TOP NUTRITION RESOLUTIONS FOR SWIMMERS

12/21/2011

from USA Swimming

By Chris Rosenbloom, PhD, RD, CSSD

Half of Americans make New Year’s resolutions and the key to success is making your resolutions real and measureable. Swimmers are good at setting training and performance goals, so why not make some nutrition goals that support your training and competition? When I work with athletes I use the SMART goal approach; that is, set a goal that is Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-Limited. Here are some nutrition New Year’s resolutions that can help boost your energy for training and keep you strong all season long. So, for 2012, resolve to improve what you put in your body.

1. Pack snacks. Swim practices are long and grueling. Stay fueled by packing snacks before you leave the house each morning to help fight fatigue and replenish your energy reserves. Choose snacks that are portable, tasty and nutrient-rich. Good choices include peanut butter on crackers, 100% fruit juice or vegetable juices, trail mix, nuts, whole grain bagels with almond butter, raisin oatmeal cookies, fig bars, and dried or fresh fruit. Try freezing a bottle of sports drinks and using it as an ice pack to keep low-fat string cheese, cottage cheese, or yogurt cold for a mid-day snack. Wash it down with the thawed sports drink.
2. Don’t train hungry. Early morning pool workouts make it hard to eat breakfast but training on an empty stomach makes high intensity workouts more difficult. Your liver stores of glycogen (carbohydrate) can be depleted after an overnight fast and muscle can be broken down for needed fuel. Try eating a hard-boiled egg or a cup of instant oatmeal (stir in a tablespoon of peanut butter) in the morning before you dive into the water.
3. Recover your losses. After a hard workout for more than 90 minutes or when competing in multiple events at a swim meet you need to replace lost glycogen. And, most athletes don’t drink enough fluids during exercise so at the end of activity they are often hypohydrated if not outright dehydrated. As soon as training or your first event is over eat and/or drink a carbohydrate-rich snack to start replacing glycogen. Your muscles are very receptive to replenishing lost fuel right after exercise, so don’t wait until the end of the day to eat. A carbohydrate-rich beverage can replace both glycogen and fluids.
4. Break out of a food rut. Make this the year to try new food once a week…most of us eat the same foods day in and day out, but you might be surprised that you like tangerines if you’ve never tried one. Try different fruits, vegetables, grains and lean proteins….try quinoa or couscous instead of rice, broccoli instead of corn, or lean pork loin instead of chicken breast. If you don’t like it, that’s OK, at least you tried.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year!

Chris Rosenbloom is the sports dietitian for Georgia State University Athletic Department and is the editor of the American Dietetic Association’s Sports Nutrition Manual, 5th edition, scheduled for publication in 2012.

Interview with David Nolan

Here's a great interview with David Nolan from Pennsylvania.  David set FOUR national high school records before heading off to Stanford this fall.

The interview is a little long, but it's a great interview.  Also, if you look off to the side, you can find links to his swims at the PA State High School Championships.  He has some interesting things to say about practice that some of you might relate to.

CLICK HERE

Packed Neck for Swimmers Part II

From Swimming Science

We’ll begin this second installment with neck assessments. Lot to cover this week, so let’s get right into it!

Assessment

There are many available assessment tools, but any that you use should address mobility (length), stability (strength) and timing.

Mobility – Chin tuck to chest with mouth closed. If the swimmer can’t touch the chin to chest, there is a mobility restriction.

Stability – Chin tuck. Can you pack the neck when asked to do so? You can also perform this exercise while supine on the ground or a table.

Timing – Situp test. Does the neck become unpacked during the situp? You can use a unweighted version of Dr. Mullen’s Eccentric Bosu Situp pictured below to assess muscle timing of the neck. The same move without a Bosu will also provide valuable information about neck firing patterns.

Backstroke–deep finish

 

Check out Aaron Peirsol’s deep finish (below his hip) as his opposite hand reaches for a deep catch.  Look closely at his right shoulder…it’s not “scrunched" against his neck.  We’ve been talking about a deeper finish in practice.  Maybe seeing a world record holder will help.

Things to remember:

• finish below your hip
• you will need to finish a little wider
• you will have to have fast hand speed in the air to allow for a deep catch at the top
• if you are turning your head from side-to-side every time you stroke, you won’t be able to do this (ok – maybe you’ll be able to do it, but I don’t want to have to watch it so STOP it!)

Look closely at his bald spot.  I mean look closely at his FOOT.  Notice at the “bottom” of his kick, his ankle is relaxed as his toes start to point.  The top of his foot is ready to “push” the water toward the end of the pool and then up.  If you concentrate on kicking the water to the end of the pool and through your toes toward the surface, this will help eliminate “bicycle” kicking and “knee pumping.”

Holiday Practice Schedule

Holiday Break Practice Schedule
Weds. 12/21-Tuesday 1/3

This schedule includes a couple of open practices that you may take advantage of if you would like to get an extra practice in or if you have plans that conflict with our regularly scheduled practice time.

 

Date	Senior
Wednesday, 12/21	3-6 pm
Thursday, 12/22	4-6:30 pm
Friday, 12/23	7-9 am  AND / or 4-6 pm
Saturday, 12/24 Sunday, 12/25	No practices scheduled
Monday, 12/26	5-8 pm
Tuesday, 12/27	3-6 pm
Wednesday, 12/28	3-6 pm
Thursday, 12/29	3-6 pm
Friday, 12/30	7-9 am AND / or 4-6 pm
Saturday, 12/31	8-10:30 am
Sunday, 1/1/2012 Monday, 1/2/2012	No practices scheduled
Tuesday, 1/3/2012	3-6 pm
Wednesday, 1/4/2012	Resume regular practice schedule

Open Practices are available to any team member (including Buckeye Select swimmers) that can swim on own (no coach in water). Younger swimmers will finish early.

“Packing Your Neck”

It is now the homestretch of our Elite Characteristics series! We’ve worked our way from the ankles, knees, hips, thoracic spine, shoulders, and will culminate with the neck. Specifically, we’ll address the concept of packed neck for swimmers, which is one of the leading developments in the strength and conditioning field. Many are familiar with packing the shoulder for scapular stability and packing the low back for lumbar stability. Packing the neck, though less familiar to most coaches and athletes, carries a high return on investment is one of the first places to look for repairing postural flaws and plugging power leaks.

Why is a packed neck important for swimmers?

1. Decreased frontal exposure. A head position too high or too low will increase drag by expanding the swimmer’s frontal profile.

2. Balance. Extending the neck and raising the head can cause the legs to sink, which also leads to poor hydrodynamics via increased drag.

3. Protect the cervical spine. The cervical spine is a commonly injured area among swimmers. In my observation, neck injuries are underreported because they frequently present as low grade aches that athletes try to ignore, or as problems elsewhere in the body such as jaw pain, chronic headaches, shoulder injuries, or referring nerve pain into the arms.

Swim Sci: Friday Interview with Gracie Finnegan

Here's an interview with Cow-Town girl, Gracie Finnegan!

Swim Sci: Friday Interview with Gracie Finnegan: 1) Please introduce yourself to the readers (how you started in swimming,education, experience, etc.). My name is Gracie Finnegan, I am 19 ...