Every pound of bodyweight must be carefully monitored when you’re a record-breaking swimmer like Britain’s Adam Peaty. His approach to nutrition takes careful consideration of the fact that the 25-year-old needs muscle mass to achieve explosive power, while at the same time being acutely aware that too much bulk could cause unwanted drag in the water.
As the first male breaststroke star to swim 50 meters in under 26 seconds, and 100 meters in less than 57 seconds, minor nutritional details could make all the difference in smashing his next world record.
Peaty must stay incredibly lean, while maintaining sustained energy levels by eating just enough to fuel a post-workout recovery without storing unwanted bodyfat. When nearing a competition, the 6’3″ athlete aims for around 2,500 calories per day, while swimming 40,000 meters per week.
With the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games now firmly in his sights, Peaty knows that as his bodyweight nears his competition target, those muscles will be ready to power a lighter frame.
“It is power to weight, because if you train all year while weighing 96 kilograms (212 pounds) and then come down for three or four weeks at 92 kilograms (203 pounds), you will feel so much faster because your muscle is already prepared to power 96 kilograms,” says Peaty.
As a staunch advocate of intermittent fasting, Peaty stops eating at 9 p.m. and begins a 15-hour break from food until noon the next day. Still, Peaty does find that an early morning espresso helps kickstart his day, which typically includes two hours in the pool in the morning, and another two hours in the afternoon.
“In the morning, while still on my fast, I get better sessions because your body has gone into the fat burning zone, using your energy store and not trying to process food. I used to have heavy meals before training and you would feel sludgy, and a lot of blood would be going to the stomach for digestion, whereas if you don’t have too much food in your belly, that blood can be going to your muscles and to your brain. You feel better and more alert,” says Peaty.
Following a 15-hour fast and an explosive session in the pool, Peaty is more than ready for a post-training lunch, often consisting of two fillets of white fish, two baked sweet potatoes, green beans, fruit and salad.
After completing his second training session of the day, spent either in the pool or the gym (or both), Peaty grabs a snack that helps to fuel the recovery process and replenish energy levels. This often includes 150g of porridge, two portions of fruit, a protein shake, and toast made from brown/wheat bread.
As an ambassador for SiS (Science in Sport), the Olympian finds that protein shakes and bars are a quick and convenient way to consume those all-important macros. Typically, Peaty will partake in an Advanced Isolate+ shake and a Whey 20 Gel.
“I make sure that my nutrition is based on full meals, and then the supplements are there to complement the activities that I am doing throughout the day,” says Peaty.
In his last snack before fasting begins at 9 p.m., Peaty will have a protein shake and round off the day with a couple of slices of toasted brown/ wheat bread.
“For a lot of people these days, it may not necessarily be that they are hungry, but rather they are bored or they just want something that tastes nice. I drink water and often I don’t feel hungry after that,” says Peaty.
