Remember, Performance nutrition for gymnastics your gymnast starts to Performance nutrition for gymnastics thirsty Natural supplement options is gymnasstics dehydrated. Dehydration can cause exhaustion, cramps, and poor performance. While gymanstics and flexibility are components that are stressed inside the gym, one important element that often gets overlooked is nutrition. In this article we give you the basics of proper nutrition so that you can have a baseline of what foods your gymnast should be eating.

Performance nutrition for gymnastics -

Gymnasts need more calories than you think, but obviously, this varies with the intensity and duration of practice. A recreational gymnast practicing for 1 hour three times a week does not need additional nutrition compared to that of a generally healthy diet with three meals and some snacks, whatever is age appropriate.

An elite gymnast training 30 hours a week will easily need a few thousand calories, with several meals, snacks, and performance nutrition in and around training.

While high-level gymnasts do not need as much nutrition as Olympic swimmers like Michael Phelps, they still need more than the stereotypical gymnast has been assigned. They should be growing along their own growth curve. They should have energy throughout training. They should have minimal injury, and if injury occurs it should heal well and according to predicted timelines.

A good starting place is three main meals breakfast, lunch, dinner and about snacks per day. And would be in addition to performance nutrition or the pre, during, and post-workout nutrition and hydration used to optimize gymnastics performance and recovery.

Gymnasts need a varied diet of food groups. The main food groups can be broken down into the categories of carbohydrates, protein, and fat. All humans need a certain amount of fluid each day to maintain appropriate hydration.

Fluids play an important role in the body:. Most gymnasts do not drink enough during the day nor at practice. Under hydration or dehydration will impair performance, concentration, endurance, and recovery. Or gymnastics facilities without air conditioning, which is common. Coffee or energy drinks are not recommended for children under the age of 17 per the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Although you do get a quick burst of energy from caffeine through adrenaline and mobilized glycogen, this is insufficient if the diet is lacking in energy from food. Many gymnasts face logistical challenges when it comes to meal and snack schedules. Practices are often hours long and span at least one meal or snack, so careful thought and planning are needed to ensure optimal fueling.

Gymnasts should get up in time to eat breakfast before morning workouts and to stay on a schedule and fit in enough nutrition. This is just not scientifically true. Gymnasts need to refuel and rehydrate post-workout, no matter the time of day. Food does not magically increase in caloric value after a certain time of day.

If you want to learn how to fuel your gymnast, click here for more information. For every day, between-meal snacks, pair at least 2 or 3 food groups carbohydrates, protein, fat for energy and staying power. For more great ideas specific to the gymnast, click here. Pre-workout snacks are different.

Many competitive gymnasts tend to get fatigued towards the end of practice and this impairs performance. Yes, your gymnast will be tired after working hard, but optimized nutrition can allow her to work harder, longer. What a gymnast eats and drinks before, during, and after practice to optimize performance is called Performance Nutrition.

Every gymnast should have a Performance Nutrition Strategy where they know exactly what their body needs no matter the time, duration, or intensity of the workout or competition.

There is no evidence to support gymnasts or any human needing to restrict certain foods to perform better. Yes, the diet should be made of nutrient dense foods like whole grains, protein, fruits, vegetables, anti-inflammatory fats, etc. Food is social, cultural, and emotional. Studies show Americans suffer from a wide range of nutrient deficiencies regardless of their diet.

Relying entirely on food for our micronutrient intake may result in a failure to meet our nutritional needs. population is at risk for at least one vitamin deficiency or anemia.

Increasing exposure to environmental toxins contributes to undernourishment. Heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury interrupt the absorption, metabolism, and utilization of essential minerals.

The RDA is the nutrient intake required to avoid acute symptoms, NOT the nutrient intake required to promote optimal health. Athletes who train 20 - 30 hours a week need more than the RDA to achieve a high level of health.

Immunity is especially important these days. Gymnastics training weakens the immune system if gymnasts are deficient in crucial vitamins and minerals like Vitamin A, D, C, and Zinc. Bones have to withstand a lot of pounding in gymnastics. Growing gymnasts need essential bone nutrients: Vitamin D, K2, Calcium, and Magnesium in the right proportions.

The dynamic movements of gymnastics cause a lot of stress on joints and tendons. Gymnasts need Omega 3 Fatty Acids to reduce inflammation and increase blood flow to joints.

Gymnastics causes excessive micro trauma to muscles, tendons, ligaments, and connective tissue. Gymnasts need nutritional building blocks like essential amino acids to recover fast so they can train harder. Gymnasts need protein at every meal.

Having a quality protein powder that is convenient for travel and quick meals is essential to build and maintain muscle. Pound for pound, gymnasts are some of the strongest athletes in the world. To achieve optimal strength, power, and endurance, gymnasts need nutrients like creatine to fuel their energy system.

