Kelsey HigginsonSports Nutrition Coach and Founder at Clutch Day Coaching

Swimmer Nutrition

23 Dec 2025 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:02

In this instructional monologue, the speaker outlines a comprehensive nutrition plan for competitive swimmers who have morning prelims and evening finals. The plan is organized around a "2-1-0" timing framework for morning events: a higher‑carbohydrate, light breakfast at two hours before the race (e.g., oatmeal with berries or a bagel with honey), electrolytes and 16 oz of fluid containing about 500 mg of sodium one hour before, and race start at zero. For swimmers with multiple prelim races, the speaker emphasizes repeating this pattern and using carbohydrate‑rich foods between events. For evening finals, a "performance plate" is prescribed four hours before the race, consisting of roughly 50 % carbs, 25 % protein, 20 % fats, and the remainder fruits and vegetables. Two hours before the final, a high‑carb snack such as a granola bar and an apple is recommended, followed by the same electrolyte‑fluid protocol one hour prior. The same routine is repeated for multiple final events. The overall message is that strategic timing of carbs, protein, fats, electrolytes, and fluids maximizes energy availability and performance throughout a competition day.

Chapters

If you are a swimmer and you have prelims in the morning and finals at night, here's what your nutrition should look like throughout your day. Starting in the morning, if you have to be in the pool by 8 AM, you want to do the 2-1-0. At 6 AM, you're going to have a higher carb breakfast, so like an oatmeal with berries on it, a bagel with honey on it, something small to keep it light and digestible, but something big enough so that it can actually carry you through the morning. 1 hour before, you're going to have electrolytes and fluids, so about 500 milligrams of sodium, about 16-ounce fluids. Be sipping on that throughout the hour. Zero means start of the meet or start of the race. If you have multiple events to swim at prelims in the morning. You need to compete, you need to eat, and then you need to repeat. The best thing to be eating in between your races is carbohydrates. Now, to prepare for finals, 4 hours before, I need you to have a performance plate. Half of your plate needs to be carbs, a fourth of your plate will be protein, a fifth of your plate will be fats, and then the rest of the plate will be full of fruits and veggies. 2 hours before, you're going to have a high carbohydrate snack, so like a granola bar and an apple. 1 hour before, you're gonna do the same thing you did up here and do an electrolyte with fluids. And then if you're swimming multiple events in the finals, you'll do the same exact thing that I told you to do up here.