When you're cleaning out the fridge after practice is better to get the protien or carbs? I find myself always craving protien after practice, especially a hard one. Does it make a difference to muscle recovery what you eat? Thanx!!
Parents
Former Member
I come from a weight training background and don't really do any distance training, so my thoughts may not be as useful to distance swimmers.
I would think that you would want more carbs after longer distance training and more protein after short fast sprint training.
Even though I only do short distance sprint training, my swim training still uses more calories than my weight training. So on the four days I do weight training, I take quite a bit more (about twice) protein. On the other three days I swim, I try to eat more carbs.
And again, don't forget the fat. :) You will need good fat (nuts, flaxeed oil etc.) daily too. Many strength training programs now use the 45-35-20 formula (carbs, protein, and fat calories). Each gram of protein and carb is worth 4 calories and each gram of fat is worth 9 calories. You can do the math.
I truly believe that in order to be successful, one must have a combination of good technique and strength. Just swimming 3000 yards every day is not going to get you any faster.
I come from a weight training background and don't really do any distance training, so my thoughts may not be as useful to distance swimmers.
I would think that you would want more carbs after longer distance training and more protein after short fast sprint training.
Even though I only do short distance sprint training, my swim training still uses more calories than my weight training. So on the four days I do weight training, I take quite a bit more (about twice) protein. On the other three days I swim, I try to eat more carbs.
And again, don't forget the fat. :) You will need good fat (nuts, flaxeed oil etc.) daily too. Many strength training programs now use the 45-35-20 formula (carbs, protein, and fat calories). Each gram of protein and carb is worth 4 calories and each gram of fat is worth 9 calories. You can do the math.
I truly believe that in order to be successful, one must have a combination of good technique and strength. Just swimming 3000 yards every day is not going to get you any faster.
