Work that well for what? They are convenient and highly bioavailable (if you're referring to whey protein) but they are pretty highly refined, so I wouldn't rely on them for too much of your total protein intake (better to stick with lean meats whenever possible).
As for the power-bars...ugh...There are very few situations where you would ever need that many carbohydrates in one fell swoop (Balance bars are the exception, as they have a balance of protein, carbohydrate and fat...though they are just a bit better than a candy-bar
). This would be in the time directly before, during and after an EXTREMELY taxing event (such as runs at or over 10k that you are hitting near world-class time, long and intense workouts that are longer than 1-1.5 hours, etc.) During this time, it helps to replinish your muscle-glycogen stores. For all other situations, you are overdoing the refueling process and spiking your insulin levels unnecessarily. Keep your insulin too high for long periods of time and you could be setting yourself up for TONS of chronic, syndrome-X diseases. For almost every other type of activity, you can rely on a balance of protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats.
I used to think of Parkour as a long-endurance activity, and I would eat TONS of Clif bars and drink gatorade all day to keep my energy up. Then I began to research a bit and found resources for moderate-carbohydrate nutrition plans. At the same time, I realized that our activity is much more speed/power-endurance related. For the past 4 months, I have been following the Zone nutrition plan pretty-exactly, which has cut both my total carbohydrates and total calories in half. At first I was extremely skeptical, thinking that I'd go out for a long training session and get that horrible low-blood-sugar feeling. Turns out, the exact opposite has happened, and apparently my bodies improved ability to utilize dietary fats as fuels comes in handy. I have trained at lengths from an hour to 6 or so hours, and have had tons more energy than before with better recovery in-between workouts. My body-fat has dropped while I've gained lean-body-mass which has improved my performance both in workouts and in everyday Parkour.
I am currently working on a more in-depth article about my experience with the program, as I think that the Zone combined with Crossfit-style workouts has lead to a HUGE difference in my overall fitness and ability. Until then, I would suggest that anybody who's interested check out the nutrition forum on
Crossfit.com, along with the
Zone-Perfect nutrition site which has some great tools for determining your ratios for macronutrients and such (as long as you can wade through the commercial aspect of it all
).
For those who don't care to even do that much work, I'll break down a few quick rules:
1.) Eat protein at every meal
2.) Eat fruits vegetables (no, potatoes don't count) at every meal
3.) Limit your consumption of grains. Oatmeal is about your best choice, everything else should be a condiment.
4.) Fish-Oil is absolutely essential.
5.) Try to spread your food-consumption over 4-6 meals throughout the day.
Simple enough
