Steak houses, Italian restaurants, fast-casual Mexican restaurants like Chipotle, etc all offer plenty of options to keep the gymnast feeling their best. You can save the famous fried chicken or BBQ joint until after the competition; or at least several days before the competition, not the day before or day of.

Gymnastics is not as intense as a marathon in terms of carbohydrate requirements, but gymnasts still need adequate carbohydrates at all meals and most snacks.

This ensures their brain and muscles have appropriate fuel. This depends on what time the gymnast is competing. Ideally, a gymnast would have a pre-competition meal about hours before the competition, a small pre-workout snack around Prioritizing the carbohydrate and a little protein is the bare minimum.

Every upper level gymnast should have a Competition Nutrition Strategy. During the competition, gymnasts should utilize their Performance Nutrition Strategy; the strategic use of carbohydrates and fluids to level up performance.

This is not a healthy way to fuel and can lead to long-term issues with food and body. In conclusion, there is undoubtedly some strategy to utilizing nutrition to level up performance during a competition.

These factors and so much more can become barriers to adequate fueling. There are ways to ensure your gymnastics competition season nutrition works for you and not against you though. If you want to learn more about how to fuel your gymnast during competition season, check out The Balanced Gymnast® Program.

I work with high level gymnasts and help them find food freedom while pursuing elite performance. And if you have a compulsory or male gymnast, our self-paced program The Balanced Gymnast® Course is for you and you can get started ASAP. Learn more here.

The Ultimate Guide to Gymnastics Competition Season Nutrition. Gymnastics Nutrition , Performance. November 1, explore the blog. In this article we give you the basics of proper nutrition so that you can have a baseline of what foods your gymnast should be eating.

When in doubt, consult a certified nutritionist for individual guidance. If you have a gymnast who eats very little, try breaking down her meals into smaller mini-meals throughout the day. Another way to tell if your gymnast is eating enough is to check her energy level.

Is she often lethargic? Overall, the USDA and Harvard School of Public Health recommend eating a variety of vegetables, fresh fruits, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat dairy, along with a variety of different protein sources and healthy oils.

The USDA is more heavy on the amount of milk but still recommends water as the best option to stay hydrated. Again, this guideline was created for children without regard to sports yet offers a starting point for gymnasts. As they train more or go through periods of growth, gymnasts may need to tweak this guideline to fit their changing needs.

Again, gymnasts exercise for much longer than an average non-gymnast child so their nutritional needs are slightly different. More specifically, because gymnastics is primarily an anaerobic sport, gymnasts need the majority of their calories to come from carbohydrates to help fuel their body.

Think of carbohydrates as fuel for your gymnast. Nutrient dense sources of carbohydrates include fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.

Gymnasts should eat a wide variety of different colors in their diet including various fruits and vegetables to ensure they are getting the nutrients they need. Examples of nutritious carbohydrates include whole grain pastas and breads, brown rice, oatmeal, various forms of beans such as black and kidney beans, lentils, corn, carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, apples, bananas, blueberries, strawberries, oranges, grapes, peaches, and plums.

Not all carbohydrates are created equal, however. Gymnasts need protein to help their muscles recover and repair.

The exact amount of protein a gymnast requires, however, has yet to be scientifically determined. Researchers agree youth athletes, in general, need anywhere between 1. This equates to about 34 grams of protein per day for athletes between the ages of and 46 grams of protein for girls ages Protein can come from animal or plant sources.

Examples of animal sources would be lean meat such as lamb, pork, or beef, along with chicken, fish, and eggs. Examples of plant sources of protein include peanuts and other tree nuts , chickpeas, quinoa, lentils, chia seeds, tofu, and edamame opt for organic tofu and edamame to avoid modified soy.

Young athletes rely more on fat sources than adults do so healthy fat sources should be included in their diet, especially for gymnasts! Fat surrounds nerve cells and insulates organs and is vital for proper functioning. Sources of healthy fats include nuts and nut butters, avocados, walnuts, almonds, tuna, salmon, and food cooked in olive oil.

Fats such as fried foods, donuts, packaged and processed foods, fatty meats such as bacon, sausage, pepperoni, salami, and bologna should all be avoided. The average person needs to drink about half their body weight to stay hydrated. For example, if you weigh pounds you would need 50 ounces of water.

