TRAINING AND COMPETITION

Fueling correctly is just as important as performance in training and competition. Similar to writing a training plan, skiers should write a nutrition plan outlining what they will consume daily. Studies have shown that skiers often go into both training and competition days dehydrated (3). The same study also shows that skiers tend to consume more calories on a training day than a competition day, although skiers are more likely to expend more energy on a competition day than a training day (3). Under-consumption of calories derived from primarily carbohydrate sources on both training and competition days can lead to energy deficiency and decreased performance. For a typical training day, skiers should consume primarily carbohydrates. A safe estimation for calorie consumption is anywhere between 2000 to 5000 depending on gender, age, and training load. Some studies have shown that skiers will consume up to 5000 (women) and 8000 (men) calories per day during heavy training periods, where the extra calories are coming from carbohydrate and fat sources (10). For a competition day, skiers should try to over-consume food in order to ensure proper recovery, especially for collegiate skiers because races are often back to back, and going into a race with low energy availability will hinder performance. For both training and competition days, hydration guidelines are consistent: consume 1-1.25 L of fluid per kg of body weight lost during exercise and ingest fluids that contain both electrolytes and carbohydrates.