Swimming World Presents – Nutrition: To Be The Best, You Need To Eat The Best!

SW February 2021 - Nutrition To Be The Best, You Need To Eat The Best - Dawn Weatherwax

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Nutrition: To Be The Best, You Need To Eat The Best!

By Dawn Weatherwax

Each year really does build onto another— nutrition is an imperative part of the process, even at an early age.

Many elite-minded swimmers include sports nutrition to their training regimens early on, NOT because there is a problem in their performance, but to enhance their current and future goals. “Early on” usually means between sixth and ninth grade. However, the majority of swimmers seek out sports nutrition expertise when they have a lull in performance.

One of my past clients came to me as a dominant swimmer. He was a freshman in high school and had big dreams. He wanted to finish first in every state event from freshman to senior year, qualify for World Junior opportunities and become an Olympian. He always wanted to understand every step of the sports nutrition process, and he took 100% responsibility for all his choices.

Within the first six months of working together, he ended up taking five seconds off his 200 free and made U.S. Olympic Trials cuts in his 200 and 400 free that year. Fast-forward several years: He was a four-year state champion in all of his events and currently has an excellent chance of becoming an Olympian this year!

Another one of my Olympic hopefuls started implementing sports nutrition at age 14. We use measurements and science to customize nutritional meal plans monthly, and we add other testing and supplements throughout as the facts become clear to implement.

I recently started working with a 12-year-old female swimmer. She was very tired all the time. Her diet was poor. Many sweets, too little protein and distribution of nutrients were off. Just by customizing a nutrition plan that best fits her, including revisions along the way, her body fat went from 30% to 22%. She gained seven pounds of lean weight, lost eight pounds of fat and continued to achieve best times! And her training stayed the same see chart on page 34, “12-year-old Female Swimmer”)!

[PHOTO BY DELLY CARR, SWIMMING AUSTRALIA]

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Swimming World Magazine February 2021 Issue

FEATURES

012 THE PRIDE OF GIRLS’ POLO IN THE GATEWAY CITY
by Michael Randazzo
When COVID-19 lockdowns last spring stopped polo, Rob Peglar and Abby VerMeer didn’t hesitate: they focused on getting girls water polo untracked in the Gateway City. The result: the St. Louis Lions, the city’s first all-girls team.

014 ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL
by Dan D’Addona
The popular motto of The Musketeers, built on supporting each other as well as the group, is just one of many reasons why the University of Texas remains among the strongest in men’s college swimming and diving.

020 READY FOR A BREAKTHROUGH
by Andy Ross
Melanie Margalis is an Olympic relay gold medalist and a three-time relay champion at Worlds, but a podium finish in an individual event has eluded her on the world’s biggest stage. After ranking No. 1 in the 400 IM and No. 3 in the shorter medley for 2020, her turn to win a medal for the United States could take place this year in Tokyo.

022 PERSEVERANCE AND HARD WORK PAY OFF
by David Rieder
After not qualifying for Australia’s Olympic team in 2012, Emma McKeon was ready to quit…but over the next several months, she had a change of heart and understood what was necessary to compete at a higher level. Since then, she has become a significant international force, a consistent podium presence and one of the world’s most impactful relay swimmers.

026 TAKEOFF TO TOKYO: TARNISHED GOLD
by John Lohn
East Germany’s Kristin Otto will long be remembered as a highly decorated athlete, and for turning in one of the greatest Olympic outings in history, winning six gold medals at the 1988 Games. But because of the links to her and performance-enhancing drugs, what she accomplished—before and in Seoul—will always be tainted.

029 WHO “SHOT” THE SWIMMERS? (Part 2)
by Bruce Wigo
Shortly after the 1936 Olympics in a lab in Boston, Harold “Doc” Edgerton, an electrical engineering professor at MIT, began tinkering with equipment that would change the way science explains natural phenomena—and with it, the art of aquatic sports photography—forever.

032 NUTRITION: TO BE THE BEST, YOU NEED TO EAT THE BEST!
by Dawn Weatherwax
Each year really does build onto another—nutrition is an imperative part of the process, even at an early age.

COACHING

016 SELLING PROCESS TO SWIMMERS (Part 2)
by Michael J. Stott
In 1993, psychologist Anders Ericsson wrote that greatness wasn’t born, but grown. Fifteen years later, author Malcolm Gladwell suggested that it takes roughly 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery in a skill or field. Known by the term, “process,” swim coaches use that learning curve to improve the performance of their swimmers.

036 SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS: FREESTYLE TECHNIQUE FOR SPRINT AND DISTANCE (Part 2)
by Rod Havriluk
Optimal freestyle technique for sprint and distance is identical with respect to the arm motion throughout the stroke cycle, but the arm coordination is different. While a swimmer can swim a wide range of velocities with opposition coordination, a swimmer will only achieve his/her fastest velocity with superposition coordination.

040 SPECIAL SETS: TRAINING THE PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE—THEN AND NOW
by Michael J. Stott
In his lengthy career, Gregg Troy has mentored athletes of all ages and abilities, which has given him a unique perspective of how to prepare post-college grads for excellence at the international level.

042 Q&A WITH COACH JOE PLANE
by Michael J. Stott

044 HOW THEY TRAIN ANDREW IVERSON
by Michael J. Stott

TRAINING

035 DRYSIDE TRAINING: TIME TO GET STRONG…AGAIN!
by J.R. Rosania

JUNIOR SWIMMER

038 GOLDMINDS: JUST GO WITH THE FLOW
by Wayne Goldsmith
How can you control—and even master—your emotions? The answer is by learning to become a more resilient swimmer. Here’s how…

046 UP & COMERS: RICHARD POPLAWSKI
by Shoshanna Rutemiller

COLUMNS

010 A VOICE FOR THE SPORT

011 DID YOU KNOW:

ABOUT FREDERICK LANE?

047 GUTTERTALK

049 PARTING SHOT

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