Metabolism and It’s Impact on Combat Arts Performance

Training in the martial arts requires our metabolism to be working in optimal shape. Our metabolism controls everything in our body. Most people think that it’s merely the production of energy. But, it is the defining set of reactions that create life.

Metabolism controls our energy levels, repair abilities, and muscle building. And our metabolism is defined by the health of our digestive system and quality of nutrients we put into it. 

Floyd Mayweather often used a high-protein, moderate-carbohydrate diet to fuel his workouts and to ensure that his energy metabolism was optimal for both endurance and power. He frequently consumed lean meats, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables, all of which can help facilitate metabolic processes.

Metabolism Definition

By formal definition, our metabolism is the set of chemical processes that occur within any living organism to maintain life: turning food into energy, building and repairing tissue, and clearing waste. A 2021 study of more than 6,400 people found that, adjusted for body size, metabolic rate stays remarkably stable from about age 20 to 60 and only declines after that. Training can continue at any age as long as nutrition and recovery are taken care of.

Georges St-Pierre used a diet that was high in protein and healthy fats, but lower in carbohydrates to help manage his weight. He ate multiple small meals throughout the day to keep his metabolism active. He was also known to incorporate fasting, which can stimulate cellular repair processes and increase metabolic efficiency.

There are Two Primary Metabolism Classifications

Anabolism

Is the process of creating more complex molecules from simpler molecules to store energy and be constructive.

One of the most dramatic examples of this is the repair of broken bones. In the competitive arena of MMA, Muay Thai or kickboxing, broken bones are a regular occurrence. As the bones knit back together, new tissue forms through anabolic processes.

According to the University of Alberta’s Sather Sports Medicine Clinic, a 2015 study shows 59.4% of MMA fighters will experience an injury greater than a cut, bruise, or bloody nose. Tissue building becomes highly important and getting the quality nutrients makes a properly functioning metabolism.

Lyoto Machida follows a diet tailored for anabolism. His diet is rich in lean proteins and complex carbohydrates, both essential for muscle growth and repair. Additionally, he supplements with BCAAs (branch chain amino acids), which have been shown to support muscle protein synthesis and reduce muscle breakdown.

Catabolism

Is the process of breaking down complex molecules into simpler molecules to release energy and create raw materials. The best example of this is weight loss: the process of releasing triglycerides from adipose (fat) tissue.

Once released into the bloodstream, triglycerides are split into fatty acids and glycerol, which muscles and other tissues use to produce energy.

Your metabolism is utterly dependent on the digestive process, but the digestive process is not part of your metabolism. Digestion is the physical breakdown of food and nutrients so they can absorb into our bodies. From there, the raw materials are taken and put through the catabolism or anabolism processes

All reactions in our body are related to energy production and storage. They also involve the construction and decomposition of tissues. In nearly all cases, there is a series of anabolic and catabolic reactions occurring at the same time.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, to avoid excessive catabolism (the breakdown of muscle), Johnson eats a high-protein diet with plenty of lean meats and fish. He eats multiple small meals throughout the day to keep his metabolism steady and avoid muscle wasting. He also ensures that he gets enough carbohydrates for energy and healthy fats for overall wellbeing.

How Metabolism Works

All of the organs are protected by our ribs and strong core muscles. All martial artists need core muscle training. The muscles take the hits and provide the frame work for our balance and support. Weak core muscles means a weak practitioner. 

Digestion begins in the mouth. Our lips, teeth, tongue, and salivary glands work to start the breakdown of food into smaller particles. Salivary amylase starts breaking down starches, and lingual lipase begins working on fats. Protein digestion starts later, in the stomach.

The chewing process mixes the enzymes and saliva into a ball of food known as a bolus. The bolus is swallowed, and strong muscles push it down the esophagus into the stomach, which churns it with powerful muscular contractions and acidic digestive juices.

In the small intestine, bile and pancreatic juices neutralize stomach acid. Enzymes there finish breaking down protein, fat, and carbohydrates so the nutrients can move into the bloodstream.

