It is so common to witness young gymnasts between the ages of 12-16 years retiring prematurely from the sport despite years of dedicated training and reaching a high level.
What leads to this premature retirement?
Have you ever heard your gymnast say things such as:
I feel like i’m falling apart, physically and mentally”.
“I’m tired of being so sore and injured all the time”.
“I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired all the time”.
"I just want to be a "normal" kid and hangout with my friends".
During puberty, many high-level gymnasts often encounter significant challenges and voice such concerns due to a culmination of injuries, frequent illnesses, and mental exhaustion stemming from the sport. While these issues are prevalent, particularly among young gymnasts who have rapidly progressed in the sport, it is crucial to recognize that these experiences are ABNORMAL.
And what is the common thing linking all these difficulties? All these warning signs and symptoms are intricately tied to NUTRITION (specifically, whether a gymnast is adequately fueled or not).
Achieving longevity in gymnastics is a multi-faceted journey that requires careful attention to training, nutrition, mental well-being, and injury prevention. In this blog, we delve into the hidden secrets that can help gymnasts not only find longevity in gymnastics, but also thrive and reach their potential in this challenging yet rewarding sport.
Longevity in the Sport of Gymnastics
Longevity in gymnastics is not just about how long one can physically endure the demands of the sport. It's also about maintaining a healthy relationship with gymnastics over the years whilst keeping your gymnast healthy and happy to achieve their big goals and dreams. What many gymnast forget is that their career is a marathon, and not a sprint to the finish.
Balancing intense training schedules with rest, recovery, and enjoyment of the sport is crucial for sustaining a long and fulfilling gymnastics career. Setting realistic goals, celebrating achievements, and cultivating a passion for gymnastics beyond competitions can contribute to a gymnast's longevity in the sport.
As a dietitian working with gymnasts, common scenario I see are gymnasts being encouraged to increase their training hours significantly, learn new skills rapidly, and progress through levels quickly. It's typical for competitive gymnasts to be training 20-30 hours a week by age 8, aiming for programs like TOPS and HOPES by 10, and reaching level 10 or Jr. Elite by 13. While this pathway may seem appealing to talented athletes and their families, most struggle to sustain such intense training schedules.
Out of the 70,000 gymnasts participating in the USA Gymnastics developmental program, less than 2% reach level 10 (USAG 2022). Many gymnasts face many obstacles that prevent them from achieving their goals or maintaining a high level of performance.
Even among gymnasts excelling in the sport, there is no guarantee of reaching their goals. While most high-level gymnasts have the necessary dedication, talent, and guidance to pursue their gymnastics goals, common barriers often hinder their progress. These obstacles include overuse injuries, significant physical injuries, as well as mental and physical burnout.
Overuse injuries play a significant role in causing gymnasts to leave the sport. These injuries frequently result from a combination of insufficient nutrition and excessive training. The more time spent in the gym and the higher the intensity of workouts, the more challenging it becomes to consume enough food and essential nutrients to sustain the body’s energy demands. When a gymnast expends more energy than they consume, they become susceptible to injuries, many of which may have long-lasting effects (and may never recover from).
For many gymnasts, even minor mishaps like tripping over equipment and breaking a toe can be a sign of under-fueling or over training. These silly and minor incidents often occur when individuals are fatigued or when their bodies are pushed to their limits. Recognizing the circumstances surrounding these accidental injuries is crucial. By paying attention to both the physical and mental states of gymnasts, they can take proactive measures to prevent future mishaps and avoid silly injuries in the future.
So how can we avoid these issues from happening and keep your gymnasts on track to reach their goals?
Fuel Your Gymnast Adequately
Nutrition plays a pivotal role in the longevity and performance of gymnasts. Properly fueling the body with the right nutrients is essential for energy, muscle repair, and overall well-being. Chronic under-fueling among gymnasts can significantly shorten their gymnastics careers. Often, gymnasts significantly underestimate their energy requirements, fail to plan their meals and snacks effectively, or intentionally limit their food intake while pushing their bodies to the limit. This cycle of under-fueling can lead to various negative health and performance outcomes, ultimately impacting their longevity in the sport.
