Fueling Beyond Limits

Pro Plate Series: Featuring Armin Botha – OCR athlete

Kicking off the Pro Plate Series with a BANG, we interview OCR (obstacle Course Racing) athlete Armin Botha. Armin approaches his sport with a winning combination of humbleness and hard work, grit and gracefulness, and has the accolades to show for it. It was an honor to dig a little deeper into the nutritional and mental habits that fuels Armin on his quest to go, as he states on his Facebook page, “beyond”:

‘Beyond the person that you were yesterday. Beyond set limitations. Beyond the norm. Beyond the sense of a restricted self.’

1. Give us some background about yourself – where are you from, age, and what sports and events do you do?

I am Armin Botha, 26 years old and I’m a Potchefstromer. I compete in OCR (Obstacle Course Racing) and trail running.

2.What has been your proudest moment/biggest achievement in your sports career thus far?

I’ve been a national champion in 4 sporting codes (cross country, track, duathlon and biathle).

3.What does a typical day of training look like for you? And what role does nutrition play in this?

I’ll get up at around 06:00 (making sure I get enough sleep to recover well), then I’ll have a light breakfast (toast with avo and coffee). At around 07:30 I’ll set off on my morning run/ cross training session, depending on my training programme. When I get back it’s time for a real breakfast, usually an omelette with a variety of fillings (especially cheese) with some potatoes and a toast with jam. The mid morning until afternoon is free time/ recovery time and I’ll keep myself busy doing admin/ working in the veggie garden/ building obstacles etc while snacking on nuts, yoghurt and fruits. I eat lunch at about 14:00 (which gives me enough time to digest the meal before the afternoon training session at 16:30). Lunch consists of chicken, veggies, rice and a fruit serving as a dessert. The afternoon session is usually quite tough and could be anything from speed endurance to strength training to hills or long fartleks. I train my grip and obstacles on alternate days and aim for at least 3 proper sessions a week. I’ll have chocolate milk or pickle juice as a recovery drink and then dinner around 19:30. Dinner is usually the same as lunch (at dinner we prep enough food for the following days lunch). Nutrition is one of the most important aspects in my training regime. Without the right fuel, my body won’t be able to cope with the training or recover adequately from it.

4. What is your go-to pre-workout or pre-race snack or meal?

Toast with avo. Avocado is an amazingly versatile food and tastes great on just about anything.

5. How do you refuel after training?

Chocolate milk or pickle juice. There are many benefits to drinking chocolate milk after a session. It’s well worth your time to do some reading up on it. It’s also an added bonus that it tastes great! Pickle juice (the actual brine) contains a great amount of electrolytes and for some unbeknownst reason immediately seizes cramps. It’s an amazing training and racing aid. Check out The Pickle Juice company for more info.

6. What are the top 3 foods you can’t live without?

Fruit (avo and mangoes are my favourite), Eggs (also extremely versatile and nutritious) and veggies (grow them yourself and they taste even better)

7. What are the major lessons you have learnt throughout your career with regards to nutrition?

I think a lot of emphasis is placed on eating to look a certain way instead of eating to perform a certain way. There are a lot of diets out there but it’s not necessarily meant for you and what you want to accomplish. I’ve been experimenting with different kinds of foods and have found the combination that works for me and my sport. That being said, I don’t deprive myself and try to maintain balance. If I want a beer or a piece of cake, I have it. I believe balance is an important aspect that gets overlooked quite easily. We train too hard or diet too hard and fizz out because there is no balance and that takes the joy away from it.

8. What advice would you give to younger athletes looking up to you, both nutritionally and in general?

Enjoy your sport and always remember why you are doing it. If you find joy in what you do, you’ll never get discouraged. Maintain a healthy balance and be proud of your individuality. Sport is a powerful way to connect with and uplift people. Try to inspire and motivate, but be open to criticism. With a positive mental attitude every goal is within reach.

*Side note on pickle juice: What does the science say?

An interesting addition to Armin’s nutrition regime is pickle juice. Pickle juice contains 470mg sodium per 75ml container (sold by The Pickle Juice Company), and sodium is one of the main electrolytes lost in sweat – making pickle juice a good source of sodium. Interestingly, though (when it comes to cramps specifically) according to the Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise journal, Miller, K.C. et al found that pickle juice inhibits muscle cramps, and reduces cramp duration that are electrically induced in mildly dehydrated individuals. According to this article, this effect could not be due to the rapid restoration of body fluids or electrolytes, but the hypothesis is that the effect is due to a neurally mediated reflex that inhibits the motor neurons that activates the cramping muscle. The ingredient in pickle juice that does this is unknown; although acetic acid could possibly play a role.

References:

Miller KC, Mack GW, Knight KL, et al. Reflex inhibition of electrically-induced muscle cramps in hypohydrated humans. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010;42(5):953–961.