Nutritional Strategies for Training and Performance
Nutritional Strategies for Training and Performance
This domain tests periodized nutrition: pre-, during-, and post-exercise fueling, carbohydrate loading, gut training, and recovery. The key is to match intake to the session’s demands and the athlete’s tolerance.
Core rules
- Pre-exercise: 1–4 g/kg carbohydrate 1–4 hours before, depending on timing and tolerance; low fiber and low fat close to exercise.
- During exercise: 30–60 g carbohydrate/hour for sessions over 60–90 minutes; up to 90 g/hour with multiple transportable carbohydrates (glucose + fructose) for longer events, if gut-trained.
- Post-exercise: 1.0–1.2 g/kg/hour carbohydrate for rapid glycogen restoration, plus 0.2–0.4 g/kg protein; whole foods are fine when practical.
- Carbohydrate loading: 8–12 g/kg/day for 24–48 hours before endurance events over about 90 minutes.
- Gut training: gradually increase during-exercise carbohydrate to reduce gastrointestinal distress.
Worked example
A 60 kg runner races for 90 minutes. Three hours before, 2 g/kg carbohydrate = 120 g (for example, rice, banana, and a low-fiber drink). During the race, 60 g carbohydrate/hour, using a sports drink or gels with water. After the race, 1 g/kg carbohydrate = 60 g plus 0.3 g/kg protein = 18 g. Reasoning: pre-fueling tops up glycogen and settles hunger; during-fueling preserves carbohydrate availability; post-fueling starts recovery.
Traps
Eating a high-fiber meal too close to competition; trying a new supplement or gel on race day; overdrinking to “stay ahead”; and assuming more carbohydrate during exercise is always better without gut training.