Nutrition Tips for Competition:

Eating Well Before, During, and After Swimming

Tara Postnikoff, RNCP, CNP, PTS
Absolute Endurance Training and Therapy

If caloric consumption does not support energy needs swimmers may experience reduced strength and energy, slow reaction time, poor endurance, muscle breakdown, low immunity, poor concentration or a faint feeling. When the body is not fueled properly with sufficient carbohydrates the body burns protein, which results in fatigue and muscle loss.

Your body needs glucose for energy. If you do not have sufficient carbohydrates in your diet you will not be able to train as hard or as long and fatigue (tiredness) will set in. Swimmers often consume excessive amounts of fat and insufficient amounts of carbohydrates – which may result in dietary habits that do not optimally support training and competition needs. Ideally swimmers should make time between and during practices to consume a significant amount of high-carbohydrate foods. However, swimmers must do this in a way that ensures the stomach is empty before getting into the water.

Swimmers also need to maintain proper hydration and this means water. A poorly hydrated athlete may develop a lower blood volume that causes the heart to work harder to bring oxygen and nutrients to the cells and there is less volume in which to place metabolic by-products. Dehydration results in decreased performance.

What are the nutritional priorities for competition day?

Race day nutrition may not be the same as regular training. During regular training the focus should be on natural nutrition (meaning REAL foods from whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, raw nuts and seeds). The focus for swim competitions should be on consuming adequate calories in the form of high-carbohydrate foods and drinks, in a way that ensures the stomach is empty before getting into the water. Having large amounts of solid foods shortly before getting into the water causes a fluid shift away from the muscles and into the GI (gastro-intestinal) tract and may cause cramping. This means a high-carbohydrate “sports” drink is a good solution to consider immediately before practice and competition and between events.

What to eat and when? A look at the digestion period

When considering what foods to eat, and how much of them to eat, the amount of time before practice or competition must be considered. The meal size and food choices will vary depending on the time between eating and performing. The more time, the larger the meal, but keep in mind that fats and proteins take the longest to digest, some upwards of 4 hours to leave the stomach, where as carbohydrates will leave the stomach after 30 minutes to 2 hours.

3 - 4 hours before competition consume a larger meal (approx. 500-800 kcal or more) as there is sufficient time for digestion.

2 - 3 hours before competition consume a smaller meal (approx. 300-500 kcal).

1 hour or less before competition try a small carbohydrate snack or blender meal.

All day competitions

The same principles used to time the pre-event meals also apply to all day competitions. The longer the time between events the more food that can be consumed. Eat at least 2 hours before exercise then again about 30 minutes before (liquid only) to raise blood sugar for the event. Athletes should experiment with different foods, snacks and drinks during practice situations so they know what can be tolerated on competition day.

Foods to avoid immediately before competition

Fats and oils take the longest to digest, followed by protein. High fat foods, and high protein are foods such as cheese, full fat dairy, beef, dark meat, chips, fries, creamed soups, pastries and fried foods.

If the swimmer consumes these types of food just before they compete, the blood rushes to the stomach to try to digest the food. Unfortunately the muscles required for swimming competitively also require the maximum blood supply. Something has to give, the body cannot do both at the same time, and it may result in a poor performance and probably a stomachache.

Sample Competition Day Eating Schedule

Recovery Nutrition

Recovery nutrition is a technique which provides the swimmers body with what they need to recover and prepare for the next day of competition or training. In order to allow for proper recovery of muscles, body tissues, as well as boost the immune system it is important that swimmers address nutrition post practice and post competition so that they can train harder, recover faster and improve performance quicker.

For example:

There is a limited time of up to 2 hours when foods are best absorbed and utilized by the body post exercise. To maximize the impact of these recovery foods they need to be consumed as soon as possible.

Getting your nutrition right can lead to better health and improved performance, but takes some practice. Consider keeping a Nutrition Diary during minor swim meets to evaluate what foods work best for you. Record what you eat, when you eat, how much you eat, how you felt, and how you raced.

Tara Postnikoff is a Registered Nutritional Consulting Practitioner, specializing in Sports Nutrition. She is also a Personal Trainer with Absolute Endurance Training and Therapy.
Tara can be reached at tarapostnikoff<at>absoluteendurance.com