The small intestine is not a straight tube; it coils and twists in the gut. Its inner lining is covered in tiny finger-like projections called villi, which greatly increase the surface area for absorbing nutrients into the blood.

Most of the protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals from your food are absorbed in the small intestine. Most of the gut's bacteria live further along, in the large intestine.

Most of the nutrients are absorbed. The leftover mix then enters the large intestine. Here, it is broken down and mixed with wastes from the body. In the final section of the large intestine, the colon, water is absorbed and the fecal matter is compacted.

Finally, the wastes exit the body via the colon and anus as a bowel movement. Strong lower core muscles and hip muscles encourage proper evacuation of the bowels.

It usually takes one to three days for food to travel all the way through the digestive tract, and normal bowel habits vary widely from person to person.

Breakdown of Food into Nutrients

Carbohydrate Digestion

Carbohydrates are very digestible, and starch digestion begins in the mouth. Chew a piece of bread long enough and it starts to taste sweet as salivary amylase breaks the starch down into sugars.

Most carbohydrates are broken down and absorbed in the small intestine. Complex carbohydrates take longer to break down than simple sugars.

Only certain indigestible fibers make their way to the large intestine where they comprise the framework of the feces. These indigestible fibers are essential to your intestine as they help clear out waste and encourage muscular contraction.

Protein Digestion

Protein digestion begins in the stomach, where acid and the enzyme pepsin start breaking proteins apart. It is completed in the small intestine, where proteins are broken down into amino acids and small peptides that are absorbed into the blood.

The truth is that most healthy people digest and absorb meat protein well.

Fat Digestion

Fat digestion is a bit more complicated. Some dietary fat is essential, in part because it is needed to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Most fat is digested and absorbed in the small intestine. Bile from the liver and gallbladder breaks fat into small droplets so enzymes can split it into molecules the body can absorb.

Ronda Rousey's diet was focused on consuming a balance of macronutrients. She incorporated whole foods rich in lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats to support the efficient breakdown of food into nutrients. She particularly favored natural and unprocessed foods to maximize nutrient intake.

Breakdown of Metabolic Processes and Diseases

When your metabolism is working to ideal standards, you’re providing your body with everything it needs with nothing excess.  However, that doesn't happen often. Pizza calls, ice cream beckons, and all manner of quick foods are grabbed on occasion. In times of illness and injury, our metabolism changes, so it’s impossible to predict exactly what we need.

When your metabolism breaks down and you’ve eaten too much of the bad stuff for too long, things happen.

Fatigue and Depression

Most people don't realize they're feeling fatigued and sluggish. Test yourself: Can you jump up right now and train without any complaint or irritation? Could you exercise for an hour without feeling tired?

A deficiency of nutrients or buildup of wastes leads to some chemical cycles responding slow or not at all. Reacting slow isn’t an option in a self-defense situation.

The addition of fatigue and sluggishness to the equation will typically lower muscle mass; thus, the ability to compete or defend yourself becomes problematic.

Cloudy Thinking

B vitamins help the brain make and use neurotransmitters, so a shortfall can affect focus and mental sharpness. Digestive conditions that damage the gut lining can also make some B vitamins, such as B12, harder to absorb.

Many people don't get enough choline, a nutrient found mainly in eggs, meat, fish, and some beans and vegetables.

Research on choline and brain injury is still early, but it is being studied for its possible role in recovery from concussions and similar injuries.

Risk of Injury Increases

You may be injured more just because you're not paying attention. However, there’s a much more sinister way your metabolism being depressed can affect your injury.

Water keeps your muscles, joints, and nerves working properly, whether you are drilling footwork or taking a fudo-ken to the shoulder.

When you are dehydrated, muscles tire sooner and electrolyte imbalances can bring on cramps, which can leave you a step slow to block the next punch. 

In competition, it's common for fighters to dehydrate themselves to lose weight fast. You may make your weight class, but dehydration impairs endurance performance, and severe weight cuts carry real risks of heat illness and heart strain.

