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Fluid Intake
Always take a drink to training. You must condition you body to get
use to taking fluids by using fluids during training sessions, not just during
competition.
Make sure that you are always fully hydrated before training
or competition. Never start
exercising in a dehydrated condition. (To monitor your body’s water levels,
check the colour of your urine when you go to the toilet. If your urine is a
dark colour then you need to drink more)
Take some fluid prior before swimming,
say 250-500ml of water 20-40 minutes
before.
During training, small amounts of fluid should be taken
often. Do not wait until you feel
thirsty before drinking.
Your drinks bottle should contain water, weak squash or an
isotonic sports drink. Hydra Fuel, is probably the
most effective fluid replenishment drink. It contains 7% Carbohydrate which is
the optimum amount for rapid fluid absorption.
Flexibility
What is Flexibility?
Flexibility is the ability to move muscles and joints through
their full ranges of motion.
Why is
good Flexibility Essential for swimmers?
1) An increased range of motion in certain joints will allow
a propulsive force to be applied over a longer period of time.
2) A greater range of motion in certain joints will permit
recovery movements that will not disturb the bodies
horizontal and lateral alignment.
3) An increased range of motion in certain joints may
diminish the energy cost and increase the speed of swimming by reducing
intramuscularly resistance to motion.
How
can I improve my flexibility?
Through stretching.
How often
should I stretch?
Everyday!
Nutrition Overview
A good diet may makes its greatest impact on your performance simply by helping you to recover more efficiently between training sessions. As improvements in performance are primarily the result of how well your body adapts to the stimulus of intensive and, above all, consistent training, it is important that the supply of carbohydrate is maintained to sustain glycogen reserves throughout. Without adequate energy reserves within the muscle, you will not be able to train to your full potential and, without training, there will only be minor improvements in performance. So it is vitally important to pay attention to eating habits throughout the year – not just in those days of competition.
Recommendations
ü
Eat regular meals. Never miss breakfast
ü
50 – 60 % of a swimmers diet should consist of
Carbohydrates
ü
Make sure you eat enough food to train. A swimmer who
trains every day, should eat almost twice as much as if they didn't train
ü NEVER go on a diet without consulting
your coach!!!!!!
Carbohydrates
No matter what type of exercise, your body needs energy – the
harder and more you train the more energy you need. The muscles doing most of
the work during exercise get most of their energy from the storage form of
glucose called glycogen, which is stored within the muscles and the
liver.
Unfortunately, the body’s stores of carbohydrate
(glucose and glycogen) are not that great (600-800 kcal). This is about the
same amount of carbohydrate that you should get each day from the food that you
eat. If, when running at marathon pace you were only able to use carbohydrates
as a source of energy, theses stores would only last
for around 70min. When the stores of muscle glycogen are depleted, to ability
to perform exercise is severely limited. This is known as hitting the wall.
This is where fat plays an important role.
A High Carbohydrate Diet
Helps Glycogen Refueling
So
one of the greatest problems facing the athlete is achieving adequate glycogen
repletion to maintain normal energy reserves. This clearly requires time but it has been shown that, after
exercise induced glycogen depletion, a diet high in carbohydrate will actually
increase the rate of refueling. The flowing graph
shows the difference in muscle glycogen levels with a high carbohydrate diet
and a low carbohydrate diet:
The refueling process
should start as soon as possible after a training session. Ironically the
ability of muscle to replete glycogen is greatest in the first hour following
exercise, so rather than wait you should make sure that some carbohydrate is
available within an hour of training. This is particularly important when
training most days or twice a day. A small energy bar would be good, as they
tend to be low in fat and have a good mixture of complex and simple
carbohydrates.
What are Simple and Complex Carbohydrates?
Simple carbohydrates
are what are commonly known as sugars. These are sweet to the taste and are
easily absorbed with little digestion. However the rapid absorption in to the
blood rapidly increases the blood sugar levels. Insulin then helps to move the
glucose in to the cells were it can get converted in to glycogen. If the
increase in blood sugar is too rapid then a lot of insulin is released and the
blood sugar levels actually end up falling. Simple carbohydrates are often
accompanied with high levels of fat, (e.g. chocolate), and low levels of
vitamins and minerals which is why they are considered to be less nutritious
than complex carbohydrates.
