In pursuit of the ideal body: Exploring the nutritional considerations made by gymnastics coaches

The aim of this study was to examine the experiences that gymnastics coaches had of nutrition and provide an opportunity for them to share their awareness, thoughts, and feelings about the subject. Eight gymnastics coaches from the United Kingdom participated with experience in Artistic (n = 7), Trampoline (n = 3) and Acrobatic (n = 2) gymnastics. Experience ranged from 1–20 years coaching at Regional (n = 5), National (n = 1) and International (n = 2) levels. Each coach participated in one semi-structured interview. Our findings are centred around three themes: (i) historical and current culture within gymnastics, (ii) coaches’ beliefs and misconceptions surrounding nutrition, and (iii) the current education provisions and what provision coaches would like in order to develop their knowledge. Findings suggest that the historical culture of gymnastics and coaching behaviours prominent in the 1980–1990s are still present in current practices. Coaches disagreed about what constitutes a healthy diet, but all felt that protein was the most important nutrient in the diet. The reluctance to work with sport nutritionists and/or dieticians was also evident as some coaches felt they would lose control over what gymnasts ate and were concerned about how this would impact their body shape and/or weight. Furthermore, coaches felt the current education provision provides insufficient support to coaches and a review of current learning opportunities would be beneficial. We conclude this paper by proposing implications for nutrition education and training considerations that may be useful for coaches moving forward.