Attending camps has become not only a fun activity for gymnasts in the summer but also an important step in recruiting for those that have goals of competing at the NCAA level. Both NCAA camps on campus as well as other high performance training camps offer gymnasts of all ages both the opportunity to learn new skills and work with different coaches, but also meet and connect with high level collegiate coaches.
And while so many gymnasts are excited to get on campus and train with their favorite NCAA gymnasts and coaches, not all of them are fully able to take advantage of the opportunity. Many run out of energy before the end of the workout. They're not able to give their all or keep up with the training plan. And they're so sore and tired by the end of the week that they just can't train at their best
When it comes to recruiting, college coaches remember which athletes fizzle out who's still able to work hard at the end of an 8 hour training day.
So, what's the secret to performing your best at camps this summer?
The gymnasts that are able to perform at their best and have energy for long and intense training camps prioritize proper, adequate nutrition.
Understanding the Importance of Nutrition for Gymnasts
As a gymnast, your body needs a lot of energy (and much more than an average kid or teen). Of course you need energy to keep up in training. But that's really just the tip of the iceberg! Your body needs energy to live, run all of your organs and body's systems, grow and develop, and do everyday activities ON TOP OF the demands of gymnastics training, recovery, and injury prevention!
So, what happens when you aren't fueling your body properly?
For many gymnasts, under fueling looks like:
Gassed out, winded, heavy legs, and poor endurance during floor routines or endurance assignments
Stalled progress in the gym
Downgrading routines
Slow reaction time, clumsiness, a lot of freak accidents
Increased perceived exertion
Cheating during conditioning
Excessive soreness
Frequent nausea, stomach aches, dizziness
Often missing practices due to sickness
Frequent or poorly healing injuries
Mood swings, irritability, poor attitude, frequent crying and frustrations
Being called uncoachable
Mental blocks
Small stature, stunted or stalled growth
Not getting a monthly period (for female gymnasts older that 15)
Unanticipated body composition (decreased muscle mass and bone density, increase body fat mass)
So many of the most common things that gymnasts of all ages and levels experience are actually signs of under fueling. When a gymnast is looking to perform their best in the gym and prioritize recovery outside of the gym, it is crucial that they eat enough.
How Does A Gymnast Eat Enough?
Getting adequate nutrition as a gymnast usually depends on three factors:
What you're eating at meals and snacks
When you're eating
Supporting your workouts with a performance nutrition strategy
Build Balanced Meals and Snacks
The best way to meet your energy needs as an athlete is by building a performance plate at most meals and snacks with a variety of different foods from different food groups. A performance plate is an open-ended fueling blueprint where each individual athlete can fill each section with the foods they enjoy and that work for them and their family. The performance plate is made up of 4 main components:
A grain or starch, which is a gymnast's main source of energy
A fruit or vegetable, which provides some energy, as well as fiber, vitamins, and minerals
A protein, which supplies the building blocks for muscle building, recovery, and growth
A source of fat, which offers energy and plays an important role in brain health and function, hormone function, nutrient absorption, protection of vital organs, and fullness and satiety
A great starting point is to make your plate ⅓ grains, protein, and color to create a balanced meal that will help meet your energy needs. Additionally, you will want to start incorporating more snacks throughout the day to help meet those higher energy needs.
Follow A Fueling Schedule
Gymnasts are so active that they will likely need to eat a meal or snack every 2-3 hours just to keep up with their energy demands! Eating frequently gives a gymnast enough opportunities throughout the day to get in valuable energy and nutrients and makes sure that the body always has fuel in the tank to use for training, recovery, or anything else that fills your day.
Have A Performance Nutrition Strategy
The idea of performance nutrition means using food strategically to improve performance and recovery. This includes before, during, and after practice and goes beyond just "eating meals" and "snacking".
A performance nutrition strategy usually includes what a gymnast eats
Before practice to provide optimal energy in a way that
During practice as a way to maintain energy, power, mood, focus, and overall performance
After practice to support recovery
So, What About Fueling At Camp?
Pre-Camp Nutrition: Building a Strong Foundation
Preparation for a gymnastics camp starts well before it even starts. In the weeks leading up to the camp, gymnasts should focus on building a strong nutrition foundation during their normal practice schedule that focus on building performance plates at meals and snacks, eating consistent meals and snacks, and learning what meals and snacks best support your workouts.
Fueling While Traveling
Many of these gymnastics camps also involve travel (by car or airplane) and hotel stays, which can disrupt a gymnast's normal fueling routine and cause them to struggle at camp as a result. Part of planning those travel logistics should also involve thinking ahead for meals and snacks. A high level gymnast who wants to perform their best when away from home will need to make some adjustments to help you show up to camp confident and well fueled.
As soon as you know the basic camp details - where you’re going, where you're staying, camp schedule, and travel plans - you can start to come up with a fueling plan for camp (or make adjustments to your currently fueling strategy) that include what and when you'll eat. You'll also want to start thinking about what types of foods you’ll need to fill this fueling schedule. Think about what meals and snacks you might need on which days and how you will make that happen on the road.
