Swimming is arguably one of the most physically demanding sports out there. It involves almost every muscle in the human body and makes for a very effective workout. Whether you're just swimming recreationally, or nuotando 125 km intorno all'isola di Ibiza, you'll certainly burn an extensive number of calories. Competitive swimmers are known for having high calorie diets, this is quite necessary for the amount of nutrients and fluids lost during a challenging workout.
Sono sicuro che ti starai chiedendo: quanto mangiano davvero i nuotatori?
Allenamento intenso
Competitive swimmers often have very intense training schedules. Two sessions per day is fairly common within most programs, especially at a high level. Olympic level swimmers have always been known for their abnormal caloric intake, so much that the “Dieta Phelps” has been coined and heavily searched on the web.
The metabolism of a competitive swimmer is generally faster than the average person. The more calories an athlete burns, the more they need to take in. As you can imagine, grueling training sessions multiple times per day result in a very hungry swimmer. Your average competitive swimmer burns anywhere from 2,000 to 10,000 calories per day, depending on workout duration, workout intensity, and the weight of the athlete. The recommended caloric intake for a female collegiate swimmer is a whopping 4.000-5.000 calorie al giorno.
L'importanza dei carboidrati
Although swimmers can get away with eating more food, what’s more important is what swimmers eat. A junk food, sugar filled diet is not exactly ideal in terms of nutritional value. It’s not solely about the quantità of food consumed, but the qualità as well.
Every swimmer needs carbnella loro dieta. I carboidrati soddisfano i bisogni energetici più immediati del corpo e servono come carburante principale per l'allenamento di un atleta. Alcuni alimenti ricchi di carboidrati e adatti alla dieta di un nuotatore includono:
Riso integrale/bianco
Pasta integrale
Pane integrale
Yogurt magro/senza grassi
L'importanza delle proteine
Proteina is also instrumental in properly fueling and recovering the body after vigorous physical exercise. È importante consumare proteine e carboidrati insieme durante i pasti, questo consente un corretto equilibrio dei nutrienti e riduce i picchi di zucchero nel sangue. Alcuni alimenti ricchi di proteine includono:
Pescare
Pollame senza pelle, carne bianca
Manzo
Uova
Yogurt greco magro
Of course, It’s important for athletes to consume other nutrients as well. Things such as fiber, calcium, potassium, antioxidants, and various fats are all necessary to keep the body healthy and in working shape.