Download Nutrition-for-swimmers

Mark Corben
Salisbury Stingrays
Nutrition for Training
Vitamins and Minerals
It is important for everyone to consume Vitamins and Minerals to keep the body
working efficiently and defend against illness. Vitamins and Minerals are responsible
for growth, sensory efficiency, digestive breakdown, red blood cell production,
forming nerves, maintaining the immune system and healing the body, amongst the
many roles different vitamins and minerals have.
Vitamin and minerals can be found in a range of animal based foods such as fish, red
meat and eggs, and a range of fruit and vegetables. Please see the below link for more
information on specific Vitamins and Minerals.
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/facts/vitamins_which.htm
So how will vitamins and minerals help with swimming performance? The nature of
swimming training being much harder than most sports, it is important for each
swimmer to look after their health. Hard training sessions in the evening and early
mornings put strains and pressures on the body’s immune system and recovery rates.
For a swimmer to improve in competition, that swimmer must attend and perform in
training, and for that swimmer to attend training they must be in good health. If you
are ill you simply cannot train.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the primary source for energy in sport. Carbohydrates are
converted into blood sugar called Glucose that is stored in the muscles for energy.
Carbohydrates come in two forms, ‘simple carbohydrates’ and ‘complex
carbohydrates’.
Simple carbohydrates can be found in foods such as table sugar, products with white
flour, honey, milk, yoghurt, candy, chocolate, fruit, fruit juice, cake, jam, biscuits,
molasses, soda and packaged cereals. Simple carbohydrates release the blood sugar
‘glucose’ into the blood stream and muscles at a very fast rate.
Complex carbohydrates can be found in whole-meal bread and cereals, pasta, rice and
vegetables such as potatoes spinach, yams, broccoli, beans, zucchini, lentils, skimmed
milk, whole grains. Complex carbohydrates release the blood sugar ‘glucose’ into the
blood stream and muscles at a much slower rate.
Carbohydrates also have something called a Glycemic Index (GI). The GI is a rating
given to each food that tells the consumer how fast the energy is absorbed into the
blood stream. On a scale of 1-100, the higher the number indicates the quicker the
glucose is broken down and entered into the bloodstream. In simpler terms, we have
fast burning and slow burning carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are amongst the
higher GI rating whilst complex carbohydrates are among the lower GI rating. Please
see the below link for more information on Glycemic index foods.
http://www.health.harvard.edu/glycemic
Mark Corben
Salisbury Stingrays
So what Carbohydrates does a swimmer need to consume on a typical training
day? It is important for every swimmer to consume enough carbohydrates for the
training day ahead. As previously stated carbohydrates is the primary source of
energy for exercise, and without enough of this form, the body will fatigue quickly
resulting in below par performances in training and much slower recovery rates. If
given the choice athletes should consume more complex carbohydrates which yield
much more nutritional bonuses than simple refined sugar based carbohydrates.
It is advised that an athlete’s carbohydrate consumption should be based on the
intensity of the activities ahead and the body weight of the individual. For preparation
of a very hard training day an athlete should eat between 9-12g of carbohydrates per
Kg of body weight. (100kg swimmer should eat 900-1200g). For a medium intensity
day the athlete should consume 7-9g per Kg or body weight and for a rest day the
recommended amount is 1-3g per kg of body weight. Please note we must refuel the
body as preparation for our activities. For most swimmers the typical training day is
usually a hard or medium intensity training day. It is important not to eat too many
carbohydrates. If the carbohydrate intake is too large for the body to consume, the
excess carbohydrates will be converted to stored fat on the body.
