BULK POWDERS™ have partnered up with TeamSWIFT; a UK cycle racing team who compete regularly and achieve top results. Pete Read is the founder of TeamSWIFT who coaches around 85 members as well as a budding, young, triathlete, Whitney Larkin.
Whitney is a 16 year old Junior GB athlete who started competing in triathlons in 2011. Although she had a competitive swimming background, she hadn’t run or cycled before; making her success even more admirable. She is now hooked on triathlons and BULK POWDERS™ are very proud to announce the formalisation of its partnership with her as our third sponsored athlete and a strong link with our endurance customers.
Achievements to date
Whitney mainly participates in sprint triathlons, consisting of 750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run. She has recently finished her first year with the Triathlon England Yorkshire & Humberside Region Talent Academy and was placed onto the GB Academy in October 2012. She has taken part in the British Triathlon Youth & Junior Super Series Events in 2013, including the Nottingham Triathlon where she qualified for the ITU World Sprint Triathlon Championships.
In June 2013 at the Alanya ETU Triathlon European Championships, Whitney ranked 5th in the Under 20’s category and 2nd in the Youth category. At the Brat Sprint Triathlon in August 2013 she placed 1st for Youth and 2nd as overall female. These are only to name a few of her successes.
Performance and training
Since the sponsorship deal, Whitney now feels she has every area of her performance under control and can achieve even more impressive results. “I wanted to improve my performance and increase my training sessions but was worried I wasn’t getting the proper nutrition for the amount of training I did. By getting this unbelievably generous sponsorship from BULK POWDERS™ and the support and advice given to me by them, staying fit and well whilst training hard to achieve my goals is no longer a worry for me. I know I’m in good hands and I feel it as well.”
Whitney demands a high level of performance from her body, meaning her sports nutrition needs to supply the best possible ingredients in the right format to meet her requirements. Whitney trains for at least an hour every day; swimming, running and cycling as well as strength and conditioning sessions. Although Whitney’s training regime is demanding, she has clear goals that focus towards her racing whilst finding the right balance of training.
Supplementation and nutrition
Whitney’s diet has been analysed and then refined to maximise her training by performance nutritionist, Alison Hedley. “Whitney’s nutrition goals are created around her training, making her able to train and race at her best. Above all, Whitney needs calories for her age and huge energy expenditure.”
All endurance athletes should aim to eat 3/5 meals a day, depending on training intensity. Main focus should be on consuming a well-balanced meal of carbohydrates, protein and fat. In addition, endurance athletes like Whitney should consume fast absorbing carbohydrates such as Maltodextrin pre, during and post exercise. This will rapidly fuel muscles as well as replenishing glycogen stores post exercise too.
Protein should mainly be used post exercise for recovery. Post training Whitney takes Complete Protein Blend™ and BULK POWDERS™ Peanut Butter to add a high calorie snack to her current diet.
Hydration is the final big area for endurance athletes due to factors such as intensity, duration and weather conditions, which all affect our rate of sweating. Maintaining hydration all day is key whilst consuming a drink containing electrolytes. Whitney drinks Complete Hydration™ to replace what is lost during exercise.
So at present Whitney supplements her diet with BULK POWDERS™ Maltodextrin, Complete Protein Blend™, Complete Hydration, Instant BCAA Powder, Complete Multivitamin Complex™, Omega-3 Fish Oil and Peanut Butter. Since taking our supplements Whitney has noticed a difference in her performance, “I have increased my training recently and feel that by eating correctly and following your advice on your nutritional supplements I have seen a big difference in a short space of time and feel better than ever!”
BULK POWDERS™ wishes Whitney every success in her bright future. With her natural ability, determined attitude and support, she has the potential to grow and develop into a top performing triathlete.