Complex carbohydrates
are natural unrefined sugars. This type of carbohydrate includes foods such as
rice and pasta. These take a lot longer for the body to digest so the release
of sugar in to the blood is a lot slower, which means that the body doesn’t
release high levels of insulin. These carbohydrates also contain high levels of
vitamins and minerals as well as low levels of fats, which makes them more
nutritious than simple carbohydrates.
Proteins
Proteins are the
building blocks of the body. The body needs proteins to produce hormones,
enzymes, hemoglobin and muscle. The good thing about proteins is that if you
eat more than the body needs then it is excreted. It is recommended by the
authors that proteins should make up approximately 15% of the total diet. This
is about 2-3 times more than the body will need and use. However it is better
to eat more protein than you need than it is to eat more fat and carbohydrate
than you need because the body excretes the excess. Examples of good sources of
protein are white meats and egg white. Other meats are also good sources of
proteins but they also have higher levels of fat. However red meats are fine as
long as they are not eaten excessively.
Vitamins and
Minerals
Minerals
Minerals are
often forgotten when trying to get a good balanced diet, but there importance
can not be stressed enough. In this section all the minerals won’t be talk
about in detail but they can be seen in the table below. Minerals make up
approximately 5% of total body weight, however most of this consists of bone
(calcium). Sufficient calcium is vital to our health. If we have a lack of
calcium in our diet then the body will remove it from storage sites such as
bones. As well as playing an important role in the formation of bones, calcium
plays essential roles in muscle contraction, function of the nervous system,
blood clotting, and control of membrane permeability. Good sources of calcium
are milk and other dairy products. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of
calcium is 1,200mg.
Phosphorus
is closely linked to calcium. About 80% of phosphorus is found in combination
with calcium in the form of calcium phosphate. Phosphorus plays an important
role in the body’s metabolism, cell membrane structure, and the buffering
system to maintain a constant blood PH. Without phosphorus it would almost be
impossible to move. This is because it is an essential part of ATP. Good
sources of phosphorus are meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and milk. The RDA for phosphorus
is 1,200.
Iron is present in the body in relatively small amounts
compared to the previous two minerals. However it plays an extremely critical
role in the transportation and storage of oxygen. This is because it is
contained within the proteins haemoglobin and myoglobin. Haemoglobin transports
oxygen in the blood and myoglobin is found within muscle cells, which
transports and stores oxygen within the muscle fibres. Lack of iron in the diet
can lead to lack of energy due to the decreased efficiency of the body’s
ability to transport oxygen and in serious cases anemia. However this must not
be confused with the normal feeling of tiredness brought on by intense
training. The best source of iron is liver, however lean meat leafy green
vegetables and egg yolks are also god sources. Vitamin C helps the absorption
of iron. The RDA for iron is 15mg in women and 10mg in men.
Sodium, potassium and chloride are classified as electrolytes
and are found distributed throughout the body. Sodium and chloride are found
predominantly outside the cells and potassium is distributed mostly within
cells. The selective distribution of these three minerals establishes the
separation of electrical charge across nerves and the muscle cell membrane.
This means that these minerals enable neural impulses and muscle activity.
These minerals are also involved in the maintenance of water distribution and
balance as well as normal cardiac rhythm (heart beat), and acid base balance.
Lack of sodium is unlikely in your diet however lack of potassium can cause
weakness of the muscles and an abnormal electrocardiogram. Major sources of
sodium chloride are table salt, seafood, milk, and meat. Potassium is found
most readily in fruits, milk, meat, cereals, and vegetables.
Swimmers who eat a good balanced diet are unlikely to become
mineral deficient. However the importance of minerals cannot be stressed
enough.
Vitamins
Vitamins are organic compounds that are required in small
amounts by the body to grow and maintain health. In terms of assisting the
performance only the B-complex vitamins and vitamins C and E have been
investigated. Most vitamins have important functions that are relevant the
swimmer, for example:
Ø
Vitamin
A is important in growth and development because it promotes bone development.
Ø
Vitamin
D is essential for the absorption of calcium, which means it has an influence
on bone development and neuromuscular activity.
Ø
Vitamin
K is involved in producing ATP.
