Episode 156: Should your gymnast eat LESS food (or carbs) on rest days?
Description
Does every gymnast need LESS carbs (or food in general) on lighter training days or rest days?
This is a HOT topic in the gymnastics world and I have some thoughts👉🏻👉🏻👉🏻
Every gymnast needs a different amount of carbohydrate each day. Every gymnast needs a different amount of total energy (food -> calories -> carbs, protein, fat) each day .
But here's the kicker: HOW much they need will vary greatly with health and growth status, training hours/intensity, current performance, etc. So no, you can't crowd source this one by "asking around".
Almost EVERY gymnast training 25-30 hours/week has ZERO business eating less carbs or total food on a rest day (esp if they haven’t gone through puberty because of underfueling).
It’s an uphill battle trying to get enough nutrition in them each day while navigating the energetic cost of growth/development, 25-30 hours/week of training, repair, recovery, etc.
And MOST all of the gymnasts we work with training 20 hours/week are also not getting enough nutrition for what they’re doing— thus, they have zero business eating “less” on a rest day.
In this episode you'll learn about:
- The unique needs and challenges in fueling young gymnasts
- The ONLY gymnasts we have who might eat LESS on rest days or training days
- When to adjust nutrition for gymnasts
Links & Resources
- The Balanced Gymnast® Program for level 5-10 female gymnasts
- "Is Your Gymnast Underfueled?" Masterclass
- The Gymnast Summer Training Fueling Formula
- Connect with Christina on Instagram @the.gymnast.nutritionist or christinaandersonrdn.com
Sign up here for our FINAL workshop of 2025-- The PreSeason Gymnast Nutrition Clinic
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