Badminton is the fastest game in the world. To perform at its best, it's important for badminton players to maintain a good nutritional status to meet the high physical demands of the sport.
To achieve this, it is essential to follow a balanced diet before, during and after training sessions and matches.
It's important to include carbohydrates in every meal to provide energy, proteins to promote recovery and a small amount of fat to avoid health risks.
By choosing a variety of foods, we can ensure that we cover our nutrient requirements to maintain a good nutritional status. But is it always that simple? What are the nutritional needs of badminton players? Is it necessary to take whey protein to cover these needs? If so, which one?
Badminton and players' protein requirements
Badminton players have high protein requirements due to the physical intensity of the sport. Backhands, net lunges, smashes... These various explosive movements put short but intense pressure on the player's various muscle groups.
Protein is one of the essential elements for muscle growth and repair. As such, they play a key role in recovery after training or tournaments.
Protein requirements for badminton players depend on gender, body weight, training level and performance goal.
In general, badminton players should consume between 1.2 and 1.9 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. The amount of protein required may vary according to metabolism and the type of training on the day.
Logically, protein requirements will be higher on muscle-building days (1.8 to 1.9 grams of protein per kg of body weight) than on days of handling training or net play.
Other articles on the subject to be consulted after your reading:
- To recover, do you need protein before or after sport?
- How to boost muscle recovery in the legs?
- 15 tips to improve muscle recovery
- Which protein is best for fattening the buttocks?
Should I take protein on training days?
Basically, it's not mandatory to consume a whey shaker on training days.
Nevertheless, it can help badminton players reach their daily protein target by limiting the amount of calories consumed.
The most important thing for badminton players is to avoid putting on unnecessary weight that would slow down their movements. Victor Axelsen, Jan O Jorgensen, Shi Yuqi, Chou Tien Chen, Lin Dan, Chen Long... None of them are overweight!
Quite simply, weight gain occurs when your calorie intake exceeds your daily expenditure. But sometimes, achieving the ideal amount of protein to maximize your recovery can be tricky without going too far beyond your daily calorie target.
But if there's no need to take it, why do so many gamers use it?
Well, top-level players need much more energy than the average club player due to the increased intensity and frequency of exercise. From 3 or 4 training sessions a week upwards, supplementation becomes an option to be considered very seriously to maximize the effectiveness of the sessions.
Food supplements also make it much easier to meet these needs. Preparing a protein shake requires much less work than preparing a complete, balanced meal!
Many players may choose to take certain supplements to reduce their recovery time, help protect their joints and boost their athletic performance. This helps them maintain their bodies through the effects of their training.
If you're short on time and particularly active, supplementation can be a great way to get those extra nutrients.
That said, supplements should not replace a healthy diet. You should always strive to obtain the bulk of your diet from natural, unprocessed foods.
If you opt for protein powder, choose products made in France to avoid any risk of the presence of doping products. Choose products with as few ingredients as possible, i.e. no additives or sweeteners.
Should I take whey on rest days in badminton?
To determine whether it's necessary to continue taking whey protein on non-workout days, it's important to differentiate between the specific needs of endurance athletes (such as badminton, running, cycling, team sports like soccer) and those of people who do strength training.
In the case of endurance sports, the main aim is to improve muscle recovery and maximize the effects of training.
For badminton players, therefore, it's generally not necessary to maintain a high protein intake on rest days, as muscle hypertrophy is not the main objective.
It is possible to achieve an adequate protein intake with a balanced diet including foods such as meat, fish, eggs and/or legumes, without the need to take whey protein.
Nutrition tips for badminton players
Before training
Before training or a match, it's important to give your body the fuel that will provide you with the energy you need on the court.
A well-balanced diet is essential, as overeating will lead to fatigue and a lack of responsiveness, and less will lead to hypoglycemia to a greater or lesser extent depending on the intensity of the session.
Before a match or training session, eat easily digestible food, as digestion is the most energy-consuming process in the body and will slow down your movements on the court if it's still going on.
During the session or tournament
It's important to drink enough water before, during and after a badminton match.
This limits the build-up of lactic acid in the muscles and keeps them in good shape. It's also important to stay hydrated during the match, as this reduces the risk of injury, since a dehydrated player is more vulnerable to injury than a hydrated one.
We recommend drinking water every 10-15 minutes for matches lasting an hour or more. If the match lasts less than 45 minutes, it's advisable not to drink too much.
It's important to understand your hydration needs by listening to your body and drinking water when you're thirsty. It's better to take small sips than to drink too much at once.
After training or competition
After the effort of a match, you end up with low glycogen levels, micro-lesions in your muscle fibers and depletion of electrolytes and minerals.
To repair your muscles and replace lost nutrients, it's essential that you eat the right foods after the race to consolidate training gains.
A good approach to nutrition after a badminton match helps you to :
- Replenish glycogen reserves in your liver and muscles.
- Repair micro-tears in your muscles to speed up recovery.
- Replace electrolytes and minerals lost through sweat.
After a tough session or tournament, the key nutrient that needs to be replaced is carbohydrate to start replenishing glycogen stores so that your body is ready for your next training session in good condition.
If you go into the next session exhausted, you're more likely to get sick and injure yourself. You'll find all the details in our article on the importance of pairing carbohydrates with protein in sports nutrition.
The addition of protein is useful because it promotes the absorption of carbohydrates into the muscle. What's more, protein begins to help repair the large number of micro-tears that occur during a tough session.
Rehydration is also essential, as it's only when you're hydrated that you can efficiently convert carbohydrates into glycogen. Electrolytes, such as sodium, chloride and potassium, help replace sweat losses.
Although the amount you should eat depends on the duration and intensity of your badminton session, as well as your current fitness level, you should aim for the classic 3:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein for your post-macth or post-workout nutrition.
ProtéAlpes protein shakers with wholegrain cane sugar are a good choice if you find it hard to eat after a race. The carbohydrate-protein ratio is ideal for badminton players, and the shaker can easily be consumed on the go.
