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The XXI (21st) Olympic Winter Games will be held in Vancouver, Canada, February 12–28. Thousands of athletes representing more than 100 countries will compete in 86 different winter sports. A number of PowerBar® Team Elite™ members are among those vying for spots to represent the United States in Vancouver. Three of them took time out of their busy training and pre-Olympics competition schedules in January to share the nutrition plans they use when preparing for competition.

Athlete: Bryan Fletcher

• Age: 23
• Height: 5'9"
• Weight: 145 lbs
• Hometown: Steamboat Springs, Colorado
• Olympic event: Nordic combined, a combination of ski jumping and cross-country skiing

Q: For those not familiar with the sport, what is the Nordic combined event?
Bryan: For the Olympics, the Nordic combined event involves ski jumping both a large hill and a normal hill, and then a 4-man team event where each athlete takes a jump and then skis a 5K cross-country race, tagging off to a teammate. I’m training to hopefully compete in all three events. If all goes according to plan, we have a good chance for a medal in the team event. The ultimate goal for me is to be part of the team event and do my best to help win the United States an Olympic medal.

Q: How did you get your start in the sport?
Bryan: I was born and raised in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and I started ski jumping at the age of 4 years old when I was undergoing chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The ski jumping was for fun. It kept me lighthearted and my mind off the hospital and all the things I was going through at the time. At the age of 6, I switched to Nordic combined, and once I started I was hooked. In 2006, I was named to the U.S. Ski Team. In 2007, I made my first World Championship team, and then again in 2009. Basically, I’ve just tried to work my way up the ranks to be one of the top competitors for a spot on the Olympic team this February.

Q: As a U.S. Ski Team member, what’s your training like?
Bryan: Each year our coaches write out a training plan for each athlete on the team, based on our abilities. The training is increased by a percentage every year to ensure we are making the proper gains necessary, without overtraining. For my sport, the training is broken down into jump training and cross-country training.

On the jumping side, we start out in the spring with a strength phase and work on core and leg strength primarily. For ski jumping it’s ideal to have a light upper body, so we focus on various back squats and squat jumps, as well as core circuits. At the end of June we move to a power phase. This is where we develop more speed and allow our legs to recover from the heavy lifting we’ve been doing. We do more squat jumps and start to work plyometrics into our workouts, including hurdles, drop jumps, lateral bounds, and weighted squat jumps. This gets the body moving faster and makes use of the strength we’ve acquired. This phase lasts until mid September, and then we do a strength phase again and finish with another power phase before winter. During winter, which is the competition season, we work into a maintenance phase, which is made up of a few of the key workouts in the summer, such as back squats at about 80% of maximum, squat jumps, weighted squat jumps, lateral bounds, and core strength. This is done about once or twice a week throughout the winter. In the summer we are in the gym twice a week doing our weight and plyometrics training. We also jump on the hill just like we do in the winter, on a material known as “plastic.” We jump about 4 or 5 times a week, averaging around 350 jumps over the summer.

For cross-country training, we follow a 4-week block system. The first 3 weeks we ramp up in minutes, and the fourth week is a recovery week. For example, in my biggest block of training this summer, I did 790 minutes of endurance training the first week, in addition to jumping 3 days and weights and plyos 2 days. The next week, I increased to 950 minutes of endurance training along with jumping, weights, and plyos. The third week was 1,140 minutes of endurance work; jumping, weights, and plyos took a back seat. Then the fourth week was recovery where I only did about 650 minutes of endurance training. Throughout the summer, we also do interval sessions twice a week, and I train on a bike.

Q: With all of that training, how does a typical day play out for you?
Bryan: I usually wake up around 7 a.m. I need to be up 2 hours prior to jumping, to allow my body time to wake up and loosen up. This also gives me the chance to get a good breakfast and a cup of coffee. Next I prepare my equipment to make sure everything is working properly and nothing is broken or will become a problem during training. This preparation allows me to focus on my training instead of worrying about what could happen if a screw pulls out of my ski, or my wheel blows up while roller skiing. Then comes warming up. For jump training, I have to be properly stretched out and warmed up. Consistency in a warm-up is key. For cross-country ski training I ski for 30 minutes prior to any kind of intense workout. After warm-ups, I complete my morning training session, grab lunch, and then rest! The most important part when training twice a day is to recover between sessions! The best rest is lying on the couch or in bed watching a movie or taking a nap. “Get horizontal,” as my coach always says. Then I head to the afternoon session, which is usually a distance workout or weights and plyos. I complete whatever is on the workout schedule, eat my recovery foods, and then take a contrast bath, which is 2 minutes in the hot tub and 1 minute in the ice bath. Afterwards I head home, eat a good dinner, and get ready for the next day of training.

