Raptor Advantage
Golfers need to have good aerobic fitness, muscular power, and flexibility. They must also be able to maintain mental focus and good swing mechanics throughout a round that may last 4-5 hours. For competitive golfers, they must be able to play 3-4 matches within a 2-4 day period. Consequently, the ability to delay fatigue, maintain mental focus, and recover from match to match plays an important role in their success. The Raptor bar can help golfers gain a competitive edge by helping them meet their nutritional needs to optimize performance and recovery.

Golfers often have to play in hot and humid environments for 4-5 hours at a time. This means that golfers are particularly susceptible to dehydration that can lead to poor swing mechanics and mental errors. Therefore, the first goal in optimizing performance of golfers is to prevent dehydration. Recent research indicates that athletes may need more electrolytes than typically found in sports drinks in order to maintain hydration during intense exercise. The Raptor bar contains recommended levels of sodium and other electrolytes needed to promote hydration and help reduce the incidence of muscle cramping during exercise. In addition, the Raptor bar contains glycerol which has been shown to help promote fluid retention. Golfers should consume a Raptor bar with fluids before the match, consume fluids after each hole, and ingest half of a Raptor bar after the 6th and 12th holes in order to maintain hydration and performance.

The second nutritional goal for golfers is to provide carbohydrate to sustain blood glucose levels. While people may not think that golf is a demanding sport, energy expenditure for a 150-200 lbs golfer walking and carrying their clubs ranges between 375 – 500 calories per hour. This means for a 4 hour round, a golfer may expend 1,500 – 2,000 calories. Even golfers who use a golf cart can expend 1,000 – 1,500 calories a round. Anyone who has played golf knows that the last six holes are particularly challenging. Consequently, golfers expend a large amount of energy that depletes muscle carbohydrate availability and may limit exercise performance toward the end of a match. The Raptor bar contains a mixture of fast, intermediate, and slow releasing carbohydrates that can provide a sustained release of carbohydrate over time. Ingesting a Raptor bar 30-minutes prior to warm-ups and one half of a Raptor bar after the 6th and 12th holes can help maintain carbohydrate availability throughout the match.

The third goal to optimize performance of golfers is to help them maintain mental focus throughout the match. Often times, mental focus and concentration declines throughout a match leading to poor decisions, mechanics, and shots. The Raptor bar contains branched chain amino acids (BCAA), taurine, and choline that can help maintain mental focus and concentration throughout the match.

The fourth nutritional goal to optimize performance of golfers is to provide nutrients that can enhance exercise performance. Research has shown that sodium and calcium phosphates and β-alanine can help buffer muscle acidity and increase anaerobic threshold. In addition, sodium phosphate supplementation has been reported to increase maximal aerobic capacity. The Raptor bar contains high levels of sodium and calcium phosphate as well as β-alanine content that can help golfers maintain performance particularly during conditioning and practice on the range.

The fifth goal of optimizing performance of golfers is to minimize the catabolic and immune-suppressive effects of intense exercise. This is particularly important for golfers who have to recover from day to day. The Raptor bar contains the right amount and type of protein and amino acids that can help minimize catabolism during exercise and promote protein synthesis after exercise. The Raptor bar also contains a rich source of antioxidants (Vitamin E, Vitamin C, selenium, Coenzyme Q10, alpha lipoic acid, and taurine) that have been reported to minimize the effects of intense exercise on muscle damage. In addition, the Raptor bar contains high levels of nutrients that support the immune system (i.e., L-glutamine, Vitamin C, zinc). For golfers, ingesting a Raptor bar 30-minutes prior to warm-ups and one half of a Raptor bar after the 6th and 12th holes can help minimize the catabolic effects of prolonged play.

The final nutritional goal for golfers is to provide nutrients after practices and matches to promote recovery. Ingesting carbohydrate, protein/amino acids, electrolytes, antioxidants, and nutrients that support the immune system can help golfers recover from intense exercise and tolerate training to a better degree.

Exercise

• 3-5 hours per week of running, resistance-training, and stretching to increase aerobic capacity, anaerobic power, flexibility, and fitness
  
  
• 5-8 hours per week of practice on the range (in-season and off-season)
  
  
• 4-5 hours of low intensity exercise with intermittent explosive exercise per round
  
  
• Occasionally playing two matches per day (8-10 hours) during competition
  
  
• Ability to play 3-4 matches within 2-4 days

Nutrition

• Fluids and electrolytes to prevent dehydration and muscle cramping
  
  
• Carbohydrate to sustain blood glucose levels and exercise capacity throughout the match
  
  
• Nutrients to help maintain mental focus during matches
  
  
• Nutrients that support anaerobic capacity, muscle buffering, and recovery from strokes
  
  
• Protein/amino acids and antioxidants to reduce muscle breakdown, oxidative stress, and muscle damage from exercise
  
  
• Nutrients to promote recovery and support the immune system following exercise

Refueling

• Consume a high carbohydrate/low fat meal 3-4 hours prior to practice, training sessions, and/or matches
  
  
• Ingest one Raptor bar 30-60 minutes prior to practice, training sessions, and/or matches
  
  
• Consume 1-2 cups of water and/or sports drinks after each hole with a goal of not losing more that 2% of body weight (e.g., 3-4 lbs for a 150-200 lbs athlete) as a result of dehydration during exercise.
  
  
• Ingest one half of a Raptor bar after the 6th and 12th hole with 1-2 cups of water and/or sports drink
  
  
• Ingest one Raptor bar within 30 minutes following practice, training sessions, and/or matches
  
  
• Consume a high carbohydrate/low fat meal within 2 hours following practice, training sessions, and matches
  
  
• Consume enough fluids to regain weight lost from exercise (3 cups per pound lost)
  
  
• Consume Raptor bars as a nutrient dense snack between meals and matches