Do a little research ahead of time about where you’re traveling to so you know where you’re going and what the food situation is! A few helpful questions you may want to ask yourself would be:
Does the hotel offer breakfast or other meals and are those foods I can and will eat?
Will the camp be providing lunch, snacks, or any other food or hydration?
Will you have access to a refrigerator in the room?
What types of stores or restaurants are nearby your hotel or where the camp is being hosted?
What is accessible?
You can even look at restaurant menus online or make a reservation ahead of time (especially for that busy post-camp dinner rush)!
Part of your plan should also include packing what you can to keep your fueling food choices as close to what your normally eat possible. Non-perishable foods like pretzels, fruit, or trail mix can be easily packed for a car or plane trip as part of your travel day fueling plan or as part of your mid-workout snacks. For a car trip or day trip, you can always pack your insulated lunch box or a cooler with some more perishable snacks like yogurt, sandwiches, or string cheese.
If you will be away for multiple days or packing everything you’d want to have is not possible, it may be helpful to stop at a grocery store or convenience store when you get to your destination and get a few snack options to keep you fueled, focused, and ready to compete your best.
During the Camp: Nutrition Strategies for Peak Performance
Fueling your body on camp day (as well as between training sessions on multi-day camps) can have a major impact on how you show up in front of those college coaches. Here are some strategies to help gymnasts fuel their bodies effectively.
Pre-Training Fuel:
Eat a meal or snack 1-2 hours before the start of to ensure the body has enough time to digest and convert food into energy. Choose a meal that includes easily digestible carbohydrates and a moderate amount of protein, fiber, and fat. Examples include a breakfast sandwich with fruit, oatmeal with fruit and peanut butter, or waffles with a side of yogurt and fruit.
Snacking Smart:
For training sessions lasting more than 3 consecutive hours, pack a high carb snack that will be quick to eat, easy on your stomach, and give you energy to power through the long day. Some of my favorite mid practice snacks include pretzels, crackers, granola bites, breakfast bars, applesauce, dried fruit, fruit snacks, juice boxes, or sports drinks
Refuel During Lunch
Even if the camp you're attending is not a sleep away camp, many will still provide lunch. For dining hall trips or buffet style meals, aim to build a modified high-intensity performance plate that is higher in simple and moderate carbohydrates, moderate in fiber and protein, and lower in fat.
A high intensity performance plate is designed to provide higher amounts of energy that support long camp training days, digest quickly so a gymnast feels comfortable heading back into the gym, and leaves them with long-lasting energy to performance their best all afternoon.
If you are a more selective eater or have dietary restrictions, ensure you know what the lunch option is going to be ahead of time, and if it does not meet your needs, make arrangements to bring a more suitable meal.
Hydration:
Another importation component of your performance nutrition strategy and performing your best revolves around being adequately hydrated. Most gymnasts will want to drink 8-16 ounces of water or electrolyte drink in the 1-2 hours before the start of camp. During training, aim to drink 8-16oz of water, electrolyte drink, or sports drink every hour, taking sips from your drink water every 10-20 minutes. After training, it is important to rehydrate with 12-24oz of water or a sports drink to help with rehydration and recovery.
Recovery Nutrition:
For camps that span multiple days, it is crucial to utilize the short time between workouts ending one day and beginning the next to adequately refuel and rehydrate, so you can feel good and energized the next day. This likely looks like having a dinner meal that follows either the moderate or high intensity performance plate, including grains to refill the energy you used up, protein to rebuild and repair your muscles, fruits or vegetables with micronutrients that support recovery, and a source of fat.
If you are not able to eat dinner within an hour of ending your workouts, it is important to have a recovery snack with both carbohydrates and protein to start the recovery process. Some examples of a recovery snack include chocolate milk, apple//banana with peanut butter, trail mix, cheese and crackers, and a fruit and yogurt/milk smoothie.
Proper nutrition is a cornerstone of success for any gymnasts attending college and high performance camps. By prioritizing balanced meals, nutrient timing, and hydration, gymnasts can optimize their performance and really stand out in the eyes of a college coach.
When you skip meals and snacks, avoid foods, and don't make performance fueling and recovery a priority, you can't expect make the most progress in the gym this summer (and beyond). It's not just about giving 100% when you're in the gym, but also making what you do outside of the gym a priority. It's not too late to get your nutrition sorted out and see major improvements this summer!
The Fueled Gymnast Academy is the is the simplest way for busy gymnast (and those who feed them) to learn the ins and outs of fueling their body as a high level gymnast so they can
have more energy, reduce the risk of injury, and perform their best
AND
feel confident and empowered to make their own food choices (and not just have someone tell them what they have to eat).
Fueling your body doesn't have to be a guessing game. And you don't have to figure it out on your own.
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