Winning Diet - Competition Nutrition

Competition Nutrition - Fuel Up

Competition day calls for special preparation to see you ready and confident to put yourself on the line. Now is the time to eat to win. In this section athletes discuss the nutrition challenges in their events and we provide you with strategies for success. Competition nutrition strategies will vary according to the needs of your sport and the practical considerations of your competition timetable and rules. However, the following guidelines should help you gain that winning edge.

Distance walker

"A 50 km walk is a 4-5 hour event. I need to take special steps to load up my muscle fuel stores before I race. Hitting the wall by running out of fuel is no fun, so I take care to prepare well before I race."

Fuel Up for Your EventFuelling up body carbohydrate stores is a key part of competition preparation. Some athletes think that this activity involves great gluttony over the days or night before a competition, often involving foods of low nutritional value. This type of preparation can leave the athlete feeling full and uncomfortable. In addition, if high-fat foods have been eaten instead of true high-carbohydrate foods, then muscle fuel stores may not fully benefit.

You should already be an expert at high-carbohydrate eating, since this is the basis of a winning training diet. You might like to further increase high-carbohydrate foods in the meals leading up to competition, but stick to the eating patterns that you know and trust. Twenty-four hours of tapered Training or rest, together with high-carbohydrate eating will ensure well-stocked muscle fuel stores suitable for most events.

Carbohydrate loading is a more specialised version of fuelling up for competition. This strategy is used by endurance and ultra-endurance athletes who compete in events lasting two hours or longer. Although it has enjoyed a lot of hype and mystery, in simple terms, carbohydrate loading is just an extended period of fuelling up. By extending to three days of an exercise taper and high carbohydrate eating before an event, muscle glycogen levels are lifted above their normal stores. This extra fuel won't make the athlete go faster, but will prolong the time that they can maintain their optimal race pace. Not all athletes can manage the ingredients of relative rest and a high carbohydrate intake, and may need help from a sports dietician to plan a menu. It makes sense to use low bulk and compact carbohydrate foods and drinks to meet fuel intake goals comfortably.

In the past some marathon runners used to include a 'depletion phase' before loading to enhance their muscle glycogen gains. This is not considered necessary by modern sports scientists. In fact, trying to complete the last week of training while depleted can make you feel weak and psyched out. If your event will benefit from extra glycogen stores, stick to the three day fuelling program.

Competition Nutrition - Pre-event meals

Football coach

To win the flag you have to be able to bounce back after one hard game and be at full-strength for the next. The draw no longer guarantees seven days for recovery, and I expect the team to train during the week.

Good recovery is one of the most important factors in a successful team so I want my players to eat to recover. Matches are a real endurance event for many players. We've done measurements on some of our running players - and they can clock up 20-25 km per match - much of it at high intensity.

I need to know that my players have prepared properly before each match, making sure that their muscles have got enough fuel to keep them running until the final siren. Games can be won or lost in the last minutes.

Examples of high carbohydrate, low-fat pre-event meals

• Breakfast cereal + low-fat milk + fresh/canned fruit.
• Muffins or crumpets + jam/honey.
• Pancakes + syrup.
• Toast + baked beans (note this is a high-fibre choice) or tinned spaghetti.
• Creamed rice (made with low-fat milk).
• Rolls or sandwiches with banana filling.
• Fruit salad + low-fat fruit yogurt.
• Pasta with tomato or low-fat sauce.
• Baked potatoes with low-fat filling.
• Sports bars or cereal bars & sports drink.
• Fruit smoothie (low-fat milk + fruit + low-fat yogurt/icecream).
• Liquid meal supplement.

Eat a high carobydrate pre-event meal

The pre-event meal provides a final opportunity to top-up fuel and fluid levels. This may be important if you're still in recovery mode from your last event or workout. Most importantly, your last meal should keep you feeling comfortable throughout the competition. It can often be difficult to eat anything if pre-event nerves leave you with butterflies in the stomach.

A high-carbohydrate, low-fat meal or snack is the perfect choice for a pre-event meal. Depending on the time of day, you might like to adapt one of the meals that is part of your everyday winning diet. It is best to eat bigger meals three to four hours before you compete, although a light snack can usually be eaten one to two hours before your warm-up. Liquid meal supplements are better tolerated than a solid meal, particularly if you are feeling nervous.

Each athlete has their own routine, based on their individual needs and likes, and fine tuned through experience. Experiment in training to find a plan that works for you.

Competition Nutrition - Fluid intake plan

Tennis Player

"Matches can turn into a real endurance event. Many times I've played matches that stretched into four or five hour contests. I need to make sure that my muscles have got fuel to keep me running right to the end – whether it's one hour or five. It's hard to keep hydrated during a match. I sweat a lot when I play, particularly when it's hot. Sometimes it's a furnace out on the court. I've heard that temperatures on centre court at the Australian Open have been close to 50 degrees. How important is it to drink during a game?"

