Nutrition for rowers and high energy demands

The energy demands of a rower are high, so the number of meals you will need in order to consume the amount of calories your body needs for recovery and repair should be between 4 and 6. If you have the typical “London diet” as I call it (no breakfast, a sandwich at lunch, a mound of food for dinner and the usual chocolates or crisps while watching Eastenders/Corrie), you’ll probably find that getting your boat out to water is hard going let alone the seemingly endless amount of work that’s done on the Concept 2 rower!  

Typically, a rower will have much higher energy demands than someone who isn’t exercising. They will need carbohydrates in particular, which should account for 55-65% of the overall calories taken in. So if we take a rower who needs 2900 calories a day, between 1600 and 1900 of these calories should be from sources of carbohydrate (the rest coming from a mixture of fat and protein) spread throughout the day over about 4-6 smaller meals rather than trying to cram all those calories in at dinner!

Differences in how many calories someone needs a day depends on many factors: such as gender, amount of lean muscle, activity level and so on. So if you are in any doubt please talk to a member of the Ethos gym team who can give you some more specific advice.

Before

If you train first thing in the morning, having something to eat beforehand is important but the amount and timing of when you eat is a very important factor; otherwise you could end up “doing a Radcliffe” and having an impromptu toilet break off the side of the boat! 

The speed at which we digest food will differ for everyone, so the main thing is to find out what works for you and stick to it! A good guide is eating 30-45 minutes before you train. Try something which isn’t going to be too “heavy” , e.g. fruit, yoghurt or nuts/seeds or if you have a bit more time choose something with a higher amount of calories from carbohydrates as it will give your body more “fuel” to burn during your session. Good examples of this are wholegrain bread with a healthy filling: again, the best option being something you eat regularly (the meal before a race isn’t the time to try out the spicy curry your housemate has just made!).

During

Most people prefer to drink water during training but with intense sessions, or those lasting over 45 minutes, sports drinks or juices are a good idea as this will not only re-hydrate you but will also give your body additional carbohydrate and electrolytes which are lost during exercise. You can make you rown sports drink by filling up a 1.5 litre bottle with water, adding a pinch of salt and some juice concentrate - about a cup will do you if don’t want it to be too concentrated. 

After

This is quite often the most overlooked aspect, but definitely one which needs to be examined to promote optimal refuelling and recovery. After training, the sooner you can eat the better. Carbohydrates will make up a significant part of the meal but protein has to be included as this crucial for repair of the lean muscle that’s been working so hard! 

A good guide to selecting carbohydrates is something that has either grown from the ground or from a tree (vegetables, cereals or grains) and with your selection of protein something that once had two eyes and could either walk, fly or swim (poultry, beef etc) the less processed food you have the better and that means if you can’t pronounce the ingredients, don’t eat it!