The repercussions of under-fueling may manifest as symptoms of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), such as frequent illnesses, overuse injuries, reduced coordination, irritability, increased fatigue, and heightened soreness. These health issues can become overwhelming, potentially making gymnasts consider quitting gymnastics altogether.
Fortunately, RED-S is preventable, with proper fueling being the key to mitigating its effects. By ensuring adequate and strategic nutrition, gymnasts can protect their health, enhance their performance, and prolong their careers in gymnastics. Working with a nutritionist to create personalized nutritional goals can ensure that gymnasts are adequately fueled to perform at their best and sustain their careers in gymnastics.
Eat Enough Overall Energy
In a sport as demanding as gymnastics, ensuring that gymnasts consume enough energy to support their training and growth is highly important. Maintaining sufficient energy availability involves consuming a minimum of 45 calories per kilogram of lean body mass (equivalent to around 20.5 calories per pound of lean body mass) every day. Typically, gymnasts can meet this requirement by having 3-4 meals and 2-4 snacks daily, following a performance plate model, and implementing a performance-oriented nutrition strategy.
Under fueling can lead to fatigue, decreased performance, increased risk of injuries, and hormonal imbalances. It's crucial for gymnasts to eat enough calories to meet their energy needs, considering the high-intensity training sessions and physical exertion involved in their long practices everyday.
Give Your Gymnast a Break to Avoid Burnout:
Preventing burnout is essential for the longevity of gymnasts' careers. Overtraining, constant pressure to perform, and lack of adequate rest can lead to physical and mental exhaustion, ultimately jeopardizing a gymnast's passion for the sport. Providing regular breaks in training schedules, incorporating rest days, travelling with family and friends and encouraging activities outside of gymnastics can help prevent burnout and promote a healthy balance between training and personal life.
Additionally, honoring their wishes when they ask to syau at home for a day is going to be more beneficial than detrimental to their career in the long-term. Communication with coaches about workload, stress levels, and overall well-being is key to identifying early signs of burnout and implementing strategies to support the gymnast's long-term success in the sport.
Open Communication with Coaches:
Effective communication between gymnasts and their coaches is vital for ensuring a sustainable and successful gymnastics career. Open conversations about training goals, progress, concerns, and feedback can foster a supportive and collaborative environment that promotes success and longevity. Gymnasts frequently avoid sharing how they are feeling with their coaches (whether they feel sore, fatigued, injured, or tired) out of a reluctance to appear as taking the easy way out or out of a fear of getting in trouble. It is crucial for both the parent and the gymnast to establish an environment where open communication about their well-being is encouraged. This ensures that they can prevent the risk of overtraining by expressing how they truly feel.
Coaches play a significant role in guiding and nurturing gymnasts throughout their careers, and clear communication can help address challenges, adjust training strategies, and optimize performance. Building a strong coach-athlete relationship based on trust, respect, and effective communication can contribute to the longevity and success of gymnasts in the sport.
Overall, the key to longevity in gymnastics is to prioritize the health, well-being, and long-term success of gymnasts. By promoting adequate nutrition, open communication, and a balanced approach to training, we can break the cycle of injuries, burnout, and under-fueling. Creating a supportive environment where gymnasts feel comfortable expressing their needs and limitations will not only enhance their performance but also prolong their careers in the sport. Together, by addressing these critical aspects, we can help gymnasts create a healthy and successful career filled with growth, achievements, and a lifelong love for the sport.
Lets work together to stop the injury and burnout cycle and lets help our gymnast reach their long term goals in the sport!
When you skip meals and snacks, avoid foods, and don't make performance fueling and recovery a priority, you can't expect make the most progress in the gym this fall (and beyond). It's not just about giving 100% when you're in the gym, but also making what you do outside of the gym a priority. It's not too late to get your nutrition sorted out and see major improvements this fall!
The Fueled Gymnast Academy is the is the simplest way for busy gymnast (and those who feed them) to learn the ins and outs of fueling their body as a high level gymnast so they can
have more energy, reduce the risk of injury, and perform their best
AND
feel confident and empowered to make their own food choices (and not just have someone tell them what they have to eat).
Fueling your body doesn't have to be a guessing game. And you don't have to figure it out on your own.
Comments