by Andrea-Lee Peters

Created on: June 05, 2009

How to prepare for an upcoming swimming event is slightly different for everybody. No individual is the same, and therefore, neither can any sporting preparation. There are guidelines to follow:

What type of event?

Firstly we need to establish which type of swimming event you are preparing for. Is it a short event: sprint event, or a long distance event. If you are unsure then usually 100 metres or less is a sprint event, where as over 100 metres is classes as a distance event.

It is most likely you have been training hard up to the coming event and have therefore been putting in some hour in the pool. Be sure to ease off before the event! It is no use to you to train like crazy up to the day of, as this will wear your body out, and it's resources; subsequently you will not perform well in your event.

Ease off the training! By all means, you can still swim, but put in less distance and time in the pool. Give your body time to rest before the ultimate exertion. Believe me, trying to swim a race when already tired is not fun, and extremely frustrating.

Food!

Ensure you maintain a good diet up to and during the course of your competition. Training hard and eating wrong will not produce the results you desire.

Carbohydrate - Is essential for exercise! Without this vital ingredient the body cannot store fuel(energy) for your later use. Low store of glycogen will produce a very sluggish performance! Ensure your carb intake is high enough.

Good carbohydrate foods include: pasta, rice, bread and oatmeal.

When to eat!

Ensure that you eat at least one hour before rigorous exercise. Any less than this and your body will still be digesting the food you have eaten and this will lead to inefficient training and possibly stomach cramps or feeling unwell. If your body is trying to digest food then it cannot provide the fuel to your muscles at the same time!

Eat within an hour of doing the exercise. You don't have to eat a full meal, but try to give your body something to begin replacing the fuel you have just used!

Fluids!

Athletes can easily get dehydrated so make sure to keep up your fluid intake. Lack of fluid will affect your performance. Ensure your fluid intake is in balance and increase this a few days before the event! Avoid alcohol close to your event!

Stretch!

Include stretching within your swimming training schedule. Too many athletes forget about the importance of stretching, DON'T. Stretching will improve your flexibility and performance in the pool. Use this as part of your on going training schedule.

Lastly,

GOOD LUCK!

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