ROWING NUTRITION

Nutriton Info

Ridgewood crew training sessions last 1.5 hours of either aerobic “with oxygen” exercises (steady state long distance ergs/rows) or anaerobic “no oxygen” (quick explosion pieces like starts, or weight lifting). Rowing races are 1,500-2,000 meters, which takes between 5-10 minutes, a combination of both aerobic and anaerobic activity. There is no need to carbo-load (most calories from carbohydrates) for rowing practice or races because they are not extremely long; for carbo-loading to benefit an athlete the event must last >90 minutes. The main point in rowing nutrition is to have a well-balanced diet with adequate amount of calories to provide energy and replace the energy used.

To obtain a well-balanced diet, the recommended amount of calories should be from…

Carbohydrates: 45-65% of total calories
Protein: 10-35% of total calories
Fat: 20-30% of total calories

I don’t recommend counting calories, as you are all growing and developing and burning a lot of calories in training. This information is here to guide you to make your meals have a large portion of carbohydrates, then a protein source and fat. Fat is what gives athletes energy and when a diet is lacking in fat the feeling of tiredness and low-energy will be experienced. Protein helps muscles repair from use, but there is no need to over consume protein (the added calories will disrupt the balance of calories in and out and can cause weight gain). Carbohydrates provide the muscles glycogen, which is critical for exercise, this is what makes the muscle work and our brains have energy. It’s the most preferential form of energy to be used by the body! The timing of your meals and food sources (carbs, fats, and protein) will effect your energy level and speed of recovery.

Hydration: Sweat losses can be large in rowing. Failure to re-place these losses, or to maintain hydration will affect performance.

Goal: Urine should be colorless!

2 cups, 2 hours before practice
1-2 cups 15 mins before
1/2-1 cup every 15 mins during
3 cups after practice for every pound lost
Drink water with meals

Pre Training

To maximize a rower's athletic performance, getting a nutritious preworkout meal and snack is important!

2-4 hours before training/racing:

A carb-containing snack (1-4 g/kg)
Different than carbo-loading

30-45 minutes before training/racing:

100-200 calorie snack

If the race/training is in the morning, its in your best interest to be awake for 3-4 hours before the race. This allows the body to be fully awake

Post Training

To properly recover, your body needs food to replace what was used during training and stregthen muscles.

Within 1 hour post practice/race:

Eat a carb-containing snack
- This will restore the gycogen used and will prevent some sorness

2-4 hours of a rowing event

Consume a well-balanced meal
- 15 to 20 grams of protein, carbs, and fat
- This will help the muscles recover from training

If you have a race back to back, without a lot of time, drink a energy/calories drink because nutritents are best absorbed in liquid form