notion that if you had any injury that didn't involve a bone protruding through your skin or blood gushing like a geyser, the best remedy was to "run it off." NOW WE KNOW "By that logic, letting Lennox Lewis beat you in the head would be the best training method in the world," says Alwyn Cosgrove, C.S.C.S. Pain is simply an irrelevant yardstick for training. THE NEW PLAYBOOK It becomes a matter of diagnosing injuries properly. That's one area where on-the-field knowledge has increased dramatically. Today's coaches know the sooner their hurt players get fixed up, the sooner they'll return to action. What really counts are your results.

"Only ladies need water during practice!" - The Lies Your Coach Told You

Men's Fitness, Feb, 2004 by M. John Fayhee

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