Nutrition for Swimmers

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Nutrition for Swimmers

• The Right Foods to Enhance Your Training

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Food Does NOT Make a Swimmer Swim Fast

• Eating certain kinds of food WILL NOT make you
  swim faster.
• How fast you swim will depends on adaptation to
  training
• Eating the right diet will help you to adapt to
  the physiological stress training places on your
  body
• Balanced diet Better Training Faster Swimmer

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Swimmers Need a Healthy Balanced Diet
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Basic Exercise Metabolism
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Energy Production

• Energy currency of the body is ATP
• ATP hydrolysis or the splitting of one phosphate
  group off ATP to form ADP releases energy

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Energy Replenishment

• ATP synthesis or phosphorylation requires energy
  to make new ATP

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ATP Regeneration Mechanism

• ATP is regenerated in the body in one of three
  ways depending upon intensity of activity and
  duration of exercise.
• Creatine Phosphate
• Glycolysis
• Oxidative Phosphorylation

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Creatine Phosphate or Alactate

• Creatine Phosphate is a molecule that can donate
  one of its phosphate groups to ADP to reform ATP.
• No nasty by-products
• Limited by the amount of CP in the muscle at one
  time
• Average amount present can sustain intense muscle
  activity for 2-10sec., and takes a while to
  regenerate CP.

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Cellular Respiration
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Glycolysis or Anaerobic Metabolism

• The breakdown of glucose into pyruvate to
  recharge ATP
• 1 Molecule glucose 2-4 ATP
• Can provide quick energy at a cost of lactic acid
  production leading to fatigue
• Energy Substrate- carbohydrates
• Provides the majority of energy for swimmers
  during competition and intense workouts

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Oxidative Phosphorylation or aerobic metabolism

• The further breakdown of glucose when enough
  oxygen is present to recharge ATP.
• 1 molecule glucose 34-38 ATP
• Little to no cost or nasty by-products, but it is
  slow. OP provides little in intense activity.
• Energy Substrates- CHO, Fats, and some proteins
  (emergencies) in that order
• The more you can get required energy from OP the
  less swimmers rely on Gly.
• Provides energy as long as enough fuel is left in
  the tank and there is O2

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Energy Systems Relative Contribution to Total
Energy Expenditure
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Energy provided by food for swimmers while active
The energy from protein is not variable, but the
energy you get from CHO and fat is dependent upon
intensity.
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Fat vs. CHO Metabolism
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Nutrition for Training
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The Basic Nutrients are

• Carbohydrate (60-70)
• Fat (20-25)
• Protein (15-20)
• Vitamins
• Minerals
• Water

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CHO are the primary fuel for swimmers in training

• CHO are NOT fattening as long as the energy is
  used in metabolism.
• Requirements
• 6-10g per kg of body weight per day
• For a female swimmer weighing 140lbs(63.6kg)
• Easy days 63.6kg x 6g 382g
• Hard days 63.6kg x 10g 636g

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Not all CHO are Equal

• The Glycemic index
• Carbohydrates tend to raise blood sugar levels
  significantly. 
• The extent to which CHO raise glucose in the body
  and therefore insulin is quantified by the
  glycemic index
• High glycemic index promotes
• Faster movement of glucose into muscles for use
  and storage as glycogen

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High and Low G.I. Foods

• High G.I. (above 70)

• Low G.I. (below55)

• Gatorade (78)
• Dates, raisins(100), and other sweet fruits.
• Most breakfast cereals
• Popcorn (72)
• Potato(85)
• Bread (70) White is higher

• Apples (38)
• Carrots (47)
• Green peas (48)
• Oranges (42)
• Peaches (42)
• Peanuts (14)
• Pinto beans (39)
• Red lentils (26)
• Strawberries (40)
• Sweet corn (54)

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Timing of CHO

• When to eat high G.I. foods
• Within 1-2 hours before or during workouts as
  well as competition.
• Also within two hours post workout to promote
  recovery
• When to eat low G.I. foods
• Whenever you want ?

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Easy Way to Increase CHO In Your Diet

• Eat more

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Fat is Your Friend ?

• Fat in your diet helps
• Builds steroid hormones
• Builds strong cell membranes
• Helps control fullness (satiety)
• Helps store our fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E, and
  K)
• Provide essential fatty acids

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However, Not All Fat is the Best Friend to your
body

• YES YOU NEED FAT (up to 25), but make the right
  choices
• Plant based fats are usually healthier than
  animal based fats
• Make good fat decisions in your diet.
• Deep fried food is still bad for swimmers ? Sorry

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A Word of Caution About Fats Before Training and
Meets

• Fat (especially saturated) is difficult for the
  body to digest and can easily cause indigestion.
• Guideline
• Limit fat consumption within three hours of
  competition and training for sensitive people.

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Protein Requirements

• Swimmers and athletes do NOT need extra protein
  than their diet usually provides
• Protein is only used as energy when CHO and fat
  is not available ? This means tissue damage

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Protein Requirements

• 1.4 to 1.8g/kg body weight per day
• A 140lb. (63.6kg) swimmer
• Easy day 63.6kg x 1.4 89g
• Hard day 63.6kg x 1.8 115g
• Actively growing adolescents may require a
  little more (2.0-2.5g/kg)

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Timing of Proteins

• The current body of research on protein taken
  following exercise in conjunction with CHO is
  inconsistent and unclear.
• There is some evidence that shows a small amount
  of lean protein can enhance the effects of CHO
  during recovery.
• However There is also evidence that shows this
  only occurs when CHO is lower than it should be
• Therefore it has not been found to definitively
  hurt or help swimmers. The choice is yours

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Vitamin and Mineral Supplements

• Like other things today there is no evidence
  supporting any performance benefit from a
  multivitamin unless a preexisting deficiency
  exists.
• However, to ensure an athlete is getting what
  they need a good over the counter multivitamin
  could be taken

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Hydration
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Workout Guidelines

• IF YOU ARE THIRSTY YOU ARE DEHYDRATED!!!!!!
• A loss of as little as 1.7 body mass reduced
  endurance
• Drink in small mouthfuls of fluid when you get
  the chance
• In a two hour workout you should consume .75-1.0L
  of fluid.

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Simple Test to Determine If You Drink Enough

• Weight yourself before and after workout and
  remember
• A PINT IS A POUND THE WORLD ROUND
• Goal less than a pound
• 1Pint 16oz.

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Sports Drinks vs. Water

• Sports Drinks
• Promote voluntary intake of fluids
• Could maintain blood glucose levels if the
  swimmer is deficient
• Electrolytes are of little benefit to swimmer due
  to reduced sweat rates unless workout is very
  long (2 hrs.)
• Once again it should be a personal preference,
  because sports drinks for the average swimmer do
  not provide major benefits to performance.

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Ergogenic Aids

• ALWAYS CONSULT A PROFESSIONAL BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
  TO USE ANY LEGAL PERFORMANCE ENHANCING
  SUBSTANCE!!!
• My opinion Just train harder and avoid ergonic
  aids

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The Nutrition Tracker

• USA swimming has set up a website where swimmers
  can track and analyze their diet
• The Nutrition Tracker

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Questions