Practice Fuel

FUELING BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER A WORKOUT

This topic came of interest to me when my friend, Julián Morales, former coach with Seattle Metropolitan Aquatic Club, mentioned what he had learned in Graduate School regarding the subject. As he spoke with our Senior Performance group there many moons ago, he asked them when the last time they ate was. At this time, it was about 6-7pm. Half of the kids said they ate last during their lunch break during school, the other half said they tried to eat something between school and practice. Of the latter half, most of them said it was a 50/50 shot as to whether that happened or not. He then looked at what the team brought to the pool deck. A good majority had some sort of water bottle. When asked what was in it, the response was 100% water. I’d imagine a lot of you are in the same boat. Carbs are the gas to your engine. Swimming is not a sport that you can afford to run on “E”. Carb timing is critically important to the success of a training session, season and career. It is something that isn’t talked about much, so let’s get into it. 

Before (approximately 60-90 minutes before training):

If we were talking multiple days before, the old adage of carb loading would come into play. However, those carbs (which typically came from complex carbs like pasta), wouldn’t be readily digestible for the training session that day. It would most likely lead to a lot of regerts (misspelled I know) during your swim. Instead, we will be focusing on this 60-90 minute window prior to training. In this window we want simple carbs and protein plus low fat content foods. Something like a cliff bar works well for this. Having one or two of these 60-90 minutes before training will help you feel satiated without feeling bloated. Pair that with a fruit of your choice, then you’re golden.

During

Getting a little scientific here: when your body digests carbs, it turns them into glucose so they can be used for fuel. Aerobic exercise that lasts 1 hour can deplete your liver’s glucose up to 55%. If the exercise lasts 2 or more hours, your liver AND muscles glucose levels essentially go to 0. Running on fumes is an understatement. It is essential for athletes to maintain their carbohydrate intake during training sessions to prevent this from happening. Sports drinks such as gatorade can help prevent the body's depletion of glycogen during your training sessions. We recommend you sip the drink throughout practice. 

After (within 30-45 minutes of training session):

Your body can be refueled through various means. We all know those means aren’t all created equal. Fast digesting carbohydrates are essential after training sessions. Targeting foods with a high glycemic index will allow the body to refuel faster. Pairing these with a good protein source will help muscles recover faster and more efficiently. 

Summary:

Imagine trying to be a lamborghini. Or even better yet, imagine having a lamborghini. Would you go to the track with no fuel? Well maybe, but good luck going anywhere. If that was your gameplan every time you went to the track, the compounding stress of running on no gas will turn that lambo into a hooptie real quick. Treat your body like you would treat a high performance machine, because that is what it is. 

Here is an example of what a typical day could look like:

Pre-training: Cliff Bar and berries

During training: Gatorade
Post training: A handful of gummy bears and chocolate milk. Yes!!! Gummy Bears. They are a great source of dextrose, a fast digesting carbohydrate that will assist the protein you are having to get right into your muscles. Pixie Sticks also work, but are harder to eat with wet hands haha. Chocolate milk is also a great source of protein and good fats. However, if you’re pushing a 2-3 hour workout, chocolate milk out of the fridge for that long can be suspect. A better pairing would be something like a protein shake. 

I know that this might be hard for some of you to do, but if you are consistent with it, it will pay off immediately AND over time. 

Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. 

Go Sailfish!

Coach Jon