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Nutrition for Competitive Diving, Part 2

November 9, 2005 Print This ArticleShare

Author: Trainer-X

Daily Nutritional Needs

You will require a daily moderate-carbohydrate (CHO) diet to maintain stamina, replenish lost glycogen stores, and fuel the ATP/CP system during practice, competition and/or weight training. Divers are powerful athletes that need to produce explosive movements. Therefore you need to fuel your explosive Type II muscle fibers with CHO. You also need a moderate amount of protein in your diet to repair the Type II muscle fibers that get damaged by your powerful movements.

Athletes who need to remain focused must keep their liver glycogen stores filled. Liver glycogen is the primary energy fuel of the brain. When the stores are low, focus and timing begin to suffer. These athletes also need a moderate amount of protein in their diet to repair the Type II muscle fibers that get damaged by powerful movements.

For athletes, the American and Canadian Dietetics Associations (2000) recommend 55 to 58 percent of calories be CHO, 12 to 15 percent protein and 25 to 30 percent fat. However, when making this recommendation, these are the minimum requirements. Therefore, the protein and fat requirements have been slightly altered here for the recommended training diet.

The Training Diet – your daily nutritional plan

During your season, your training diet should be comprised of 55% CHO, 30% protein and 15% fat. The goal of the training diet (whether it is In-Season, Preseason or Off-Season) is to provide adequate energy for recovery and tissue repair quickly and efficiently – without adding body fat – thus maintaining a high strength:power:weight ratio. For simplicity, if you ate 2,000 calories a day, 55% of that is 1,100 calories from CHO, which is equal to 275 grams of carbohydrates (there are 4 calories of CHO per gram; thus, 1100/4 = 275 g of carbohydrate per day. For protein, there are 4 calories of protein for gram also). For some it is easier to keep track of grams than calories.

Protein

Some research suggests that protein should be 1.4-1.7 g/kg bodyweight (bodyweight in kg = bodyweight in pounds / 2.2 kg) per day or as high as 2g/kg bodyweight per day in athletes. The Recommended Daily Allowance of 0.8 g/kg bodyweight per day protein is based on what is healthy for the average sedentary individual, which is not necessarily enough for athletes – particularly younger athletes, who may still be growing.

The additional protein is crucial not only for muscle repair, but also as an additional energy source. Competitive diving is intense, and the body may start using its own muscle as an energy source if it is over-training. Because it is so difficult to build and maintain muscle, athletes should be careful not to lose it.

Fat

Keep fat intake to 15 percent of your total calories, consisting primarily of essential and monounsaturated fats. Essential fatty acids are a type of fat that the body cannot create from fish, flax seeds and walnuts. Monounsaturated fats, which are fats with one binding site, can come from olive or canola oils, seeds and/or avocados.

For someone consuming 2,000 calories a day, the fat intake should be about 400 calories. This is equal to about 44 to 67 grams (each fat gram contains nine calories).

Fat is used as fuel for endurance, but it also aids in neural recovery. Keeping your fat intake to less than 15 percent may have a harmful effect by inhibiting absorption of those vitamins that dissolve in fat, and it has no effect on improving your body fat percentage. A detailed discussion of fat can be found here.

Morning Practice Meal

Some divers avoid eating a regular breakfast before early morning training sessions because solid food causes discomfort while training or because they prefer to sleep in rather than eat. Divers experiencing this problem should try a carbohydrate-rich drink such as low-fat milk, a smoothie or juice before the session, but see what works for you personally. This will help maintain energy levels throughout training.

Pre-Meet Meal

The primary purpose of the pre-meet meal is offset fatigue during the meet.

There is no one-size-fits-all prescription for the pre-meet meal. Different people react differently to the same foods. Athletes should try to find food that won’t cause GI distress and will help to maintain focus and endurance.

