We caught up with 15-year-old Newcastle Swim Team swimmer Sam Howell to see how incorporating PROTEEN® into his diet impacted his overall health, performance and schoolwork.

Athlete Profile 

Name: Sam Howell

Age: 15

Sport: Swimming

Stroke: Breast Stroke and Butterfly

Level: County and Regional

Height: 168cm

Weight: 51.5kg 

Sam’s 6 Month Goals: 

• improve his 200m breaststroke times to move closer to qualifying for nationals
• increase his body weight to over 50kg
• help him to manage the demands of performance squad training with preparing for GCSEs

Already an accomplished swimmer, Sam was promoted to the performance squad in August 2017, at the age of 14. As one of the younger and smaller swimmers within the group, he noticed the increase in stamina and energy required to train alongside the top athletes. Initially, he found the new sets tougher than what he was previously acustomed to, but quickly settled into the squad and with the new coaches. As Sam had not yet fully hit his growth spurt, his parents were a little unsure as to whether PROTEEN® would be suitable or beneficial to him. After talking to the YSN coaches for guidance, they decided to give it a go and began to see several different benefits after only a few months.

Picture, Sam Howell. 

After 3 Months...

3 months into implementing PROTEEN®  into his diet, Sam had already gained almost 1kg in weight and was noticing a difference in his energy levels and already felt less fatigued after the vigorous morning sessions. With only 15 minutes between finishing training and heading to school, feeling less tired was beneficial to his performance at school. PROTEEN®  also provided Sam with a fast and convenient option to ensure he was giving his body what it needs to recover and refuel for the next session. The convenience of PROTEEN® is what Sam’s parents find to be one of the main values it provides.

Sam's parents said, “PROTEEN® is portable and convenient to use at home, after training and (to an extent) travelling away for Meets. Sam is rushed after morning training - he grabs a PROTEEN® shake, a banana and brunch bar and leaves the house for school within 15mins of arriving home from training.”

After 6 Months...

After 6 months of using PROTEEN®, Sam had increased his body weight by 3.9kg and achieved a PB in all bar one of his 200M breaststroke races, only narrowly missing out on the National QT this season. Despite being disappointed at missing out, Sam is happy with his overall performance this season and knows he will only get better as his body naturally grows and develops.

Picture, Sam Howell.

Sam said, “I will benefit from the increase in times when I have my full growth spurt - in the meantime I am happy with my training ethic and my race performance in 200 BR and in other swims too.” 

It’s not just in the pool that Sam’s seeing improvements. He manages to successfully balance his tough training schedule with his school work and doesn’t let the early mornings get in the way of his performance in the classroom. He successfully juggles the increase in land and pool training with his academic studies, finding time for homework and revision where he can. His dedication to both showing by squeezing in revision sessions between swims!

Sam’s ever improving knowledge of nutrition and how to fuel and refuel his body, combined with his dedication and commitment to the sport will reflect in his performances both in the pool and at school. He’s setting himself up perfectly for the coming season and we’re sure he will be hitting the National QT in no time!

Would you like to do a longitudinal study, much like Sam and his family? Contact info@youthsportnutrition.com to find out how. 

We’re very proud to have Sam and the Howell family involved with the largest nutritional movement of youth athletes and parents across the UK #TeamYSN