You’re pulling through the crux on your first V7 project…your arms start to shake, you’re losing your focus and you get spit off a few moves from the send. You know you rested well, have been training hard and have the beta locked…what’s missing?
More and more athletes are realizing the importance of food for their performance: "What can I eat before training that will give me lots of energy, but won't feel heavy in my stomach?" or, "I've been training all afternoon, and I'm starving. What should I have that will help me recover so I can go hard again tomorrow?" or, "I'm thirsty and I'm bagged... should I have a Red Bull or a Gatorade? What's the difference?" and also, "Lots of other athletes take a lot of different supplements and powders...Do they work and should I be using them too?"
But unfortunately, there is very little nutrition information or research out there for rock climbers.
What food does for you
What and when you eat maximizes your performance!
Food…
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Fuels your body giving you energy.
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Builds and repairs your muscles to enhance recovery.
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Prevents sickness during high training times.
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Maintains your lean mean machine, whether you are trying to lose, keep or gain weight.
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Keeps you focused at the comp or on the last pitch.
My goal
I have created Onsite Nutrition to help you out with your nutrition plan, no matter where you are: at home, at the gym, at the crag or at the campsite. With the proper rest and training, nutrition can help you flash more future routes. Think of how good you’re climbing right now, and how much better you could climb with a few extra food tips!
My goals are to provide rock climbers with:
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Practical information to incorporate nutrition into their training plan
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Food ideas when camping at the crag and traveling
Who’s this site for?
Information found here will be useful for:
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Beginners
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Competition climbers
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Outdoor climbers
All in all, this blog is for you! Your feedback and questions will help me post the information you want to know! So please send your questions to onsitenutrition@gmail.com. (Your questions will be kept anonymous.)
Who am I?
I am a climber
I have been climbing for about 8 years. I live in the prairies in Canada and so must travel to enjoy the outdoor sport. Currently my favourite spots are Squamish, BC in August, Hueco Tanks, TX in February, and our closest local crags in northwestern Ontario on weekends when weather and insects permit. I have enjoyed the unique bouldering in Castle Hill, NZ, and look forward to my European tour next spring. I have also had the chance to participate in some Tour de Bloc comps in the winter season.
I am a nutrition educator
I am a student in the Department of Human Nutritional Sciences at the University of Manitoba. I work with a sports dietitian - helping to educate different teams and athletes, from runners to ballet dancers - about the importance of sport nutrition. I help with literary research and have submitted articles to the Dietitians of Canada Sport Nutrition Network regarding topics such as nutrition and the immune system, antioxidants and oxidative stress, protein supplementation, creatine use, etc.
I am a researcher
I have been involved in nutrition research for the past 3 years. I have completed my own sport nutrition research project on two outdoor rock climbers. This project looked at their outdoor camping diet and body composition and oxidative stress changes. The written article is currently under review. In the mean time, I am working on developing a research survey on rock climbers’ typical food habits and how these differ from food habits while on an outdoor trip. Stay tuned to see how you can participate!
Stay tuned next time…
My next posting will be about my previous research study, what I did, what I found and what this might mean for you.
Thank you, and remember to send your questions to onsitenutrition@gmail.com.