Inflammation

Inflammation is part of the body's normal response to injury and illness, but long-term, low-grade inflammation is linked to many chronic diseases, and many people don't realize they have it. Diet plays a role: eating patterns heavy in processed foods are associated with more inflammation.

Gentle practices like tai chi are a good low-impact option while you recover, and the flowing stances and weight shifts help build balance.

Nate Diaz follows a predominantly vegan diet which is naturally high in anti-inflammatory foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Such a diet can help speed recovery after training and fights by reducing inflammation.

Hormonal Imbalances

The hormonal system in the body is a very delicate balancing act. We are dependent on hormones for nearly all of our body processes; a change in one hormone causes a cascade reaction to the rest of our system. Many of the preservatives and chemicals found in processed food are endocrine disruptors, which means they disrupt the proper flow of hormones in our bodies.

Testosterone is the hormone primarily responsible for muscle building. Wrestlers and boxers who use steroids artificially raise testosterone to build muscle quickly. Some chemicals found in food packaging and processed foods can act as endocrine disruptors, and researchers are still studying how much they affect hormones like testosterone.

Low testosterone can reduce sex drive, energy, and muscle mass. Excess body fat and poor overall health are among the factors linked to lower testosterone in men.

Stress Hormones and the Adrenal Glands

Several of our hormones, including the stress hormones cortisol, epinephrine (adrenaline), and norepinephrine (noradrenaline), are produced in the adrenal glands.

Long-term stress can keep cortisol elevated, which can affect sleep, recovery, and blood sugar. You may hear this called "adrenal fatigue," but a systematic review found no evidence that adrenal fatigue exists as a medical condition. Addison's disease is different: a rare condition, usually caused by an autoimmune problem, in which the adrenal glands don't make enough hormones. Separately, excess weight and a diet high in added sugar raise the risk of type 2 diabetes, in which the body can no longer use insulin properly.

Think for a moment what would happen if your body could not produce enough fight or flight hormones and some jerk jumps you? Would you be able to defend yourself? How about making it through a competition?

Digestive Issues

A poor diet can contribute to many digestive issues. When digestive problems cause pain, the body instinctively curls up to protect itself. That disrupts your balance, makes proper stances difficult, and slows your reaction times.

In a self-defense situation, adrenaline does not overcome this liability. The opposite is true: you will curl up further, preventing any kind of defensive reaction, as your core muscle lock down. Any training you had will be negated by the digestive problems.

Leaky Gut

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder that causes belly pain along with diarrhea, constipation, or both. It doesn't damage the digestive tract. Certain foods, stress, and other factors can trigger symptoms, and trigger foods differ from person to person.

Reflux – GERD

Diarrhea And Constipation

Contaminated or irritating food can cause diarrhea as the body clears it out quickly. Chronic diarrhea can be a sign of a more serious problem, and frequent bouts can cause dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.

Constipation is common. Doctors generally define it as having fewer than three bowel movements a week, or stools that are hard, dry, and difficult to pass.

Some people alternate between diarrhea and constipation, a common pattern in IBS. See a doctor if it keeps happening, or right away if you notice blood in your stool or unexplained weight loss.

If you think even infrequent bouts of diarrhea and constipation aren’t concerning think again: When the lower bowel functions are blocked, it causes all the muscles in the hips to contract. This affects all your stances, making them higher and less fluid. The fast footwork in MMA and the open base stances of Kung Fu become limited when you’re in pain.

Intestinal Bacterial Flora

Trillions of bacteria live in your mouth, gut, and on your skin, roughly as many as the cells in your body. Most are helpful in their proper place but can cause problems elsewhere.

For example, E. coli normally lives in the large intestine without causing harm. Candida, a yeast that has been the subject of many detox diets, normally lives in small amounts in the gut and on the skin. Problems start when harmful microbes flourish and beneficial bacteria die off.