The B-complex vitamins are made up of more than a dozen
different vitamins. They play an important part in the metabolism of all living
cells, the oxidation of food, and the production of energy. Complex
carbohydrates are often good sources of B-complex vitamins as well as meats.
Deficiencies of B-complex vitamins can impair performance but there has been no
evidence to show that the extra supplementation improves performance.
Vitamin C is common in a lot of the food that we eat, but
deficiencies can occur in people who smoke, use oral contraceptives, have
surgery or run a fever. This vitamin is important for the formation of good
bones, ligaments, and blood vessels. Vitamin C is also involved in:
Ø
Amino
acid (protein) metabolism.
Ø
Synthesis
of hormones
Ø
Absorption
of iron.
It has been suggested that this vitamin assists in wound
healing, combating infection and preventing the common cold. A deficiency of
vitamin C can cause general weakness, poor appetite, anemia, shortness of
breath, swollen joints, and neurotic disturbances.
Exercise has been shown to produce DNA damage within cells.
Vitamin E reduces the damage caused by exercise. As well as this it prevents
the metabolism of vitamins A and C, which allows them to effectively be more
active. Although vitamin E levels are important to maintain extra
supplementation has been shown not to improve performance.
Rest
& Sleep
Sleep
is vitally important to the performance of athletes in competition and during
training. Too little sleep does not allow the body to recover from the days
physical and mental stresses. However it has been found that too much sleep can
also have negative effects on athletic performance. This due to homeostatic
imbalances created by oversleeping. Obviously too little sleep is worse than
too much sleep but having long periods of sleep (more than 10 hours) on regular
occasions (more than twice a week) should be avoided. The body requires
approximately eight to nine hours sleep during the teen years, and as little as
seven hours in early adulthood. However because swimmers participate in
vigorous exercise on regular occasions, slightly more sleep may be required,
perhaps an extra hour. It is advised that each night you should get eight to
nine hours of sleep. This should allow the body to recover from the days
stresses.
The amount of
sleep that you get effects how well you can train and perform in competition.
Pre-competition it is vital that you get the correct amount of sleep for at
least the four days prior to competition so that the body can perform at it
most efficient. Too little sleep causes, as well as other effects, an increase
in resting heart rate, which results in more energy being used at rest. This
means that there is less energy available for exercise. Too much sleep has the
effect of making the heart and basal metabolic rate to decrease. This results
in too little energy being available for exercise. Both these effects will
decrease the likelihood of a good performance in competition as well as during
training.
Smoking
IF YOU WANT SMOKE,
DON'T BOTHER SWIMMING. YOU'LL NEVER SUCCEED WITH
DYING LUNGS.
·
Nicotine is only one
of the many harmful ingredients found in cigarettes.
·
There are over 4,000
other harmful chemicals that can be found in tobacco smoke.
·
Many harmful metals
are also found in cigarettes.
Do you really want to breathe all of these deadly
chemicals into your lungs?!?
A list of tobacco related diseases
Arteries, Hardening of the (Atherosclerosis)
Atherosclerosis (Hardening of the Arteries)
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
Erectile Dysfunction (Impotence)
Hardening of the Arteries (Atherosclerosis)
Heart Arrhythmia (Irregular Heartbeat)
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
Impotence (Erectile Dysfunction)
Irregular Heartbeat (Heart Arrhythmia)
Kidney Cancer (Renal Cell Carcinoma)
Renal Cell Carcinoma (Kidney Cancer)
Transitional Cell Carcinoma
10
Reasons to Quit Smoking That Aren’t Lung Cancer
Still, you inhale deeply.
All 401 poisons and 43 carcinogens. And you knowingly beckon the Grim Reaper closer.
If
the threat of death won't convince you, maybe something else can prompt you to
quit smoking: good old-fashioned vanity. Appearances. The things we humans
judge each other by most.
If you're a smoker, here are 10 good
reasons to give up the habit. They might not kill you, but they sure don't make
you look pretty.
No. 1: Facial wrinkles
Forget the beautiful babes who peer from the advertising pages of fashion
magazines, tailor-made cigarettes between their fingers. The first thing
smoking will not do is give you the eyes and lips of a model.
Crows feet and wrinkled cheeks. Vertical
lines around your mouth. That's the true picture.
