Derreck Howell

Nutrition

“As far as the nutrition goes - not diet; the first few letters of that are die, which is what people do when they diet – the philosophy was very simple in that it was very high protein-based. The equation is around 1g of protein for every pound of bodyweight, so 180g of protein a day, or 2g of protein for every kilo of bodyweight, whichever you use. That would be achieved with as much protein as possible from actual food and then supplements, so a couple of protein shakes a day. I would also use some branched-chain amino acids, a little bit of glutamine and that’s kind of it. The BCAA are basically there to fill the chain of repair of protein, which in turn makes up the majority of muscle, and that’s what you’re trying to do: keep hold of as much muscle tissue as possible. Glutamine again is another substance you use to stop you going catabolic or burning muscle tissue as energy. It’s also great for your immunity because when you’re working at such a high intensity for such a long period of time, you’re very susceptible to getting ill. Then 500mg of Omega-3, -6 and -9 every single meal to make sure that your joints are functioning well – it also gives you very good, healthy skin. The protein shakes during the day would be normal whey-based shakes containing around 30g of protein. Prior to going to bed I would use a protein shake that was primarily casein, which is a slow-release protein to feed the muscles overnight.”

“It’s so difficult when you’re working to have the perfect day nutrition-wise because every day because there’s so many different factors that come into that day. An ideal day would be waking up in the morning and having a good, hearty breakfast: porridge, walnuts, raisins, mixed in with low-fat Greek yoghurt, a scoop of protein and sliced banana. You’ve got all the factors in there that are going to give you a lot of energy. Then you would work out an hour after that and maybe 20 minutes beforehand you would have an energy drink. After an hour and a half working out with a litre of water, you would consume a little bit of fruit and nuts straight away to replenish your depleted glycogen. Then you’d have a protein shake and two hours after that, lunch. The best thing to do is have a good protein source – fish, meat – with salad. Lots and lots of salad. Two hours later, a snack: a protein shake with a handful of almonds. Two hours later – you can see a pattern emerging; you should be eating every two hours- a protein source again with a lot of dark green, leafy vegetables. In the evening, your casein protein shake and again almonds. With 500mg of omega-3, -6 and -9 with your three main meals. That would be just about right.”

So there you have it Mr. Secret Superhero- the secret to Captain America’s physique. Buff up and go beat up some bad guys….

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