Children, who are of all different weights and sizes, have varying hydration needs, however. Depending on how much they sweat and how hard they workout, their needs might be different from day to day. A good rule of thumb is for smaller sized gymnasts to aim for 48 ounces per day and for bigger sized gymnasts to aim for 96 ounces per day.

She should have a 24 ounce bottle that she can take with her and sip from when she feels she needs to drink. Remember, once your gymnast starts to feel thirsty she is already dehydrated.

Stay away from Gatorade and other electrolyte sports drinks as a regular hydration source. While these drinks might be needed from time to time, the sugars and dyes in them can cause more harm than good.

Avoid juice as well, which is primarily sugar, even percent fruit juice. Gymnasts need to eat frequently in order to maintain energy. Here is an example of how many times your gymnast might need to eat in one day:. Aim to include carbohydrates, proteins, and some fat in your snack.

Snacks should be around calories. Here is a list of 25 different healthy snacks for gymnasts:. According to the Hospital for Special Surgery , a lot of gymnasts reach their peak in gymnastics when their calorie needs are at their highest. And yet many gymnasts are either not eating enough or are eating the wrong foods.

Good nutrition can fend off overuse injuries, stress fractures, low energy, and hormone imbalances. In addition, your gymnast should aim to eat frequent meals throughout the day, making carbohydrates her main source of fuel.

Protein is also important to help her muscles recover and repair themselves. Gymnasts should also eat adequate amounts of healthy fat to help with proper functioning of her organs. And most importantly, gymnasts need to stay hydrated throughout the day.

Briley October 6, , am. Thank you for this! Do you have any more suggestions for healthy fats? gymnasticshq October 6, , pm. Hi Briley, Do you like avocado?

You can make it into guacamole or eat it in a turkey roll up or even just drizzle olive oil over it. Olives and ground flaxseed meal are also good sources of healthy fats as are Greek yogurt, cheese, coconut oil, and eggs! Suhaila September 25, , pm.

Briley October 6, , pm. Also, yes things like eggs, yogurt, olives, and cheese, are some healthy fats I will definitely eat! Thank you so much! Gymnastics nutrition is an important aspect of training. For example, a level 3 gymnast may spend three to four days at the gym, training up to ten hours a week.

At level 6, that training can increase to hours. Gymnasts who compete at a level 8, 9 or 10 are highly committed to the sport, training up to twenty hours a week.

Though some level 9 gymnasts go on to compete at the collegiate level, most college gymnasts are at the highest level 10 or the elite level. Although the intensity and duration of training varies by level and the season, all gymnasts require adequate fuel and hydration to perform on a consistent basis.

Having a well-designed nutrition plan can make all the difference in the world. Click here to download this information in a printable PDF. Nutrition Recommendations for Gymnastics When it comes to fueling gymnasts, the sports nutrition plan needed to support training is just as important as the foods and fluids consumed the day of a competition.

A gymnast needs enough fuel to complete lengthy training sessions and to refuel afterwards, so their body is prepared for their next training session and any upcoming competitions. Because many competitive gymnasts are younger in age, their consumption of nutrient-rich foods is important to support their growth and development.

The main fuel source used by gymnasts is carbohydrates. They need to eat enough each day to supply the energy to train and perform at a high level. The amount of carbohydrates needed varies based on their training level, but generally ranges between 3 and 7 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight.

A younger gymnast, who participates in fewer weekly training hours, would likely fall on the lower end. As the amount and intensity of training increases, so do the daily carbohydrate needs of the athlete. To meet those daily requirements, gymnasts should focus on including a combination of nutrient-dense carbohydrates — like whole grains such as oatmeal, legumes, and fruits and vegetables — at all meals and snacks.

Including a variety of these foods will help ensure gymnasts get the wide variety of vitamins and minerals their bodies need.

Protein is needed to help repair and recover muscle tissue that was broken down during training and competition.

In general, gymnasts need between 1. For example, a pound gymnast would range between grams of protein a day. Ideally, protein intake should be spread out evenly throughout the day and be included at each meal and all snacks, including after training and competitions.

When choosing what proteins to eat, try to include a variety of animal and plant-based sources. Animal sources include lean meats — such as chicken, fish, eggs, and lean beef — and dairy products like milk, yogurt and cheese.

Plant-based protein sources include chickpeas, lentils, tofu, edamame, peanuts, or other tree nuts. Fat is essential for overall body and brain development and functioning.

It also plays a role in helping the body recover.