"What should she eat before the meet?" is the #1 question I get from parents every comp season, and my answer is always the same: it depends on what time her session is. An 8 a.m. session, a 1 p.m. session and a 6 p.m. session are three completely different fueling days. A lot of the mid-meet meltdowns we see (the crash in warm-ups, the stomach ache on beam, the gymnast with nothing left by her last event) come from treating all three the same.

In this episode:
→ Why meet day is so different from a normal practice day, and why it exposes a week of underfueling
→ Rule #1: nothing new on meet day
→ Early sessions: why skipping breakfast backfires, and how to practice early-morning fueling before the first meet
→ Midday sessions: the "brunch at 10, compete at noon" trap and why the 4th event is when it falls apart
→ Evening sessions: why I worry about these the most, and the myth of feeling light and floaty
→ Why meet-day fueling can't fix weeks of underfueling
→ 3 things to do before her first meet

Timestamps
00:42 Why meet day is different from practice day
01:12 What I see as a judge when a gymnast is underfueled
02:16 Rule #1: nothing new on meet day
03:00 Early sessions and skipping breakfast
04:35 Practice your meet-morning routine before the first meet
05:16 Midday sessions and the 4th-event crash
06:25 Evening sessions and the "feel light" myth
07:34 Meet day can't fix weeks of underfueling
08:22 Your homework before the first meet
09:14 How we can help

Links & Resources
Listen: Episode 77: Gymnast Nervous Stomach and Competition Nutrition
Listen: Episode 186: Why Gymnasts Say They Want to Feel Light When Competing
Listen: Episode 187: What to Do When Your Gymnast Refuses to Eat Before a Competition
Free: Is Your Gymnast Underfueled!? masterclass
Read it: Meet Day Fueling for Gymnasts (blog post)
Work with us: The Balanced Gymnast® Program (Level 5-10 + Elite), which includes early access to our Fueling for Comp Season workshop. Prices go up $200 on November 19, so enroll now to lock in the current rate.
Boys: Men's gymnastics nutrition program
Instagram: @the.gymnast.nutritionist

Routine Ready (Nov 15th): Join here: $17 earlybird pricing through Nov 8th (and YES there will be a replay)

🎧 Replay! Winter 2027 early enrollment for The Balanced Gymnast® Program opens November 1st at current prices -- apply now to lock in your spot.

Does gymnastics stunt growth? It's quite the hot topic and many people weigh in with their own opinions. We've even heard conflicting opinions from medical providers. It's such a big question that it's actually been investigated and researched quite a bit in the past few decades by some heavy hitters such as the International Gymnastics Federation.

Some providers will give you a flippant response like, "gymnastics stunts their growth but it's fine, they'll catch up when they quit". But not growing and developing while in gymnastics should be a big red flag to parents and doctors for underfueling. We need to do our due diligence to determine whether or not they're getting enough nutrition or if something else like a hormonal issue is at play.

In today's episode, I'm covering the 5 big questions I get on this topic of "does gymnastics stunt growth". Listen in to learn more.

In this episode you'll hear about:

• Normal genetic factors in gymnasts' height vs signs of underfueling
• What causes gymnasts height failure - is it all the pounding?
• Why it's not as simple as "they'll grow when they quit" in the long term for gymnasts

Links & Resources

• The Balanced Gymnast® Program for level 5-10 female gymnasts
• Episode 4: Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport and Gymnastics
• Episode 51: No Period, No Problem for the Gymnast? Not quite
• Role of Intensive Training in the Growth and Maturation of Artistic Gymnasts
• Connect with Christina on Instagram @the.gymnast.nutritionist or christinaandersonrdn.com

Head to www.christinaandersonrdn.com/program to apply for The Balanced Gymnast® today, and we'll help you figure out if the program is the right fit for your gymnast.

Four years ago, our RED-S episode became one of the most downloaded episodes of this podcast. A lot has changed since then. In 2023, the International Olympic Committee updated how REDs (relative energy deficiency in sport, or underfueling) is defined and screened for, and most gymnastics parents, coaches and doctors haven't caught up. If your gymnast is heading into comp season tired, banged up, moody or just not herself, start here.

In this episode:
→ What REDs actually does inside your gymnast's body, from hormones and periods to bones, iron, sleep and mood
→ How underfueling shows up in the gym: lost power, fading at the end of practice, the recovery gap, and the deductions I see as a judge that are really energy problems
→ The 6 biggest changes in the 2023 update, including why one rough practice is NOT REDs and why carbs matter on their own
→ What to ask your gymnast's doctor about growth charts, periods, stress fractures and labs
→ Why boys get REDs too
→ 4 things to check this week before comp season

Timestamps
02:16 A quick refresher: what REDs is
03:40 How REDs affects every system in the body
04:40 Bones and the 300-calorie gap
08:17 How REDs shows up in the gym
09:35 Coordination, focus and what I see as a judge
11:04 Change #1: the new name
11:56 Change #2: low energy is a spectrum
13:42 Change #3: carbs matter on their own
15:08 Change #4: it can look like overtraining or a mood problem
16:00 Change #5: the doctor's screening tool and what to ask
17:42 Change #6: boys get REDs too
18:25 Why this matters before comp season
18:57 4 things to do this week
20:09 How we can help

Links & Resources
Free: Is Your Gymnast Underfueled!? masterclass
Read it: Does Your Gymnast Have REDs? What Changed in the 2023 Update (blog post)
Listen: Episode 04: Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport and Gymnastics (the original)
Listen: Episode 139: Acute vs Chronic Underfueling
Listen: Episode 64: Is Your Gymnast Overtrained or Underfueled?
Listen: Episode 213: Is Underfueling Behind Your Gymnast's Mood Swings?
Work with us: The Balanced Gymnast® Program (Level 5-10 + Elite)
Boys: Men's gymnastics nutrition program
Instagram: @the.gymnast.nutritionist

Head to www.christinaandersonrdn.com/program to apply for The Balanced Gymnast® today, and we'll help you figure out if the program is the right fit for your gymnast.