Can you believe August is only a few short days away?  Usually what that means is that football practice will begin for many high school student athletes.  August typically can be the hottest month of the year.  The trick is to conduct these football practices so that the athletes can be properly fueled to play and handle the heat all at once.

The first thing to look at is the time at which you practice.  This is something beyond your control, but more coaches are looking at this scenario and taking into consideration the hottest points of the day.

Back in the day, they could have cared less about when you practiced.  The hotter the better.  It would just make you tougher for the games.

But, after nationally reported deaths due to overheating at football practices, that has changed.

If you play for your neighborhood team, I have heard of coaches holding practice in the morning, sending the kids home, then bringing them back in the evening.  Obviously, these are the times of days that are not as hot.  Some schools don’t have that luxury such as my old high school.  My school was a private school that drew kids in from all over the city, thus once you were there they kept you there.  So practice would start in the morning, you’d take a break to relax and eat, go over the playbook, then practice again in the early afternoon.

Sure it would be great not to practice smack dab in the middle of the day, but let’s be honest.  With the hot temperatures we’ve been hitting, it’s going to be hot regardless of what time you are holding practice.

Now, if you really want to be able to handle the heat during August football practice, I would start by doing some training in the heat.  The more your body can acclimate to heat the better you will be.  Don’t kill yourself in it, but do some of your conditioning in the heat so it won’t come as a complete shock to you when you put on the helmet and pads during 90 degree weather.

The first thing you want to start with is your hydration.  Now if you really want to know how to hydrate yourself during the heat click here.  I wrote a post about it a month or so ago and go into a lot of detail there.  But, let me sum up the main points:

  • Staying hydrated is a 24/7 job if you are a football player.  Drink liquid constantly.
  • 2 to 3 hours prior to your activity you should have 16 – 20 ounces of liquid.
  • 15 – 20 minutes before your activity drink 8 – 10 ounces and then 8 – 10 ounces every 20 minutes during your activity.
  • After your activity, you will want to drink 25% – 50% more than what you lost during sweat.  Just weigh yourself before and after and the number difference is what you drink.
  • In extreme heat, 80 degrees or hotter, I feel you need a sport drink because you lose the sodium, potassium, and electrolytes a heck of a lot faster.  Click here to read about Advocare’s Rehydrate to assist you with this.

The hydration is the easy part, now we need you to eat to store your energy.

If your hydration is good, then food is your source to avoid nausea from low sugar levels.  This will keep your motor running all through practice so you can impress the coaches and make the starting lineup.

As a high school football player, you will need to eat a lot of calories, not just to put on muscle, but probably just to keep it on.  Meaning, you really don’t realize how many calories you burn during a typical day and probably don’t eat enough.  During these sessions, my guess will be the bulk of your calories will be eaten in the late afternoon/evening time.

Eat a breakfast that will have a good amount of calories in it, but won’t fill you up and make you feel sluggish.  Everybody is different with their food, but you could start with a whole bagel and jelly plus fruit and some orange juice.  Oh yeah and a tall glass of water to start your hydration.  A lot of carbs for energy in that breakfast.  You could even have a piece of fruit 20 minutes before practice for a last burst of energy.

After your first practice, you need to eat as soon as possible so that you can digest the food before the second practice begins.  Drink plenty at this time and if that is a sport drink great.  The calories will be helpful.  The easiest thing to eat would be a couple of sandwiches (pb&j, a ham sandwich, or turkey sandwich).  Avoid foods or toppings that have high fat content like mayo or butter.  Add some more fruit, maybe some snacks such as pretzels, and possibly a meal replacement bar or drink for extra quick calories.

Following your second practice is when you can eat what you want for the rest of the evening.  Eat and drink, that is your mission.  Good carbs such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, or brown rice is great.  Lean protein sources such as chicken breasts or fish will help repair muscle.  Plenty of fruits and veggies are good.  Snacks such as popcorn, almonds, or yogurt are fine.  If you need a tasty treat, then this would be the time to do it.  Just get the calories in to refuel you for the next day.

If you do those suggestions, I think you will survive your August football practices.  They suck now, but trust me, it will go by quick.   Soon they will be gone and you’ll just have your memories such as myself and the satisfaction knowing that you survived those practices.