Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-11
ATHLETES EAT TOO
. MUCH, SAYS MURPHY
PENIS Famous Handler Tells
What Is Proper Diet for
Men in Training.

Mike Murphy Of Penn is very generally
looked upon as the greatest of college
trainers in this country. If he is SO. and
there appears to be no reason to say he
isn't, his leadership is to be ascribed
chiefly to his knowledge of men.
The things that a trainer tells a man to
do are supposed to be fitted to his indi-
vidual needs, and no man succeeds with
all his athletes because he follows an iron
clad rule of work That. at least, Is the
general idea about training.
Take three men who are trying to be
haf-milers. The same program of actual
track work will not bring all three out on
an equal footing at the end of a given
time, even though they are of like ability
at the start.
What Mike Murphy has to say about
training wrinkles is interesting. He was
asked the other day to tell about the food
that an athlete should eat. He had
great deal to say, but the main idea was
that simple food in small quantities was
the proper prescription for a man IN train
ing.
For more than twenty years" said
Murphy, Il have been studying to hnd out
Just what kind Of food is best for men In
training, and as / look back over the
many different training tables at which !
have lived in all these years 1t seems 10
me that the first one was the best
Il was q professional Splinter IN those
days and we worked and studied the art
Of travelling fast until we knew just what
could be done by good careful living ana
hard, conscientious work. The bill OF rare
from day to day was always the same.
Il could tell what we would have 1or
breakfast three weeks from today or any
other meal for that matter. AS recaii IL
now / never remember having man
with stomach trouble on our hands.
The Old Way.
1--WE lived in the sensible style of having
dinner in the middle Of the day. For
breakfast and supper we had eight ounces
of beef. two fresh eggs (soft boiled), Two
large old-fashioned cuts Of bread and a
cup of tea (mild).
Now and then we had little apple
sauce, a small portion of very light
pudding or a baked apple added to this
for supper. Dinner was just the same as
the other two meals, or at times we mad
a little roast beef or lamb, with now and
then chicken for a change.
AT each meal we were allowed one po-
tato, and at dinner we got either water
cress. celery or peas; never at any time
a taste of cabbage. corn, turn1ps or any
of the different kinds of vegetables"
This very simple bill of fare Murphy
says contains ali that an athlete needs
and even involves a little choice by way
of change. He says they got none Of the
fresh fruits for breakfast, and he is es-
pecially strong against just what an ath-
fast-an orange. followed by oatmeal
with plenty of sugar and cream.
This Murphy calls "a DEVILS dish"
This sort of food. followed by cup Of
coffee, the trainer says. will certainly
give a man Indigestion.
most important meal OF the day-one
over which the athlete should take his
time and one he should select carefully.
The condition of the stomach being the
ing. the athlete and the trainer have to
be sure that everything there is in prop
er fix first.
If a man has his heaviest athletic
work to do in the early afternoon he
should make his MONDAY meal light
and eat a heavier meal in the evening
No meal should be eaten after hard
work until at least an hour has elapsed
Murphy does not believe that men in
training should have all they can eat, in
athletes. He believes that most OF the
trouble of keeping men in condition
comes from the fact that they are per-
mitted to eat just as much as they want.
He says he has seen a man eat at a
meal seven cuts Of roast beef. with
plenty of potatoes and vegetables, and
another athlete a chicken and a half.
with three slices Of beef, many pota-
toes and vegetables.
These he cites as unnecessarily large
meals for men in training for college
sports, no matter what game they are
following. One Of the best men he had
never ate more than one small piece of
meat at meal.
No Set Rule.
It Is to be remembered, however, that
these matters differ with different men.
Some do not need meat; others do. But
the point appears to be to restrain the
athletes from eating too much or in too
much of a hurry. A man who is careful
of what he eats gets into condition much
quicker than any other. The trainer cites
days program of food which he believes
is just what any collection of athletes
needs. 1t is:
Breakfast-One chop, sometimes two. or
eight ounces of beef; two soft-boiled eggs,
one baked potato, toast bread and either
prunes or apple sauce. No cream or SUI
gar is to be put on the prunes or apple
Dinner-A light soup, roast beef, lamb,
mutton or fowl. Boiled or mashed pota-
toes, vegetables, boiled rice and milk,
cornmeal mush. ETC.; fruits in season, a
light pudding of some kind. figs now and
then, mild tea or milk and toast.
Supper-Cold meats, roast beef. lamb,
mutton Or fowl, or small steak. One
potato. toast. fresh roll Or graham bread.
pruneS or apple sauce, DakeQ apple OF q
light pudding with milk or mild tea as a
drink.
The idea is that selection is to be made
from this list. letting the men take in
moderation some of the things on the bill
of fare, but keeping within bounds al
ways.
Now, that is Murphy. But almost every
man who ever has been in training for a
college team knows that In certain forms
of sport the men eat a great deal more
from a much bigger variety. Foot ball
and crew men are very likely to overeat.
Their daily work is long and hard and
burns up lot of food. Oarsmen have so
much to do that they are very likely to
put away more than is good for them.
Then again, here is a point: There are
all sorts of men who can handle foot ball
players track athletes and what not who
couldn't keep a crew in condition to save
themselves There isn't a college In the
country that needs trainer for the crew,
because the men who teach rowing know
enough about their game for that, too.
About the only crew in recent years
that had trainer was that of the Naval
Academy, which went to the Hudson in
1907 with Jack McMaster as trainer and