LT 106 | Rowing Nutrition Principles

LEO Training: Strength & Conditioning | Endurance | Health | Performance | Injury Prevention | Joe DeLeo

Liz Fusco - Rowing Nutrition Principles

Subscribe & Review on : Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

In Episode #106 of the LEO Training Podcast, I interview Liz Fusco MS, RDN, Sports Performance Dietician for USRowing and Wellness Editor for SCAN Nutrition DPG.

Liz received her Bachelors in Dietetics with a minor in Kinesiology at the University of Rhode Island in 2011. While at URI, she assisted with nutrition, exercise, and eating rate research. After a teaching assistantship in her mentor’s sport nutrition course, she was determined to pursue sport dietetics as a career. While pursuing her master’s degrees in Exercise Physiology and Nutrition Science at San Diego State University, Liz began an assistantship at the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center in 2012. She worked primarily with Rugby, field hockey, volleyball, water polo, and canoe-kayak, along with launching the @Nutr4TeamUSA twitter, writing recipes, publishing articles, contributing to protocol papers, and working in the dining hall. At SDSU, she taught food science and conducted sponsored research on carbohydrate metabolism.

After graduating from SDSU in May 2014, she completed her dietetic internship at the Methodist Hospital in Houston, TX. She returned to the Olympic Training Center in April 2014 as a sport nutrition consultant to rowing, track cycling, BMX, triathlon, archery, and rugby. Liz was hired as a full time staff member of USRowing after the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Liz likes to make all aspects of sport nutrition as practical and approachable as possible. Her goal is to show her athletes that healthy eating can be simple, delicious, and performance enhancing!

Interview Topics:

• Part 1 - Education and Experience|
• Part 2 - Diet and Nutrition 101 for Rowers
  • General principles and guidelines all rowers can follow
    • Best practices for fueling before and after practice
    • How to approach travel
    • Effects of airplane travel on hydration
    • Effects of changing time zones
• Part 3 - Getting Light(weight)
  • General principles and guidelines lightweight rowers can follow
    • Any differences/recommendations for lightweight rowers on above questions
    • How to safely and effectively approach cutting weight
    • How to identify and make sure you are getting the proper macronutrient balance in your diet
    • Differences for junior, college, elite or master lightweights? Men vs. women?
    • Any warning signs athletes should be aware of to make sure they are not underfueled/underhydrated?
    • Any concerns about women/men having kids later in life or adverse health effects?
    • How do you coach work with the lightweights vs. heavyweights? Are the energy demands different?
    • Overnight loss and day to day hydration
    • Strategies and tactics

Show Notes:

• Fueling Up for Practice and Racing
• Serving Olympic Fuel is Liz Fusco's Dream Job
• US Rowing Profile
• Instagram
• Twitter