Proteins
Proteins are one the big hitters for successful performance; Proteins are the builders
and the repair men for your bodies and contain the already existing natural amino
acids in your body. In day to day use, protein is a constant work force that is always
growing, repairing and maintaining the body. In sporting terms we use protein for
growth in developing athletes (younger and older), and we use proteins to repair and
recover the body. Think back to a time when you have woken up the morning after
some intense exercise the day before and the muscles are aching and stiff. This is
called muscle hypertrophy or DOMS (delayed onset of muscle soreness) where the
muscle fibres have been torn during exhaustive exercise, leaving millions of small
gaps in the minuscule fibres. Proteins repair those gaps with new muscle tissue,
therefore making the muscle stronger and in better condition for use again. Protein is
especially important for swimmers still developing and growing into maturity. For
swimmers to develop physiologically in the sport, it’s vitally important that not only
they get stronger but they recover as much as possible when in hard training. In recent
years the correct methods of recovery have been shown to be of equal importance as
hard work
Proteins are found in a wide selection of foods most notably in red and white meats,
fish and eggs.
Fats
Fats are often the labelled as the ‘Bad Guy’ when it comes to dietary intake, but fat
can be very important for sporting performance. Fats can be categorised into 3 groups,
Saturated, Unsaturated and the recently addition to food labels called Trans-fats.
Mark Corben
Salisbury Stingrays
Saturated fats are found primarily in animal sources like meat, egg yolks, yogurt,
cheese, butter, milk. This type of fat has been linked to health problems such as heart
disease, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
Unsaturated fats include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which are
typically found in plant food sources. Unsaturated fats have health benefits such as
lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart disease. Common food sources
include olive and canola oil, avocados, fish, almonds, soybeans and flaxseed.
Trans-fat acids are created naturally or man-made. Trans-fats, like saturated fat,
should be limited because they increase cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease.
The following foods contain trans-fats: Cookies, crackers, cakes, muffins, pie crusts,
pizza dough, and breads such as hamburger buns, some stick margarine and vegetable
shortening, pre-mixed cake mixes, pancake mixes, and chocolate drink mixes, fried
foods, including donuts, French fries, chicken nuggets, and hard taco shells, snack
foods, including chips, candy, and packaged or microwave popcorn and frozen
dinners
So how does fat affect an athlete’s performance? One gram of fat equals nine
calories. This calorie density makes fat our largest reserve of energy. One pound of
stored fat provides approximately 3,600 calories of energy. Unfortunately these
calories are less accessible to athletes performing in quick intense efforts like
sprinting or weightlifting, meaning fat is the reserve energy for athletes of lower
intensity endurance sports like long distance swimming, cycling or marathon running.
Taking this information into consideration when we think about our sport of
swimming where we typically perform in races up to 7 minutes for a 400m event, it is
clear to see we are unlikely to make much of a dent to our fat reserves. This means
swimmers have to be careful about how much fat they are eating to avoid storing
body fat. The nature of body fat means the swimmer will be carrying extra weight that
will have a negative effect on the swimmers power to weight ratio when swimming.
Blood Sugar levels
Blood sugar levels are very important to athletes. Is we know glucose sugar from our
carbohydrates is our primary fuel of energy, and it is important not to let that get too
low otherwise we will lack energy. If blood sugar is too high whether this is from
Glucose (simple carbs) or fructose (fruit), the pancreas will send excessively high
levels of insulin to the blood. Insulin can act as a fat storing chemical.
So knowing what insulin does as a result of too much sugar, its worth thinking about
your fat storing capabilities when you eat fat and sugar together in the form of the
delicious treats we all loves like cakes and biscuits. The trans-fats from the cake and
the biscuits will automatically be converted to body fat because of the blood insulin
levels created from the high level of sugar. Have you ever seen the ‘Low fat yogurts
in the super market bragging about <0.1% fat, if so take a look at high level of sugar
in the yogurt to make it tasty. That sugar will trigger your insulin fat storing
mechanism.
It is important for athletes to monitor the amount of sugars going into their bodies.
Too much and it could result in a body fat and weight gain which will have a huge
Mark Corben
Salisbury Stingrays
negative impact on swimming performance. Too low and this will result in lack of
energy and increased fatigue. Glucose from complex carbohydrates should be an
athlete’s preferred choice of sugar if success is sought in training and competition.