A few guidelines:

  • Eat low-glycemic foods, such as whole grain cereals, certain fruits, sandwiches made with whole wheat bread, etc., approximately two to three hours before a competition. The closer to your match, the smaller the meal. This will help sustain blood-sugar levels.
  • Keep protein and fat intakes low because they slow digestion.
  • Avoid bulky foods, like raw fruits and vegetables, dry beans, peas and popcorn, which can stimulate bowel movements.
  • Avoid gas-forming foods such as vegetables from the cabbage family and cooked dry beans.
  • The American College of Sports Medicine and the National Athletic Trainers Association recommend drinking 400 to 600 mL of fluid two to three hours before exercise. Pay attention to see if you have to urinate before or during the competition with such an intake.
  • Do not try new foods just before a competition. Eat foods familiar with your digestive system.
  • Some athletes prefer to use their favorite foods, which may give them a psychological edge.

During Competition or a Meet

Although nerves and adrenalin may negatively affect the hunger cycle, an alternative eating strategy should be in place. Here are some tips:

  • It may be warm and humid poolside, so maintain hydration.
  • Although eating as directed above will allow you to top off glycogen stores coming into the event, you still have to contend with two potential enemies – dehydration and rapid glycogen utilization and depletion. Consumption of fluid and carbohydrates is recommended. Bring a water bottle containing a solution of six to seven percent CHO and electrolytes, such as CytomaxTM, HeedTM, Hammer GelTM, or GU2OTM. Try to avoid GatoradeTM, PoweradeTM or any of the common sport drinks seen on commercials because they contain more table sugar than desired. This may lead to GI distress and poor replacement of muscle glycogen. The main message here is that it is important to get some carbohydrates to prevent fatigue or a decrease in performance.
  • If hunger strikes during a meet, munch on small bits of high-CHO foods, such as bananas, cereal bars or meal-replacement bars that are easily portable and convenient. Just like your Pre-Meet meal, make sure it is low in fiber and easily digestible. This will help maintain your glycogen stores and focus.
  • Should you drink a sports drink during a weight-training workout? If your workout lasts more than an hour at a high intensity and/or in hot temperatures, then yes you should drink a CHO and electrolyte sports drink. If not, water is fine.

Post-Meet/Workout Meal

DO NOT FORGET the post-match meal!

Consume carbohydrate-rich foods and beverages within 30 minutes or as soon as possible after a competition or a long day practicing. Because a diving meet can last four to six days, recovery between days will largely be dependent on food and rest. Eating within about 30 minutes of training or meet can have an effect on performance 24 hours later. CHO-rich foods will replenish glycogen stores quickly and return the diver to optimal performance shape for the next meet.

If a meet was fairly boilerplate, the Post-Meet meal might not be necessary if the athlete was properly sipping CHO during the meet.

Watch overall calorie consumption for the day to avoid unwanted weight gain.

After physical activity lasting longer than an hour, the body best restores lost glycogen when carbohydrates and protein are consumed together in a ratio of 4:1 or 3:1, rather than simply consuming carbohydrates alone. Furthermore, the combination of CHO and protein has the added benefit of stimulating amino acid transport, protein synthesis and muscle tissue repair, all of which will further speed recovery and re-energize you for your next competition.

Products such as Endurox R4 by Endurox and Recoverite by Hammer Gel will provide both nutrients. If you are in a bind and do not have access to one of these specially formulated drinks, another option is drinking 20 oz. of chocolate milk post-exercise.

It is better to consume the meal as a liquid in order to facilitate recovery faster, and follow with a variety of whole-foods between three and four hours later.

Replace fluids that have been lost. For every pound that is lost, drink two cups of water. This must be determined by taking weight measurements pre- and post-competition or following the end of your day.

Return to your Training Diet, following the prescribed percentages, at your next meal.

Alcohol

Many diving teams hang out with each other outside and away from the pool. The temptation to binge drink may be a spontaneous celebration of victory or a gathering to ease the pain of defeat. A couple of drinks will not hinder performance or health initially, but alcohol intake can interfere with recovery.

A few guidelines:

  • Get your high-CHO post-exercise meal and fluids in first before drinking any alcohol, and then responsibly socialize. This way, less alcohol will have a tendency to be absorbed into your bloodstream and will pass into your small intestine with the rest of your food.
  • Establish a limit on the number of drinks you have and stick to it.
  • Avoid alcohol 24 hours before competition. Alcohol dehydrates you, and dehydration is a factor that decreases performance.

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