Heart and Blood Problems

Our hearts are one of the most important organs in our body. Over time, a poor diet and too little activity raise blood pressure and cholesterol, which strains the heart and arteries.

How well can you survive competitions, fights, or a self-defense situation if your heart hurts, you risk aneurism, or there isn’t enough room in your arteries to support fast flowing blood?

High Cortisol

Cortisol is a hormone produced to help the body deal with stressful situations.

It increases our alertness and focus. In today's society, many of us face stress with little respite. Regular exercise helps the body handle stress better.

High cortisol levels have been linked to increased rates of heart attacks and heart failure. It is also a warning sign for increased cholesterol, inflammation, and other heart-related problems.

Physical endurance and performance can suffer when cortisol and other stress hormones stay elevated, and chronic stress without recovery can build up over time. 

High Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is a sign of how much force your heart is placing on the arteries and veins of your body during different cycles of a heartbeat. In normal conditions, the veins and arteries are incredibly flexible and move with the heartbeat.

Chronic pain and ongoing stress can also keep heart rate and blood pressure elevated. Steady practices of meditation and relaxation breathing can help.

High Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a fat-like substance the body uses to build cell membranes and make hormones. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) carries cholesterol out to the tissues, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) carries excess cholesterol back to the liver for removal.

For most people, the cholesterol in food has a smaller effect on blood cholesterol than saturated and trans fats, body weight, and genetics. A diet built around whole foods, fiber, and healthy fats, along with regular training, can help keep cholesterol in a healthy range.

Anemia

When the body does not produce healthy blood cells because of low iron, it is not able to carry enough oxygen around the body to support high-intensity exercise and training. People feel fatigued and sluggish when they have anemia.

Anemia has many causes, including blood loss and genetic or autoimmune conditions, but iron deficiency is the most common. A diet low in iron-rich foods such as red meat, poultry, fish, beans, and leafy greens can contribute. Heme iron from animal foods is the form the body absorbs most easily.

Weak Lungs And Breathing Problems

Toxicity

The body produces various waste products during the metabolic process. Your liver and kidneys do most of the work of clearing them, with help from the lymphatic system.  Staying active, drinking enough water, and eating well support these organs so they can do their job.

Commercial detoxes and cleanses have little evidence behind them, because your organs already do this job. Some chemicals in processed foods and packaging may interfere with hormones, and researchers are still studying their effects.

Cancer

Cancer can change how the body uses energy and nutrients, which is one reason many people with cancer feel fatigued and lose weight.

If you or someone you train with is being treated for cancer, plan nutrition with the medical team. Good nutrition during treatment helps maintain strength, but no diet cures cancer.

Weakened Bones

Our bones are living tissue: the body is constantly breaking down old bone and building new bone.

In the grappling and striking of martial arts like jujitsu, weaker bones raise the risk of fractures. Poor metabolic health matters too: metabolic syndrome has been linked to a higher risk of fractures.

Food for Thought

A poor diet contributes to many of the conditions we've covered here. Stress, inactivity, and poor food choices take a toll on metabolism and digestion over the years. A whole-food diet, consistent training, and plenty of water remain the foundation. Nothing replaces them.

But there's one piece of the puzzle most modern diets have quietly lost: the fermented foods that used to keep our gut bacteria replenished daily. If kimchi, kefir, and sauerkraut aren't making it onto your plate, a quality probiotic is a practical way to put beneficial bacteria back into the equation.

Visbiome GI Care High Potency

Visbiome is the serious end of the probiotic market. Each capsule delivers 112.5 billion CFU across eight bacterial strains in the original De Simone Formulation — a formulation with over 100 human clinical trials behind it, which is a research record almost nothing else in this category can match. 

Culturelle Digestive Daily

If you're new to probiotics or you know a fridge-dependent product won't survive your routine, start here. One note from experience: the first few days can bring some minor gurgling as your gut adjusts — normal, and it settles with continued use.

Featured Image Source: TeamDAF, Standard License, via Shutterstock