Q: What do you do nutritionally to support all this training?
Bryan: Nutrition is a huge part of my training. The U.S. Ski Team has a nutritionist work with all the athletes to make sure we’re getting the most out of our diets and workouts. I’ve learned a lot about myself and what works best with my body by working with a nutritionist. Being lean is important in this sport in order to stay light. So I’m not eating to get bigger. Instead, I focus on training the muscles I have and making them stronger. Vegetables and grains make up most of my meals. I try to eat as much variety as I can, and I do this by making my meals as colorful as possible. So it’s usually lots of different vegetables such as green beans, asparagus, red potatoes, red onions, bell peppers, zucchini, and many others. This allows me to get all the different nutrients I need.

Q: Do you have a target daily calorie intake?
Bryan: I don’t have a specific target goal for calorie intake. Instead, I find it works best to be flexible and eat less on the easy training days and more on the hard days. I train enough that I don’t focus on specific levels of protein, carbohydrates, or fat either. I just make sure I’m eating healthy meals and I try not to eat fast food.

Q: What’s a typical pre-workout or pre-race meal?
Bryan: I start the day with a big, healthy breakfast and then taper smaller as the day goes on. In fact, I try to eat as much at breakfast as I do at dinner; this allows me to use those calories throughout the day. My favorite pre-training/pre-race meal is a “monkey sandwich” — at least that’s what I called it when I was a kid. It’s peanut butter, honey, and a banana on a roll or wheat bread. This gives me great energy along with carbs and protein before training or races. I also usually have a PowerBar® Performance Energy bar before a race just to make sure I’ve got enough fuel to burn. It’s a great way to get fuel without filling up my stomach too much. I find it’s best to eat my meal about 2 hours before racing or training. My body needs time to digest the food before a race.

Q: How do you meet your hydration needs before racing?
Bryan: I’ve had problems with hydration in the past, causing me to race slower. I used to cram hydration in before a race, which was limiting my performance. And overhydrating is just as bad as being dehydrated. I’ve learned a lot since then and basically I try to stay properly hydrated all the time. What works for me is to drink plenty of water the day before a race by gradually sipping water throughout the day. If I had to guess, I’d say I probably consume a 20 oz bottle of water every 2 hours or so the day before a race. The morning of the event, I sip from a bottle of PowerBar® Endurance sports drink, and I do that throughout the day and through the warm-up. This keeps me ready to go come event time.

Q: Do you eat anything during your training sessions?
Bryan: One thing I’ve learned from the team nutritionist is that I need to provide my body with simple carbohydrates throughout the day when I’m training. PowerBar® Gel Blasts™ energy chews work great for this. They keep my blood sugar from falling, so I have a more consistent energy level throughout the day. During long bike rides, I rely on PowerBar® Gels for energy. Also, I use PowerBar® Endurance sports drink to keep me hydrated on the bike and while I’m training in the summer.

Q: What do you do nutritionally to promote recovery between and after workouts?
Bryan: The most important thing is to get something small in my belly within 30 minutes of finishing a workout. Half of a PowerBar® Performance Energy bar works great for this. In addition, I always drink a bottle of PowerBar® Recovery beverage. If I don’t have any PowerBar® products with me, I’ll eat a piece of fruit. This gets my body into the recovery mode. After that, I resume my normal eating-and-drinking routine. I love to eat a “monkey sandwich” for recovery as well!

