World Junior No. 1 Lakshay Sen’s success was celebrated worldwide as he showed his exceptional badminton skills at the Paris Olympics. His planned diet and training play a major role in helping him perform in such major events. As most Indians believe, Lakshay Sen’s diet consists of home-cooked food made by his mother.
What diet and training regimen does Lakshya Sen follow?
Home-Cooked Meal Goodness
For a sportsman, diet is important in helping them achieve their dreams and push all the boundaries. As the Olympics were held in Paris, the food was not the same as the home ground, where Lakshya Sen’s family played such an inspirational role. His parents, Nirmala and Dhirendra Kumar, and his brother Chirag showed their love and encouragement by ensuring that Lakshya Sen gets the same nutritious packed meals that he used to eat in Bengaluru. They stayed in an apartment near the Port de la Chapelle Arena, where the family cooked healthy homemade food for him, which gave Sen the comfort of getting the meal he was accustomed to.
To ensure the sportsman gets the right food to perform well in the game, his mother Nirmala plans and prepares his meals. The food is prepared with the guidance of Sen’s nutritionist. To ensure that the food is packed with all the goodness, besides the traditional Indian cuisine, his diet includes different cuisines like chicken steak, chicken pasta, and mildly spiced chicken noodle soup. To keep his body fit, Sen has 6-7 moderate proportional meats throughout the day. Carbohydrates, vegetables, and proteins are the major constituents of his balanced diet. The meals are created by keeping his physical health in mind and avoiding processed and packed foods.
The Most Important Meal
Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day, which is why it should be healthy and filled with all the goodness to start the day with a bang! When it comes to Sen, he likes to start his day with a smoothie made from fresh food, and he prefers this along with oatmeal or almond milk and dry fruits. This is later followed by a regular breakfast and protein after his intense training session.
To make sure his intense training schedule is supported, Lakshya Sen drinks protein shakes and has supplements in his diet. As keeping the body hydrated is of utmost importance, his physio regularly sees to it that Sen stays well-hydrated, which is quite important for recovery and to make sure his overall performance is excellent. By avoiding processed foods and making fresh food his priority, he maintains optimal health along with excellent athletic performance.
40-30-20 Multi-Feed Training
As we went through the nutritious diet of home-cooked food, now below we will see what his rigorous training session looks like. He works himself through the meticulous training session to make sure he is fit for the match even in the last minutes of the match.
One of the intense drills that he does is the 40-30-20 multifaceted. Now, even though this sounds technical, we have broken it down for you.
40: Coach continuously feeds the 40 shuttles for Sen to return it back.
30: There are more than 20 shuttles that are dealt with by Sen.
20: The end is followed by 30 more shuttles.
In between every new shuttle throw, Sen gets a 10-second break to catch his breath. This cycle sounds doable, right? However, this is repeated over 10 sets, which pushes Seb’s speed and endurance level, preparing him to face his opponents. His long-time coach, Vimal Kumar, once said that such drills are quite necessary in today’s times as the players have the nature to retrieve quickly and also help in maintaining a fast pace. For better adjustment, the drill is adjusted according to the match scenarios, and Sen’s defensive skills are tested as well.
This training and a strict diet plan have shown off, as Sen has received the peak VO2 Max level of 62. Top athletes in other famous sports have a high score of 70, which shows that Sen has high cardiovascular fitness. Other than the multi-shuttle drill, Sen engages in 7-8
hours of training daily, which includes running, gym, and skill improvement. The body does get tired after such an intense session throughout the day, which is why he also ensures that Sen is recovering well with various techniques like hydrotherapy and massages. The training regime is aimed at ensuring that Sen’s stamina outlasts his opponent when the match reaches its tough points.
Sen has been an inspiration to many as he has proved that hard-working resilience is a way to achieve your dreams. The young athlete has a promising future, as he has the passion and determination that sports ask for. All eyes are set on Sen, as his fans are looking forward to seeing him break all the records.