Food.

And then more food.

And then, perhaps between dinner and early bed time, a little bit more…

Rowing requires long hours of training using the whole body, over a very long season. For most of the season it’s about daily training sessions, sometimes two sessions a day. Towards the end of the season racing is a massive physical effort. Many school rowers are already tall, and they are generally growing in height as well as developing muscle mass. Keeping these athletes fuelled up for their training needs, on top of the nutritional needs of normal growing and life, is a significant issue. It requires some discipline from the athletes, and lots of parental and club support.

The good news is that it doesn’t need to be particularly complex. Rowers need good healthy food, and plenty of it. The parent’s role is to stock the cupboards and the fridge, providing easy, fast options that rowers enjoy eating, and helping with ideas to keep them interested in food.

We’ve shared here a few of the things that we’ve found work…

TRAINING FOOD

Rowers need lots of good carbohydrates, protein and good fats. Especially carbohydrates, and they need to get them in fairly quickly after training.

Hydration is always important – keep a water bottle handy all the time!

Morning trainings

1. Eat breakfast before training. Something fast and easy. Cereal, yoghurt, fruit, milk. Toast – with bananas or peanut butter, honey etc. Crumpets, a smoothie, etc etc.

2 Take a water bottle in the boat and use it.

3. Eat a second breakfast after training. Remember the magic window to replenish muscle glycogen is about an hour at most, so we encourage rowers to eat pretty smartly after the boats are put away. ALWAYS refuel between training and school, and remember to rehydrate. Many teens eat the same sort of breakfast again. Milk is a great recovery food, even better paired up with cereal. ‘Up & go’ milk drinks can be fast and easy. Toast with spreads (or avocado or tomatoes). If they can come home between rowing and school, then perhaps pancakes or eggs on toast. Or use these after weekend mornings.

School rowers are welcome to store labelled milk and yoghurt in the fridge, cereal in a cupboard, and have that second breakfast at the club.


Some useful website suggestions:

Nutrition for the Adolescent Athlete

Food for your Sport - Rowing

Post exercise - What to eat and When​

PRACTICAL FOOD TIPS FOR GETTING THROUGH THE SEASON…

  • Morning tea, lunch, after school snacks and dinner are all important, and this is where parents can help. Every chance you can, add to the nutritional value of the meals your teen is eating. Add assorted seeds or nuts to salads and veges. Use grainy breads, different kinds of spreads etc. As many different kinds of fruits and veges as you can manage. Every different food will add slightly different micronutrients.
  • Keep good lunch fixings. Keep the fruit bowl looking interesting (bananas!), and keep the fridge well stocked.
  • Cereals are not all created equal. Look for lower sugar cereals. Weetbix and porridge are great, also try good quality muesli etc.
  • Always be looking to cook extras and keep the leftovers
  • Cook lots of chicken drums, they’re a great snack at home, either just the drum or put into a sandwich
  • Make big salads around a carbohydrate base – roast vege, potato, rice, quinoa, pasta, chickpeas etc. Families develop favourites, you will soon find some ideas that your teen loves
  • When making things like lasagne or macaroni cheese at home, make heaps extra. They will take it for lunch or eat it after school. Add extra veges, lentils, beans and other goodies to increase the nutritional value
  • Spag bol mix – make extra and encourage the teens to make their own wraps or quesadillas
  • Quiches or bacon and egg pie
  • Eggs are a great food – omelettes, fried egg sandwiches, hard-boiled eggs etc
  • Soups can be a great standby – pumpkin, tomato etc

Iron and zinc are really important nutrients, and worth keeping an eye on, especially for the girls. Red meats, fish, mussels, green veges. Eat vitamin C foods with iron-containing foods to increase the absorption.