Fact: Smoking causes vasoconstriction of
facial capillaries, which reduces the flow of oxygen and nutrients to skin
cells. Say hello to premature wrinkling that is largely irreversible (even if
you can afford the cash and handle the pain of cosmetic surgery).
This one may worry women more than men, but
read on.
No. 2: Impotence
"Oh, God no! Really? Now that's bad!" says Donovan Hipke, a
26-year-old Web developer in Seattle. He's reacting to the news that if he
doesn't defeat his three-year pack-a-day habit, something very near and dear to
him may stop working in the future.
Fact: Smoking reduces peripheral vascular
flow. In other words, the blood flow necessary to attain an erection may become
blocked. As many as one in two American men older than 40 have experienced
impotence to some degree. The condition, which was once deemed psychological,
is now believed to have primarily physical causes, smoking among them.
"If smoking ruins your sex life, it
seems like a terrible trade-off," says Ryan Harper, a 22-year-old
non-smoker who lives in northern California. "How cool can it be to not
perform in bed?"
No. 3: Stained teeth, bad breath
Lips are made for kissing, right? But what if the mouth behind them is filled
with stained teeth and bad breath?
"As smoking becomes more and more
uncommon, people are increasingly sensitive to these things and react
negatively to them," says American Lung Association spokesman Dr. Edwin
Fisher.
Fact: Particles from cigarette smoke stain
teeth brown and yellow, and cause odor-producing bacteria that become trapped
in your mouth. Gum disease and tooth loss are also common in smokers. Not
attractive.
If you need some more oral reasons to quit,
think about vocal-chord growths and cancer of the mouth, throat and esophagus.
No. 4: You smell
Yes, you really, really do. Maybe you're so used to smoking you can't
tell. Maybe your nasal passages are so damaged your nose doesn't work properly
anyway. But ask a non-smoking friend for an honest answer about the way you,
your car and your home smell.
The ugly answer: They all stink. Almost as much as the ashtray you use to stub
out your butts.
Fact: Cigarette smoke has an unpleasant odor that lingers on everything from
skin and hair to clothing and curtains. The scent does not turn on friends and
lovers.
No. 5: Brittle bones
Risk factors for the crippling condition of osteoporosis are well-known these
days: female, white or Asian, inactive, past menopause, small frame, calcium
deficiency and genetic predisposition all contribute to low bone-mineral
density. So does smoking.
Numerous studies link smoking and osteoporosis in women and men. It may be
because smoking affects the synthesis of estrogen and other hormones necessary
for healthy bones.
Fact: A 1997 study that looked at 4,000 hip fractures in elderly women
concluded that one out of every eight fractures was due to smoking-related bone
loss. Once lost, bone density cannot be fully recovered.
No. 6: Depression
Let's get philosophical for a moment: Why do you smoke?
Dr. Fisher of the American Lung Association believes there's a good chance
you're stressed or depressed. "People who are unemployed or going through
a divorce often smoke," he says, adding that even if you're not
distressed, smoking makes you look like you are.
Fact: The connection between smoking and depression has been well established.
Smoking may make you appear more troubled than cool. And it can't take the
place of a good therapist.
No. 7: Crummy role model
Children emulate adults. Every time you light up, you tell kids around
you that smoking is OK.
Ryan Harper attributes his abstinence to his parents. "My parents are
excellent role models for me," he says. "They don't drink or
smoke." And neither does he.
Fact: Every day, an estimated 3,000 children in the United States become
addicted to cigarette smoking. If they keep smoking, 1,000 of them eventually
will die from conditions connected to their addiction.
Anti-tobacco organizations claim cigarette companies deliberately target
children in their advertising campaigns. If you smoke, you're a walking
billboard for these companies. And you are paying them.
No. 8: Fire!
Fact: Fires caused by lighted tobacco products are the leading cause of fire
deaths in the United States. During the 1980s, smoking materials started more
than 200,000 fires every year and killed more than 1,000 people, while injuring
3,000 more and causing more than $300 million in property damage.
If death by fire doesn't impress you, surely you can recall at least one time
your cigarette burned a hole in your precious silk suit or cashmere sweater. It
may be the dawn of a new millennium, but crispy clothing is not a suave fashion
statement yet.
