How Athletes Of Artistic Sports Eat

Joe Fowler
Author: Joe Fowler Time for reading: ~5 minutes Last Updated: October 25, 2022
How Athletes Of Artistic Sports Eat

Artistic sports include rhythmic gymnastics, figure skating and acrobatics. The main goal of the diet of artistic sports athletes is to maintain a relatively low body weight with a low percentage of fat at a constant level. Also, athletes should have a small volume of muscles, along with high functionality and plasticity. So, with a fairly low calorie content

Artistic sports include rhythmic gymnastics, figure skating and acrobatics.

The main goal of the diet of artistic sports athletes is to maintain a relatively low body weight with a low percentage of fat at a constant level. Also, athletes should have a small volume of muscles, along with high functionality and plasticity. So, with a fairly low calorie content in the diet , it should contain all the necessary nutrients.

 

Dietary requirements

The total caloric content of the diet of artistic sports athletes is calculated quite clearly and strictly in order to avoid both a noticeable increase in body weight and exhaustion. In order not to lose the result, you cannot exceed the caloric content by more than 20% than the calculated one, and not reduce it by more than 10%. The calorie content of 3500-4500 kcal/day for men and 3000-4000 kcal/day for women is considered generally accepted and quite generalized for artistic sports . But it is worth remembering that an individual approach is especially important for athletes of these sports.

Although it is very important not to allow a deficit of calories, for athletes of artistic sports sometimes a regulated energy deficit is specially used — when during the preparatory period for 7-10 days the caloric content of the diet is reduced by 5-10% from the required one. This is done with the aim that the energy deficit activates adaptation reactions. Undoubtedly, all this is carried out under the close supervision of a doctor, and it is also recommended to monitor body composition during this period with all available methods, such as densitometry or fat calipers.

 

Nutrients

The protein content in the diet should be moderate — about 1,201.6 g per kg of weight. Also, you should be very careful about the choice of products that will be the source of this protein - it should be mainly animal.

The diet of artistic sports athletes should be rich in carbohydrates - about 60-70% of the total caloric content of the diet , or 8.6-9.8 g/kg per day. However, balancing carbohydrates with different glycemic indices is equally important. 20-30 g per day of fiber and pectin are simply necessary to ensure the normal functioning of the intestines.

Fats in artistic sports are very strictly limited. But so as to prevent a deficiency of unsaturated fatty acids. 1.7-1.9 g/kg is the recommended amount of fat in the diet of athletes . However, here it is also worth considering the peculiarities of each of the artistic sports — for example, less fat is needed for gymnastics, and more for figure skating, since the athletes work at low temperatures.

The needs of athletes of artistic sports in vitamins and minerals are increased, and "hidden" deficiency has a very negative effect on performance. The approximate needs of mineral substances and vitamins of athletes in artistic sports are as follows:

C, mg B1, mg B2, mg B6, mg B12, mg PP, mg A, mg E, mg Calcium, mg Phosphorus, mg Magnesium, mg Sodium, mg Potassium, mg Iron, mg 120-1252,5-3, 53-45-73-621-352-315-301100-12001800-2100600-9005500-60004500-500015-20

The amount of fluid should be sufficient to prevent dehydration, but not to cause mineral substances to be washed out with sweat - about 2-2.5 l/day, including water in food. If athletes feel thirsty, this is mainly a sign of dehydration. And it is definitely worth paying particular attention to caffeinated and alcoholic drinks, because their diuretic effect is well known.

 

Sports supplements

It is possible to adjust the diet of artistic sports athletes with the help of sports supplements. This will allow:

  • Prevent and compensate for the lack of nutrients and calories.

  • Avoid excessive monotony of dishes, which can interfere with the assimilation of food from a psychological point of view.

  • Increase performance and recovery after loads.

Protein and protein-carbohydrate mixtures are used to balance the ratio of macronutrients, as well as to slightly reduce the uniformity of dishes. As for the last reason, it is worth choosing supplements not only by composition, but also by taste, so that athletes like to consume them.

Due to the increased need for minerals and vitamins, balanced multivitamin-mineral complexes are especially important for athletes of artistic sports , but it is not recommended to consume complexes with a markedly increased content of one or another element, so as not to disturb the balance of useful substances.

The use of such additives as stimulants, adaptogens and ergogens may be permissible for heavy loads, but they should be taken in short courses and only in case of clearly expressed overfatigue.

Sports supplements recommended for artistic sports athletes : multivitamin and mineral salts, carnitine, food substitutes, natural ergogens (extremely careful).

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Diet planning (PREMIUM)

Planning the diet of gymnasts and figure skaters is extremely difficult due to the peculiarities of their bodies. It is necessary to deal with this issue long before the beginning of the athletes ' performances , so that there are no unexpected "breakdowns" that will harm the performance. As in all sports, experiments with nutrition can be carried out only when there is a lot of time left before responsible performances or competitions.

The diet of artistic sports should consist of light, and at the same time nutritious and diverse products, otherwise the risk of malabsorption due to psychosomatic disorders will increase. In practice, it is recommended to include at least 15-20 dishes from each product in the diet . Although it is not always realistic in the same practice, it is still possible to diversify the diet of athletes using a wide variety of products in many variations and combinations.

You need to plan long breaks between eating and exercising to prevent indigestion. Even a very hearty dinner is unlikely to contribute to a normal well-being in the morning.

The main load in terms of nutrients and calories is allocated to breakfast. To prevent overloading the stomach, especially during morning training, it is recommended to divide it into two receptions.

For artistic sports , more than five meals a day is especially relevant and already traditional . The last meal is also divided into two - in an approximate ratio of 3:1. You should also not eat later than an hour and a half before bedtime.

Approximate distribution of diet for gymnasts with different training regimes

Mode 1 breakfast 2 breakfast Lunch Afternoon Dinner Morning training30%—35%10%25%Evening training35%5%30%—30%Two trainings per day25%10%35%5-10%20-25%

It is also important to investigate the athlete 's personal preferences , aversion to this or that type of food, food allergies. This will make it possible to eliminate almost one hundred percent the possibility of performance failures for both physiological and psychological reasons.

 

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