Eat to Compete - Planning Your Nutrition

Nutrition planning for competition is an extremely important part of any competition preparation. Unfortunately, it is the aspect many club swimmers neglect - international athletes will not make it to the pinnacle of their sport without good competition nutrition. It is common to see months of hard physical and mental preparation ruined because a nutrition programme is completely ignored.

The competition diet should be an extension of the high-carbohydrate training nutritional plan. It should be tried and tested in training or at a minor meet (e.g. time trials, Club Championships, etc.) and NOT for the first time at a major competition.

Swimmers should have 3 major nutritional aims when preparing for a major competition:

1. To ensure maximum storage of glycogen (carbohydrate). 
   Failure to do this may lead to early fatigue. Although a one-off swim may not severely deplete these stores, in reality swimmers often compete in several races, warm-ups, heats and finals, over one or successive days. Several bouts of exercise a day have been shown to reduce glycogen stores considerably leaving the swimmer feeling jaded, lethargic and tired. Far too often a swimmer will return to me after 2 or 3 races saying ‘I am knackered, there’s nothing there.’ 
2. To ensure hydration.
   Swimming pools are extremely hot and humid places. Sweat losses can be high in such conditions. It is particularly easy to neglect your fluid requirements ibn the excitement and nervous tension of the competition. Dehydration will occur if fluid losses are not replaced.
3. To maintain a familiar nutrition programme. 
   Food is often different to ‘home cooking’ in the unfamiliar surroundings of a hotel or guest house. No matter how tempting, the key to successful preparation is to stick to foods which are familiar. Always pack an emergency bag of food and drinks so that you never get caught short. A little prior investigation is a wise precaution to find out what foods will be available in the hotel and pool, and plan accordingly. 

Leading up to a competition (or "taper")

A taper involves ‘resting up’ for a competition. This does not mean stopping training completely! However, most swimmers will reduce volume of training they do leading up to a major competition. A failure to rest before competition will result in insufficient time to replace energy stores 

When you are tapering it is important to maintain your high-carbohydrate training plan. This should be accompanied by an adequate fluid intake, especially so in the hot summer months (June, July, August). Some scientists suggest that you may need to increase your carbohydrate intake still further whilst tapering... This MUST BE accompanied by a corresponding decrease in FAT intake if weight problems are to be avoided. If you ever experience weight problems during a taper the secret is to cut down slightly on the total volume of food that you are eating by reducing the fatty part of a meal/snack, whilst still maintaining a high proportion of your energy intake from carbohydrate-rich foods. It often helps to eat a little and often rather than trying to consume huge meals infrequently.

To boost your carbohydrate intake in the days prior to a competition follow these simple guidelines:

There is no need to stuff yourselves to the point of discomfort! A successful regime will involve eating normal-sized, high-carbohydrate, low-fat meals and snacks to meet your requirements. A word of warning! It is easy to get carried away and, in an attempt to boost carbohydrate intake, fat levels creep up as well. In fact, fat intake should be further reduced during a taper period to ensure that calorie intake does not soar and cause weight gain.

The night before a competition

Continue to focus on a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet with plenty of fluid. Some suggestions are:

The pre-competition meal

Traditionally it was believed that a high-protein meal would set you up for a days competition. It is still common to see swimmers tucking into steak, eggs and chips or indulging in other high-fat delights prior to an event!! This should be avoided. These meals offer little in the way of carbohydrate and are less than ideal for the nutrition-conscious swimmer.

The aims of the pre-event meal are to top up glycogen stores, to maintain hydration, starve off hunger and to give you a psychological boost.

Foods ingested during this period should be high in carbohydrate and low in fat, since high-fat foods digest more slowly. They should also be low in fibre and bulk if you are prone to pre-event nerves, diarrhoea or ‘the trots.’ The key is to choose foods which are well tolerated.

The timing and size of this meal will depend on the start time of the heats. As a general rule, leave 3-4 hours to digest a large meal and 1-2 hours for a lighter version. This timing is, however, dependent on individual preferences - the idea is to provide some carbohydrate and fluid and to satisfy hunger whilst avoiding any discomfort that might arise from eating too much, too close to the start of the race.

Find out what works for you in training and stick to it. Use the 1-4 hour rule as a guideline only and do not be influenced by what other swimmers are doing.

Some pre-event favourites:

If solid foods cannot be tolerated during this time, experiment with drinks such as carbohydrate supplements (e.g. Maxim) or sports drinks (such as Maxim Electrolyte, Isostar, Go, Lucozade Sport or Gatorade) to top up your energy and fluid levels.

What about fluids?

It is vital to continue to drink throughout the day. Carry a drinks bottle with you at all times. In fact carry two and choose well-formulated sports drinks or carbohydrate supplements, diluted fruit juice, squash or even just plain old tap water. Take your drinks bottle to your warm-up lane and take sips (not gulps) throughout. Remember 60% of your body is water, so it is really important to keep well hydrated.

Between races

The length of time between races (as well as individual preferences) will determine your food selection. As a general rule, if there is less than one hour between races your choice will be limited to drinks rather than food. If you have longer and are sure that you are able to tolerate food then select carbohydrate-rich meals or snacks to boost your energy levels. The time between heats and finals is often long enough to consume a small meal or a series of snacks.

You may notice that your eating pattern over a competition is different from that of a regular training day. A pattern of snacking is more common than eating regular meals. This is quite normal and will not compromise the balance of your diet, provided that this strategy is only adopted for competition periods.

Post-competition

Avoid the temptation to tuck into burgers, pies, pasties and chips to celebrate: such choices may not meet your fuel and fluid requirements if you are competing the following day. For proper preparation, start to refuel as soon as your last race is over and pay attention to rehydration as well.

Since many championships/open meets finish late at night, you could treat yourself to a sensible take-away or restaurant meal.

Summary

If you follow all of the advice above, you will be nutritionally well-prepared to take on your rivals! Use food as your trump card and play it before your next competition, championships or open meet.

To minimise poor performance, follow these recommendations:

• Eat plenty of carbohydrates over the competition period
• Drink a little and often and always carry a drinks bottle
• Avoid eating too much fat at the expense of carbohydrates
• Monitor urine colour and volume to ensure that you are drinking enough
• Stick to meals and snacks that are tried and tested
• Never try anything new during the competition period
• Think rehydration and refuelling between heats and finals
• Eat a variety of different foods, rather than relying on one food or product for everything

David Terry

ASA/UKCC Level 3 Senior Performance Coach