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Mar 24

Calories, carbs and chlorine: An inside look into collegiate swimmers’ diets – Red and Black

Diets that Work Comments Off on Calories, carbs and chlorine: An inside look into collegiate swimmers’ diets – Red and Black

Just like her teammates, Olivia Smoliga wakes up three days out of the week and heads to a 5:30 a.m. practice at the pool. From there, its straight to the Coliseum Training Facility at Stegeman Coliseum for weightlifting and conditioning.

Following class for the day, the Georgia swimmer heads back to the pool again for practice at 2:45 p.m. Afterward, her nights are usually filled with trips to the Rankin M. Smith, Sr. Student-Athlete Academic Center for studying and tutoring.

Sleep, then repeat.

So where in her schedule does she fit the time to eat?

After all, with the amount of swimming she does each day and the amount of calories she burns, its imperative she eats enough to make up for it.

Welcome to the life of a collegiate swimmer.

All about that bank

Swimming in general is a great form of exercise. It is well known that one of the best ways to go about losing weight is swimming.

However, swimmers at the Division I level are not swimming to lose weight. Theyre swimming to go fast and break records, and to do so takes a lot of training.

To make up for this incredible amount of training, swimmers must compensate by eating plenty of food.

Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, was known to eat a breathtaking amount of food in his peak years as a swimmer, reportedly consuming between 8,000 and 12,000 calories per day.

While its head coach Jack Bauerle who coaches his swimmers in the pool, Maria Breen coaches the Bulldogs on what to eat. Breen is a sports nutritionist at Georgia who oversees the diets of the swimming and diving team.

So exactly how much do swimmers eat? The answer isnt straightforward or the same depending on the person, day and even time of year.

It varies so much based on their body size and genetics, Breen said.

But the amount is consistently above that of the average citizen and other elite athletes.

Theres a reason swimming is so popular among those trying to lose weightit burns calories at a rapid rate. Combine this with the immense hours of pool time for collegiate swimmers, and you have a recipe for disaster should you fail to refuel.

This is where the all-important carbohydrates come into play.

When you think of hitting a wall in practice or just getting fatigued, a lot of times thats because you havent managed your carbohydrate recovery, Breen said.

Humans store carbohydrates in their body as energy in what is called glycogen.

After a long workout, or in this case, hours on end in the pool, that glycogen is broken down and stores of energy empty.

The heavier the training, the more carbohydrates they need since theyve expended that glycogen in practice, Breen said. Its all about getting that bank back.

This is no different for athletes in other sports.

Swimmers, football players and basketball players alike must take in enough carbs to make up for the glycogen theyve expended.

What differs is the amount of carbs needed, largely due to different types of workouts and practices.

Where football or basketball practice might include some standing around and instruction, swim practice consists mainly of swimming.

That principle is very similar for other teams, Breen said. Whats different is the amount of carbohydrates. [Swimmers] calorie needs are higher.

Eating an abnormal amount of food isnt the only problem these student-athletes have to worry about.

They also have to make sure theyre eating enough of the right types of food. While a diet of fast food and candy bars might sustain a normal college student, albeit unhealthily, these are no normal students.

University of Georgia's swim team sports nutrionist, Maria Breen, left, shows senior swimmer, Emily Cameron, right, nutrition facts of some of the snacks offered in the swimming and diving team room at the Ramsey Student Center in Athens, Georgia, on Monday, March 20, 2017. Breen helps swimmers pick the right drinks and food to energize them before their practices and those that are best to help them recover. (Photo/Reann E. Huber, http://www.reannhuber.com)

When freshman student-athletes first arrive in Athens, they learn this pretty quickly.

One of the big things for us, is we have to develop that base education, Breen said. Sometimes we call it plate coaching. When are you getting meals? Do you have your carbohydrates? Do you have a lean source of protein? Do you have dairy?

It can be a lot to take in, especially for those who might not have been the healthiest eaters before coming to college.

Take freshman Javier Acevedo, for example. Thats not to say Acevedo was one of those living on a diet consisting of french fries and potato chips.

The 19-year-old was on the Canadian Olympic team for the Rio games this past summer, but he lived like a normal high schooler does, and that included its fair share of indulging.

Ive learned a lot, Acevedo said. Especially coming from high school where I had my own car and I could basically do what I want. Here, I know I need to keep my body in good shape. I cant eat the same way.