Bryan’s Go-To PowerBar Products

Product	Bryan’s Quick Take
PowerBar® Gel Blasts™ energy chews	They work great as fuel before races. I eat them 40 minutes prior to a race. I also use them when training.
PowerBar® Recovery beverage	After a workout it’s important to rehydrate and replenish carbs, protein, and sodium lost during exercise.
PowerBar® Performance Energy bars	They’re great to eat before a workout or race to provide fuel, and afterwards to provide nutrition for recovery.
PowerBar® Gels	When I am on long bike rides, I eat 1 for every hour I ride, to refuel. This keeps me from bonking during my training.
PowerBar® Endurance sports drink	It keeps me hydrated on the bike and while I’m training in the summer, and replaces what I’ve lost in my sweat!

Athlete: Kris Freeman

• Age: 29
• Height: 5'11"
• Weight: 175 lbs
• Hometown: Waterville Valley, New Hampshire
• Olympic events: Cross-country skiing

Q: Tell us a bit about your path to a third Olympic Winter Games.
Kris: As a teenager, I won multiple junior national championships in cross-country skiing. I raced for the University of Vermont on a full athletic scholarship for one year, winning both races at the Eastern Collegiate Championships in 2000. I postponed my studies in 2001 to train full time for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. I made the team and helped the 4 x 10K relay team to 5th place, the best U.S. finish in Olympic history. In 2003, I won the Under-23 World Championships in the 30K classical race in Bormio, Italy. In 2006, I competed in my second Olympic Winter Games, in Torino. I placed 4th at the 2009 World Championships in the 15K classical race in Liberec in the Czech Republic. And I’ve won 12 U.S. National Championship races.

Q: In which events are we likely to see you in Vancouver?
Kris: I will most likely compete in the 15K freestyle, the 50K classical race, the 2-man freestyle sprint relay, and the 30K pursuit race. The freestyle sprint relay is done on a 1.8km loop. One man skis a lap and then tags his partner, who skis a lap. Each man does three laps. The pursuit race is divided into two 15K sections. The race begins in the classical format and then switches to skating for the second 15K after a "triathlon-like" change of equipment. Classical is the traditional striding technique, and freestyle resembles speed skating with poles. Freestyle is faster, so it’s not allowed in a classical race.

Q: How do you train for competitions?
Kris: During the summer, I do about 25 hours of aerobic training a week. I break the training day into two workouts. The bulk of my training is done on rollerskis, which resemble long rollerblades and simulate skiing on pavement. I also run, bike, and kayak. In the winter, I train between 10 and 20 hours a week, depending on my race schedule.

Q: What is your overall approach to nutrition to support your training and competing?
Kris: I have type 1 diabetes. It was diagnosed just before my first Olympics. So while I need to consume enough carbs, protein, and fat to support my training and racing schedule, I also need to balance the carbs I eat with the insulin that I take. Consistency is important to keep my blood sugar controlled. I always try to eat the same amount of calories and carbohydrates that I burn off during my workouts — no more and no less. PowerBar® is a great resource for me because of the high quality and consistent nutritional makeup of each product.

Q: Do you have a goal for how many calories and carbs you consume in a day?
Kris: The longer and harder my workouts, the more carbs and calories I eat. My diet ranges from 2,500 calories to 5,000 calories a day, depending on the level of exertion. Most of those extra calories on heavy training days come from carbohydrates. On very easy days, I eat fewer carbohydrates. The amounts of protein and fat I eat pretty much stay the same.

Q: What is a typical pre-race or pre-training snack or meal, and when do you consume it in relation to exercise?
Kris: Balancing my blood sugar is always tricky before a race because of nerves. Pre-race nerves cause adrenaline to be released, and this can cause my blood sugar to rise too high. I use insulin to lower my blood glucose and PowerBar® Gel Blasts™ energy chews to raise it. When I’m training, nerves aren’t an issue and I frequently eat PowerBar Harvest® Energy bars and Gel Blasts™ energy chews 15–30 minutes before a workout.

(Editorial Note: Athletes with similar medical conditions should consult with a physician to determine how to best incorporate PowerBar® products into their diet.)

Q: What do you do to stay hydrated and fueled when you’re out on the course training or in a race?
Kris: When I’m training, I stop every 45 minutes and consume 4–5 Gel Blasts™ energy chews with water. During 30K and 50K competitions, I consume 8 oz of the lemon-lime flavor of PowerBar® Endurance sports drink every 10K.

