The objective of this project was to determine which type of bar (a bar with a high concentration of carbohydrates or a high concentration of protein) would effect my swimming performance the most. I chose to do a project on this subject because when swimming, I need a bar that can keep my energy level high.

To complete this lab I needed five high carbohydrate energy bars (CLIFBAR brand) and five high protein bars (ATKINS brand). I tested each bar five times in the same pool with a constant temperature, keeping my diet exact throughout. I ate a bar 1 hour before swimming a one-hundred freestyle event, then averaged out the times to find the difference.

I found that the high carbohydrate bar consistently resulted in faster times (av. 74.06 seconds). The protein bar resulted in slower times (av. 75.14 seconds).

My findings supported my hypothesis that the carbohydrate bar would produce faster times. I think that is because carbohydrates are energy your muscles store until needed, while proteins help to build, repair strengthen muscles which would be more effective over time.