By Tasija Karosas, Swimming World College Intern
There are many conflicting views about protein needs for athletes. Bodybuilders believe they should be eating only protein for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Endurance athletes think they have a very small protein requirement because they are not trying to build muscle. The truth is, neither one is correct. Protein is crucial for our body to survive, but there is a limit on how much protein you should consume. That goes for everyone – even if you are trying to build muscle.
Swimmers (more commonly, male swimmers) believe they should stock up on protein in order to put on muscle, or in other words, they want to “get jacked.†In reality, excess protein is not the key to building muscle, and excess protein can even be damaging to a swimmer’s performance. Whether you are a sprinter or a distance swimmer, carbohydrates will always be your main source of fuel. That being said, too much protein can prevent carbohydrate fueling, which could be very damaging to your training and racing. Your body will only utilize 20 to 25 grams of protein at one time. If you have an increased intake of protein, you will either store it as fat and use it later for energy, or it will be discarded as waste.
When determining this number, it is important to be aware of your training in the water and in the weight room. Â A sprinter, who is spending more time in the weight room, should be eating 0.7 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight. A swimmer who swims the mile and does more circuit training in the weight room should be eating 0.6 to 0.7 grams of protein per pound of body weight. The lower end is for females, the higher end is for males. For example: if you are a 150-pound female and your best event is the 200 freestyle, and you do moderate work in the weight room, calculate 0.7 grams of protein per pound to find your magic protein number (150 x 0.7 = 105). You should try to eat 105 grams of protein a day.
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