Hydration
Water is the preferred option for everyday hydration. The daily recommended intake
of water is approx 8 pints per day although these guidelines differ to some extent
depending on the source of information. As a general rule athletes should aim to never
be thirsty. Once an athlete is thirsty, dehydration has started. Athletes need water to
use energy compounds such as glucose. If an athlete is dehydrated they will struggle
to use their energy. Dehydration also accounts for decrease of brain activity efficiency
resulting in loss of concentration:
-
Swimmer doesn’t drink enough regularly.
Swimmer gets dehydrated.
Swimmer gets tired and struggles to concentrate
Lack of concentration results in skill in-efficiency (mistakes)
Poor skill results in extra effort needed to combat the water during bad
technique.
Extra effort means further tiredness resulting in even worse skill efficiency
A snowball effect occurs resulting in more and more tiredness and worse and
worse swimming. (all created from dehydration)
It is advised each swimmer to drink steady along the duration of the session 1 bottle
of water/ squash per hour of swimming. An easy way to see if you are dehydrated is
to check the colour of your urine. The darker colour the more dehydrated you are. If
your Urine is clear, your body is hydrated. Please not regular drinking of water or
squash will maintain hydration of the body.
Nutrition for Competition
Pre-Competition Energy
It is important before the competition starts that the body has enough fuel in it tanks.
The night before and the morning of the competition make sure the body has
consumed complex carbohydrates (slow burning) with Lower GI ratings. This will
ensure a steady flow of energy for the next number of hours. A bowl of porridge in
the morning is the choice for Team Sky’s tour de France campaign giving the athlete
energy for longer spells.
Mid-Competition Energy
The nature of swimming competitions mean swimmers at some point will need a top
up of energy. Often days are long on poolside and often in high temperatures.
It is important to get out of the mindset of having breakfast lunch and dinner on
competition days. The best way to maintain an athlete’s energy is constant grazing on
carbohydrates. Swimmers and parents should avoid feeding on large portions or
having set meal times at competitions as this will only mean the food you eat will still
Mark Corben
Salisbury Stingrays
be in the swimmers stomach when they racing, undigested and not a form of energy at
that point. Often swimmers who race with a stomach full of food will weigh heavier
in the water and often sluggish and bloated. Nipping away to the pub or MacDonald’s
during the lunch time break will not prepare your body with the right fuel to swim fast.
Swimmers should eat little and often of the right things. Fail to prepare your body
with the right fuel; you are preparing to fail in a race.
Supplements and energy drinks are often a topic of uncertainty amongst swimmers
and parents. My advice would be to always eat a balanced diet where you can
consume all the necessary nutrients, and because we do not know if food supplements
like vitamins tablets actually work in the most efficient way. It’s always a safe bet to
get what you need from natural foods. There has been a lot of research into sports
drinks and caffeine drinks such as Red Bull, where it has been found these drinks
have very little positive impact on sporting performance. High caffeine drinks often
have a negative effect on performance where the athlete will experience a severe drop
in energy levels after the initial high from the caffeine. It has been proven drinks such
as PowerAde and lucozade have no more benefit or positive affect than a bottle of
home made orange squash. Often statistical selling points on these products are
skewed in favour of selling more products to athletes. If you have done the work in
training, you have fuelled your body in the correct manor and have had adequate sleep
and rest, a simple bottle of squash to stay hydrated should be enough for you to
perform well.
Post-Competition Energy
Many swimming competitions are two day events and it is important for an athlete to
prepare for the second day of racing as they did for the first day of racing. As we all
know the second day of competitions is usually a Sunday which means the Saturday
night pre-race meal is often a Chinese takeaway or a pizza. If the swimmer wishes to
perform well on the second day, it is advised the swimmer should have a healthy meal
of slow burning carbohydrates the night before and the morning of the second day.