Fuel For The Pool

Written By: Marli McIntire

Practice is a terrible thing to waste! If you aren’t convinced that sports nutrition can help your athletes train and perform better, stop reading now. Bless your heart. Extensive research and data shows athletic performance peaks when athletes practice proper nutrition. If fueling strategy isn’t part of your athlete’s performance plan, it can and should be!

When coaches have high expectations for our athletes’ training and performance, we must include the same expectations for their fueling. Coaches can easily start conversations with athletes about building solid nutrition habits as part of our comprehensive training philosophy. Swimmers simply CANNOT maximize their performance potential without the sports nutrition component.

Are you confident talking to swimmers about including healthy fueling habits as part of their daily practice routine? If not, let’s dive in and learn some simple and practical conversation starters. These exchanges can help athletes have greater energy and confidence to maximize performance-oriented training:

The Sleepy Swimmer: “Coach, I am so tired and exhausted, and I can’t possibly eat breakfast this early!”

Coaching Solution: “It is so important to put gas in your tank before practice. Food is fuel. Start small and work up to more fuel. For our next morning practice, try some liquid calories for energy, like a small smoothie, a cup of juice, or a sports drink with carbohydrates. Once you know you can handle that, start adding easy to digest carbs. Some foods you might try as you progress are half a piece of toast, a mini bagel, half a cup of oatmeal, or an applesauce pack.”

The Crampy Swimmer: “Coach, I need to stretch out this leg cramp. I don’t know why I keep getting them.”

Coaching Solution: “Tomorrow, I want you to hydrate better throughout the day before practice. You need to drink half your body weight in ounces of water. Also, make sure you’re getting enough electrolytes. You may want to try electrolyte water (examples: Scratch, Liquid I.V., nuun tablets) and add a salty component to your pre-practice snack. For instance, try a banana & peanut butter + pretzels + electrolyte water.”

The Empty Swimmer: “Coach, I have literally no energy whatsoever.”

Coaching Solution: “Let’s plan for you to have a good snack before your next practice, so you can train at your potential. You need a snack with carbohydrates (30-60 grams) which will give you energy throughout practice. You might be able to tolerate some protein as well (5-15 grams), which will keep you from getting hungry during practice and keep your blood sugar stable. Some good pre-practice snack examples are an apple or a banana with peanut butter, a granola bar, a handful of trail mix, applesauce and jerky, a smoothie, or a yogurt parfait.”

The Dead Swimmer: “Coach, I died during that race! I don’t know what happened, I just didn’t have any energy.”

Coaching Solution: “You have to have energy to swim fast. You get energy from food and from being well hydrated. Let’s come up with a simple performance fueling plan for your next meet. Start by sipping on a sports drink that contains carbohydrates throughout the meet. This keeps you hydrated and tops off your energy stores. You should also snack on something easy to digest, like pretzels, applesauce or dried fruit, about 30-45 minutes prior to your events.”

A strong nutritional foundation can set the tone for optimal performance. Swimmers are always amazed at their ability to train with higher energy levels when they are well-fueled. As coaches, we are charged with preparing our athletes in as many ways as possible. It’s our responsibility to help them incorporate fueling habits that will benefit both their health and athletic performance.

Marli McIntire coaches for Ensworth Aquatics and Ensworth High School in Nashville, Tennessee. Coach Marli is a Registered Nurse certified in Sports Nutrition, Personal Training, and Teen Yoga. She is the creator of LAP: Lifestyling Athletic Performance, a virtual program that helps swimmers use nutrition, strength and mobility to improve their athletic performance. Check out her instagram handle where she regularly posts nutrition tips for swimming @marli.mcintire.lap and her website, www.marlimcintire.com.