No. 9: Poor circulation
Drooling, paralysis, loss of speech ... There's nothing pretty about becoming
the victim of a stroke.
Fact: Hemoglobin cells are designed to carry oxygen throughout the body. In
smokers, oxygen molecules are displaced by the components of cigarette smoke,
blocking the transfer of life-giving oxygen.
If you've convinced yourself that stroke is an extreme or unlikely consequence
of your habit, there's always premature coronary heart disease to slow you
down. If you're lucky, perhaps you'll only experience some of the
inconveniences of poor circulation, like painful pins and needles or cold hands
and feet.
No. 10: You look stupid
Given the prevalence of smoking education in our culture, it could be said
that smokers must have a lack of oxygen to the brain. In fact, as you read
above, they do.
But no matter how a smoker justifies his or her addiction, this is the
simple, indisputable truth: Just like the slogan says, smoking kills.
Makes the habit look kind of silly overall, doesn't it?
Goal Setting
Goal setting is a process that athletes use to
increase their motivation. Put simply the idea behind it is that the athlete
sets a target (or goal) for themselves to reach, and then tries to attain that
target. Goals can range from something as simple as swimming a length of
butterfly without getting disqualified to winning a medal at the Olympics. Goal
setting is separated into two different classes.
1. Outcome Goals
2. Performance Goals
Outcome Goals
Outcome goals are so called
because the involve setting targets of achievement (or outcome) in competition,
such as “I will come first in the national championships.”
Performance Goals
Performance
goals are slightly more specific than outcome goals. These involve setting
goals for how well you actually performed in an event or training compared with
previous performances. Examples include PB’s, improvement in technique,
improvement on starts and turns, or even something as simple as completing a
training session.
Setting Your Goals
When setting goals we need to
make long, short, and medium term goals. Short term goals are usually
accompanied with performance goals. These should be goals set for no longer
than a month away. Improvement in technique is a good example of a short term
goal. Medium term goals should be set for about 2–8 months away. These are
often associated with outcome goals but performance goals are also common
within them. Examples of these include improving your PB’s (performance goals)
or getting a medal in an upcoming competition. Long term goals can be set for
the years in advance. Examples include how you want to achieve in a competition
in a years time or an overall target of how good you want to get and you
highest ambitions.
Goals should also be S.M.A.R.T.
S -Specific. Specific to you
M -Measurable. i.e. times, technique
A -Attainable. You should be able or at least have a realistic chance of
reaching you goal
R -Recorded. You should write them down so they can be referred back to
(see form below).
T -Time. They have to be set over a
period of time (i.e. short, medium, and long term goals)
Competition
Day Tips
ü
Do as much planning for a swimming competition as
possible. Bring extra swimming goggles, caps, and swim suites. Allow for all
possibilities, so you don’t panic when they happen! e.g. Take two pairs of
goggles to the start in case one of them breaks.
ü
Because most swimming meets are so long, prepare some
healthy snacks, meals and plenty of water. Good snack choices include: bananas,
cereal bars and energy replacement drinks.
ü
Make sure that your familiar with the pools walls
& lanes for your start, turns and finishes.
ü
Study the starters speed. Starter often gets into a
rhythm. Positively visualize your race a couple of times a day for the couple
of weeks leading into it. The more real you can make your picture the more
effective this process will be.
ü
You must believe that you can for fill your chosen
goal (i.e. winner), or you would succeed.
ü
Take long, deep, and slow breaths to calm you down
before you event.
ü
Review and analyse the event(s) with your coach, what
went right and where can you make improvements?
Warm Up
All swimmers should have a set warm up, which they should be
familiar with.
Often, at club galas, the lanes are over crowded and there
isn't much time to warm up. However, at open meets and larger competitions,
swimmers should get at least 30min warm up time. This should be used
wisely.
Here is an example of a productive warm up:
15min
Stretch
(to maximize the joints range of motion)
400m
Front
Crawl
(to generally warm up the
muscles)
200m
Kick/The competing stroke
(to warm up the legs)
200m
Drills/The competing stroke (to get the stroke efficient & feeling good)
2
x 25m Off blocks 90% effort, timed (to practice race pace and sharpen up)
25m
Off blocks 100% effort, timed (to
sharpen up)