Athlete’s nutrition very tricky business
BUT WITH THE LEVEL OF CALORIES NEEDED TO MAINTAIN SUCH HIGH ENERGY OUTPUT, IT OFTEN MEANS EATING TO A POINT OF FEELING SICK MITCH SMITH
FOR some, swimming comes naturally and for others it’s about as enjoyable as trying to lick your elbow.
Regardless of which one resonates with you the most, we would all agree that competitive swimming at a high level is about as tough as it comes. Enter performance nutrition.
We’ve all heard the stories of how Michael Phelps boasted about having to consume 12,000cal/day to maintain his weight, equating to 9000-10000 calories more than the average human.
This is certainly interesting, but achieving the right type of nutrition to support the training requirements of an Olympic swimmer involves more than just calories. Some considerations include:
1. Timing of protein (for recovery);
2. Hydration requirements and what type of electrolytes need to be replaced;
3. Recovery nutrition and timing (carbs and protein);
4. Size and gender of the athlete and correct supplementation, including monitoring for banned substances;
5. Type of event (long distance v 100m sprinter).
The diet of an Olympic swimmer is very high in carbohydrate to fuel working muscles, moderate to high in protein for recovery and strength and moderate in good fats for anti-inflammatory properties with either snacks or main meals consumed every three hours. Sounds like a dream … eat as much as you can as frequently as you can. But with the level of calories needed to maintain such high energy output, it often means eating to a point of feeling sick just to avoid losing weight.
You up to the challenge?