Eliminate common nutrient deficiencies to bulletproof your diet, strengthen bones, increase immunity, and enhance energy. Level up your gymnastics with the most proven and research backed supplements to fuel muscle recovery, strength, and joint health. A complete "how to" guide to help you select the right supplements for any gymnast, how and when to take them, all with an industry insider discount.

This is particularly important for the 12 U. National Teams they partner with as their exclusive nutritional supplement provider. Learn more about the Thorne Discount. Sign up for the FREE Gymnast Nutrition course to optimize your health and gymnastics performance today! He walks the walk and is setting the standard for quality health care.

Statements made on this website have not been evaluated by the U. Food and Drug Administration. If this isn't possible, aim for a modified mini-meal about hours before practice. The goal of pre-workout meals and snacks is to top off your energy stores with foods that make you feel your best.

For most gymnasts, this means a snack containing mostly simple carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates like fruit and quick-digesting low in fiber starches are best when eating a snack minutes before practice. You know your body best, so try to choose your pre-practice snacks based on how you feel at practice after consuming each snack.

Some of my favorite pre-practice snacks for gymnasts to eat hours before a workout include:. A PBJ with pretzels. Oatmeal, berries, and nut butter. Veggies, Pita, and Hummus. Cottage Cheese, Cantaloupe, and mixed nuts. Peanut butter and banana wrap.

Cereal, milk, and blueberries. You decide to have a drink with some caffeine like a coffee or Celcius before practice to give you the energy you want for your long practice. However, drinking caffeine before practice will not actually give you the long-lasting energy that you think it does - only a balanced meal can.

Caffeine can not replace the actual energy that food provides and even "tricks" your body into thinking it has energy, making you crash even harder when it wears off , and a successful practice is dependent on fueling your body in a way that meets your energy and nutrient needs through food first.

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests consuming caffeine with caution. For teens between the ages of , daily caffeine intake should not be more than mg or the equivalent of one 8oz cup of coffee.

For children under 12, there's no designated safe amount of caffeine. Excess caffeine intake can do serious damage to your health. Some research has found that excessive caffeine intake is associated with nervousness, irritability, nausea, cardiovascular symptoms, osteoporosis, gastric ulcers and can negatively impact your training sleep and performance.

Caffeine in high doses is also a banned substance by the NCAA. A urinary caffeine concentration that is higher than 14 micrograms per milliliter equivalent to about milligrams of caffeine, energy drinks, or oz of coffee , will result in a positive drug test.

As for energy drinks, they are not reliable, and may contain unclear amounts of banned substances along with unknown amounts of caffeine. Nutrition is a powerful tool to help athletes improve their performance.

And while the intentions behind these messages are likely good most often are meant to insinuate that an athlete should eat more whole foods, more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, unsaturated fats, etc. These foods are often low in carbohydrates and high in fiber. Carbohydrate, as previously mentioned, is the body's primary fuel source for gymnastics activity, including short moderate-to-high intensity activity like a stop-and-go circuit or a second routine in addition to bursts of extremely high intensity activity like sprinting 5 seconds down the vault runway.

A pre-workout meal or snack without enough carbohydrates will likely leave you feeling sluggish and tired. Fiber is one of the nutrients that takes a longer time and a significant amount of energy to digest, meaning that it will be hours before any of the energy is actually accessible to use and will, instead, be more likely to cause an upset stomach, nausea, and bloating.

For a gymnast with a performance nutrition strategy, there are many other opportunities in the day to incorporate nutrient dense foods like vegetables. At the pre-workout snack, it is much more important to prioritize energy and performance, meaning grains, starches, fruit or even something with sugar.

Some of my favorite high-carb pre-practice snacks for gymnasts to eat with less than 1 hour before a workout include:. Yogurt covered fruit. Fruit cup or piece of fruit.

Granola bar. Pretzels or Crackers. Applesauce or GoGo Squeeze. Cereal dry or with milk. Fruit Leathers or Dried Fruit. Fruit smoothie made with yogurt, fruit, and oats or cereal. Bear Bites or Belvita Bites. Fruit juice.

Nutgition is a dynamic sport that incorporates seven disciplines; men's and women's artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, nhtrition, sports aerobics, sports acrobatics and Performance nutrition for gymnastics. Training loads vary depending on Performance nutrition for gymnastics Weight gain for men and level of nturition but Perfomrance competitive gymnasts train a minimum of 3 times per week for around 3 hours per session. Training sessions incorporate skill development, strength and flexibility training, and sometimes ballet for precision and fine-tuning. Elite gymnasts will train over 30 hours per week during morning and evening sessions. However there are various local and international events throughout the year. Competitions usually include an hour warm-up and competition time can last over 3 hours.