This isnt an uncommon transformation to see, at least under Breen and her staff. Quite often, swimmers come to Georgia and realize the effect a strong and balanced diet can have on their performance in the pool.

This could be for a litany of reasons, from Breens teachings to self-motivation to the championship pedigree of a program like Georgia. Most likely, its a combination of all three.

One swimmer who has seen a dramatic transformation since arriving in Athens is senior Chase Kalisz. As a freshman, Kalisz weighed around 155 pounds and stood at 6-foot-1. Now, the Baltimore native weighs in at about 190 pounds and is 6-foot-4.

While his eating habits had no effect on his height, his weight was surely impacted by his food choices.

As I get older, I notice that I need to eat healthier, and I feel better when I eat healthier, Kalisz said. Theres more of an emphasis on eating the right things at the right time.

For Breen, its rewarding to see this process unfold. She doesnt like having to force people to do or eat something they dont want.

I want the athletes to take that step, and say, OK, I know it needs to go in my body, and I want to be active in this, Breen said.

Grab and go

As great as all of Breens work is, it goes without much value unless her students take what they learn and apply it.

At the end of the day, its up to the student athletes to make sure they eat enough of the right foods. This is one of the biggest challenges Breen faces as a nutritionist for a college sports program.

How does she make sure the food and resources she offers her student-athletes are accessible when they have two practices, class and tutoring nearly every day?

For the younger swimmers on the team, this means carving out the time to go to one of the universitys dining halls. Most commonly for the swimmers, the destination of choice is the Village Summit at East Campus Village, as this dining hall neighbors Gabrielsen Natatorium and is nearest to their dorm.

As for the upperclassmen, a growling stomach means its time to get in the kitchen and cook some food.

Living off campus after next year is going to be different, Acevedo said. Having the dining halls here is great and all, but Im not going to have a dining hall always later on in life. Living off campus and doing my own thing is going to prepare me for whats going to happen later on.

Even with all Georgia offers its student athletesfrom cooking classes to tours of grocery stores to meal plans at dining hallsit doesnt change the fact these athletes have minimal time in their schedules to actually eat.

Breen and her department knew this, and thats why they came up with the grab-and-go.

This station, a concession stands of sorts, offers quick snacks for Georgia student-athletes to take. Located at Stegeman Coliseum, its open for a few hours in the morning for breakfast before it closes and reopens for dinner.

Smoliga and other swimmers use this station to their advantage when looking for time to eat during their jam-packed schedules.

Grab-and-go is really helpful, Smoliga said.

University of Georgia's swimming and diving team room is filled with a variety of drinks and food to keep them energized before their practices at Ramsey Student Center in Athens, Georgia. (Photo/Reann E. Huber, http://www.reannhuber.com)

Following an exhausting early-morning workout or late-night tutoring session, there is nothing more convenient for these swimmers than a breakfast sandwich or smoothie. Not to mention, its much quicker than going to a busy dining hall and sitting down for a meal.

Its not a meal replacement, but its a substantial snack, Breen said. For swimming, its good because its right where they do their strength and conditioning and near the academic building.

To take it a step further, Breen stocks the teams lounge with fruits and other small snacks for the teams. If a swimmer comes to practice straight from class, he or she can grab a banana or granola bar before heading to the pool deck.

Maria [Breen] takes care of all those little things a coach would have a rough time doing, Bauerle said. Shes great. She helps us out a lot.

The future of food

With all Breen and the sports nutrition department does for Georgia athletics, combined with weakened restrictions by the NCAA, feeding student athletes is as easy as ever. Or, at least its running as smoothly as ever.

Previously, NCAA regulations limited student-athletes to receiving three meals a day. That rule has since been eliminated, and athletic departments now have much more leeway over how much they feed their student-athletes.

In reality, though, it has created new problems for colleges and universities to solve. By allowing unlimited meals and snacks for Division I student-athletes, the NCAA shifted the spotlight to sports nutrition.

Now a new battle has begun, one that Breen is fighting on the front-lines.

[Student athletes] are educated pretty well on what to put in their body, but we have to make sure that it is facilitated and available, Breen said. Thats one of the huge challenges in the college setting.

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Calories, carbs and chlorine: An inside look into collegiate swimmers' diets - Red and Black

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