Q: What do you eat for recovery after training and racing?
Kris: I try to eat a PowerBar ProteinPlus® protein bar within an hour of completing a tough race or workout. This helps to get my recovery started.

Q: What do you consider your favorite PowerBar® products?
Kris: During tough training weeks, I will consume about 1,000 calories of PowerBar products a day. My favorites are the Strawberry Banana flavor of PowerBar® Gel Blasts™ energy chews, the Cookies n Cream flavor of PowerBar® Performance Energy bars and PowerBar ProteinPlus® protein bars, and all the ® Energy bar flavors that are dipped.





Athlete: Sarah Schleper

• Age: 30
• Height: 5'4"
• Weight: 135 lbs
• Hometown: Vail, Colorado
• Olympic events: Slalom and giant slalom

Q: So you are an Olympic hopeful yet again.
Sarah: Yes. I’ve been training to go to the Olympics since I was 11 years old. So far, I’ve been to three, and Vancouver would be a fourth Olympics!

Q: Tell us about your two events.
Sarah: I’m an alpine skier, and slalom is the most technical event. It’s quick and you are armored up to block the gates out of your way so you can take the straightest line possible down the hill. Giant slalom is the classic skiing event, with medium-radius turns down technical slopes. Now they use water on the slopes, which makes the courses very icy and more challenging, but it’s fairer for all the racers because the conditions hold up. Both slalom and giant slalom are the combined times of two runs on two different courses.

Q: Describe a typical training day.
Sarah: I wake up at 6 a.m. and warm up with core exercises and stretching for 20 minutes. Then I eat breakfast. I’m on the hill at 7 a.m. and train until about 11 a.m. In the morning session, I’ll take a warm-up run, inspect the course, train on the course with 4–8 runs normally, and then some cool-down runs. After that, I eat lunch. In the afternoon, I do a few hours of low-intensity exercise as part of my active recovery. Then it’s off to massage therapy, and then the team meeting. I usually eat dinner at 7 p.m., and it’s lights out by 9:30 p.m.

Q: Do you have a particular nutrition strategy in order to keep up with the energy demands of training?
Sarah: I just try to keep a very balanced diet in terms of the balance between carbs and protein, and I limit fat intake. I try to snack between runs to keep my energy up and I’m constantly trying to stay hydrated. I think staying hydrated is the most important and most difficult aspect of sports nutrition for skiers.

Q: What do you eat before a training session or race?
Sarah: The night and day before a competition, I like to eat fast-acting carbs that don't take a lot of time and energy to digest — foods without a lot of fat, like pasta and potatoes. In the morning, I have whole grain cereal, some coffee, and fruit. I like to drink a lot of water before I race, and that makes for a lot of pee breaks, but I don't mind. I also really like PowerBar® Gel before I race. Tangerine is my favorite flavor. The gels are great because I don't like anything too heavy.

Q: When you’re on the hill, what do you do to stay hydrated and fueled?
Sarah: In between runs, I will usually have a PowerBar® Nut Naturals Energy bar and I take in a lot of fluids with electrolytes.

Q: What do you do afterwards to promote recovery?
Sarah: I drink a bottle of PowerBar® Recovery beverage because I get the calories, carbs, and protein I need for recovery, and I get fluids to stay hydrated. I also like to give myself a little extra protein, so I’ll have a PowerBar® Performance Energy bar or maybe some elk steak from my dad’s kitchen! Another key for me after training and racing is to carry a water bottle everywhere I go and sip from it constantly.

Q: What are your favorite PowerBar® products?
Sarah: I use PowerBar® Gel before races and I like the original PowerBar® Performance Energy bars and the PowerBar® Nut Naturals energy bars between runs or whenever I feel a little hungry. And I especially like PowerBar® Recovery beverage and tend to use this every day after training.




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*PowerBar Team Elite consists of athletes, coaches, fitness trainers, and dietitians who range from world champion competitors to regional teams and local educators. PowerBar sponsors Team Elite members with PowerBar products and gear; in return, Team Elite members share their passion for their sport and PowerBar products with their communities.


Topics: General, Pre-Workout, During, Post-Workout, Hydration, Recovery, Carbs, Energy, Protein

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