Nutrition for the swimming lifecycle Eating across the Athlete life cycle to maximise performance Greg Shaw Senior Sports Dietitian AIS Sport Nutrition National Nutrition Lead Swimming Australia Limited
What are we trying to Achieve at the top
Rollason Training logs 2011 season
What is the goal 26yr old female 200m breaststroker (165cm, 63kg, S7 45mm) Sunday (day off) 12.1MJ (360g CHO, 168g Pr, 94g Fat) Mon (easy am, sprint pm) 15.6MJ (563g CHO, 163g Pr, 83g Fat) Tues (sprint and gym am, Lactate 4-6 session pm) 19.6MJ (679 CHO, 210g Pr, 114g Fat) Wed (off am, easy pm) 13.4MJ (439g CHO, 151g Pr, 86g Fat)
How do we achieve this
Do swimmers meet their requirements Males Females
Body composition Technique needs to be accurate and repeatable Technique must be able to track change over time with little error Body weight is not sufficient. High level of variability. Skinfolds able to track changes well. Focus on whole body composition, muscle mass and body fat
Body Composition and Performance Body composition has a large impact on performance mainly via impact on drag and buoyancy In females, reduction in skinfolds are correlated to performance. Lean muscle tissue is important to a point Anderson et al. J Sport Sci (2008) 26; 123-130
Nutrition for Adaptation Nutrition to increase lean muscle tissue. Nutrition for training performance Nutrition for fuelling and recovery. The manipulation of nutrients to maximise the physiological adaptation to training stimulus.
Nutrition and Nutrient Periodisation The concept of matching nutrition intake to the goal of the training. Also matching nutrient intake before, during and after training sessions to improve the adaptation from a training session. Takes a high level of nutrition skill to carry out. Needs consultation with professional to ensure outcomes are achieved. Should be targeted towards senior athletes to facilitate small changes during training cycles.
Putting it into practice Male 100m/200m Freestyler. Body Composition. Body Weight 80kg Sum of seven skinfold 42mm Female 100m/200m swimmer. Body Composition. Body Weight 62kg Sum of seven skinfold 55mm Day/ Session Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday AM Aerobic Gym/ Off Gym/ Aerobic Gym/ Off Speed recovery Heart rate PM Heart Rate Aerobic/ recovery Quality (400-500m) Lactate Aerobic/ Kick session Quality (500-800m) Lactate Off Off production tolerance
Preparing a base Breakfast 6 Weetbix and Mixed Berries (3 Tbsp) and milk 2 slices of thick toast and peanut Butter Morning Tea Lunch 1 tub of yoghurt, 15 almonds and a piece of fruit 2 sandwiches (Tuna, salad and cheese and ham, salad and cheese) Afternoon Tea Dinner Toasted English muffin with jam and a 350ml Choc ice Up and Go 2 cups of cooked pasta with bolognaise sauce and mixed vegetables Breakfast 4 Weetbix and Mixed Berries (2 Tbsp) and milk 2 slices of thick toast and peanut Butter Morning Tea Lunch 1 tub of yoghurt, 15 almonds and a piece of fruit 1 sandwich (Tuna, salad and cheese Afternoon Tea Dinner Toasted English muffin with jam and a 250ml Choc ice Up and Go 1.5 cups of cooked pasta with bolognaise sauce and mixed vegetables
Nutrition for acute training adaptation. Focusing nutrient intake around training to maximise adaptation to training. Similar to Protein intake around resistance exercise. Specific Carbohydrate around high intensity swimming sessions. Day/ Session Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday AM Aerobic Gym/ Off Strength Easier 36 hrs Speed PM Heart Aerobic/ Rate Hard recovery Quality (400-500m) Hard Lactate production Gym/ Strength recovery Easy day Aerobic Aerobic/kick Gym/ Hard 36 hrs? session Heart rate Quality (500-800m) Lactate tolerance Off Off Off Easy 48hrs
Carbohydrate intake during exercise Maintain session intensity. Only necessary for specific sessions. Doesn t have to be very large amounts. Before a hard session 1. Ensure afternoon tea pre training 2. ~30g of Carbohydrate -500ml sport drink during training preferably early or a carbohydrate gel immediately before the set. 3. Post training Protein carbohydrate shake on skim milk or well timed dinner Before a hard session 1. Ensure afternoon tea pre training 2. <30g of Carbohydrate -100-200ml sport drink small frequent exposure. 3. Post training Chobani yoghurt with handful of almonds
Nutrition for acute training adaptation. Is food always necessary? Periodising nutrition for training goal. Day/ Session Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday AM Aerobic Gym/ Off Strength Easier 36 hrs Speed PM Heart Aerobic/ Rate Hard recovery Quality (400-500m) Hard Lactate production Gym/ Strength recovery Easy day Aerobic Aerobic/kick Gym/ Hard 36 hrs? session Heart rate Quality (500-800m) Lactate tolerance Off Off Off Easy 48hrs
Competition nutrition Single events minimal support. Multiple events basic support. Multiple events, multiple days moderate support.
Multi-day meets Multiple events. Issues Multiple heats and finals in one session. Important to employ suitable recovery nutrition and hydration practices. Solutions Shouldn t be a buffet of sports foods. Swimmers not competing should have food to cover hunger.
Nutrition recovery during competition Main aim is to reduce glycogen depletion over multiple days and events. Individual to competition load. Protein inclusion important to reduce muscle damage. Aim for carbohydrate between races and more balance at end of each session. Between double events Carbohydrate only choices eg sports drink or gels During swim down from last event of the session 1 hr later 1 hr later Protein plus 300ml and 500ml Gatorade Yoghurt and fruit or Peanut butter Sandwich. Lunch back at the hotel or Unit. Between double events Carbohydrate only choices eg sports drink or gels During swim down from last event of the session 1 hr later 1 hr later Protein plus 300ml and maybe 250-300ml Sports drink Fruit and yoghurt Lunch back at the hotel or Unit.
Nutrition for the developing Athlete Many nutrients are required to have a complete diet.
Junior swimmers
Trying something different Must have good food literacy. Must not be reliant on easy food choices. Choosing purposeful snacks not choosing mindless snacks Don t need to be nutrition experts by the time they are 15. Need to appreciate the value of food in everyday life.
Key areas Preparing for training. Recovering from training Surviving the School Day Competition eating Supplementation 5 practice modules
Supplementation Swimmers are high users of dietary supplements Education for swimmers around risk associated with dietary supplements. http://www.usada.org/supplement411 Dietary ergogenics are not recommended for junior swimmers due to highly variable nature of performance. Formulated sports food will have a place Immune support supplements may be beneficial in specific circumstances. www.ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition/supplements