Avoid dehydration with a fluid intake plan

Unless sweat losses are replaced during exercise, an athlete will become dehydrated. Most of us know that severe levels of dehydration have a dramatic effect on exercise performance. But even small fluid losses reduce performance and increase your feeling of effort.

Of course the effects at lower levels of dehydration are more subtle – you may not notice it slowly eating away at your performance. However, well before the effects seem obvious, your work output has dropped and your skills and concentration have deteriorated. A good fluid intake is a crucial part of your competition strategy, and you will be pleased that you practised this in training. In an ideal world an athlete would drink enough fluid to cover all sweat losses during their event. However in the real world of sport this is not usually practical or possible. A realistic goal is to use all opportunities to drink what is practical and comfortable in your sport. At best, most athletes only replace 50 per cent of their fluid losses during the event so there is plenty of room for improvement.

A special issue to note is that one side effect of dehydration is an increased risk of gastric upsets. Some athletes who feel sick or uncomfortable after stopping for a fluid break, often blame the drink for their problems. The real problem, however, is dehydration – caused by not drinking sooner. Encourage fluid intake during exercise by making with: drinks cool and palatable.

Strategies for improved hydration during competition

Be aware of likely fluid losses by monitoring fluid balance in training sessions. Practice drinking in training so you know what feels comfortable and can optimise your fluid replacement.

Look at the opportunities that your event provides for fluid intake. Look for formal breaks such as quarter and half-time breaks, or substitutions. Make sure fluids are on hand during these times.

Some sports also allow players to drink during the match play, at informal breaks such as rule infringements or game stoppages. If trainers are unable to take fluids to players, educate the player to come to the boundary for a quick drink. This is especially important in hot conditions.

Provide athletes with their own drink bottles so they can be aware and responsible for their own fluid intake.

Be sympathetic in marathons, triathlons, cycle races and other continuous events, that athletes must drink literally ‘on the run’. This may lead to gastric discomfort, and athletes must also count the time taken to grab and consume their fluid supplies. However, remember that the time lost can be made up by better performance resulting from better hydration. Clever drinking devices can also help the athlete to drink without dropping their pace. Practise this in training.

Water is a good fluid for most sports. However in sports of greater than one hour in duration, there may be benefits from adding carbohydrate to the mix. In any case, a sweet-tasting drink is likely to be consumed in greater quantities than plain water. Encourage fluid intake during exercise by making drinks cool and palatable.

Competition Nutrition - Recovery

Basketball Player

"Recovery is the name of the game in tournaments and road trips. On weekend trips we can play two or three games. At a tournament we may have to play every day for a week or 10 days. How can I eat to maintain performance, day in, day out?"

Eat and drink to recover quickly after events

Most competition schedules call for rapid recovery between events. Refuelling and rehydrating should become 'the norm' in your post-competition activities. Don't waste important time straight after the event when your body is most receptive to fluid, carbohydrate and other recovery nutrients. You may have to juggle eating and drinking with other commitments.

Sports drinks will help with speedy recovery and you may have developed some favourite recovery snacks among your training tactics. Competition venues may not always provide access to suitable foods and drinks. Sometimes you may be glad that you brought your own supplies. Good planning will see you bouncing back to face a new opponent.

Competition Nutrition - Eating carbohydrates

Distance runner

Even when I load up before my event, I will need more carbohydrate fuel to race well. Therefore I need to consume a sports drink during my race. Extra carbohydrate will keep my muscles working and keep me feeling good. Running out of fuel in endurance events interferes with work output, and my ability to think clearly."

Try eating carbohydrate during your event

You may have experienced the feeling of ‘running out of legs’ or ‘running low on fuel’ during your competition. This is typical in prolonged events that require athletes to exercise at high intensities for many hours. You might know the feeling as ‘hitting the wall’ or ‘bonking’. You can also run out of fuel in shorter events or games that are part of a busy competition schedule such as road trips and tournaments.

When workouts or events are close together it can be hard to fully refuel in between. You can provide extra fuel by consuming carbohydrate during the event. This strategy has been shown to benefit performance in events lasting longer than 90 minutes, but recent research has shown that enhancements might also occur in events of as little as one hour duration. You should experiment to see if carbohydrate intake works for your sport and for you.

Some athletes eat food during their event to provide extra carbohydrate fuel. Fruit, sports bars and confectionery items are popular choices. However, one disadvantage of solid foods is that they may cause stomach discomfort, particularly during high intensity exercise.

Sports drinks provide an alternative and more practical way to refuel during exercise. The special formula of fluid, carbohydrate and electrolytes has been developed to taste good to exercising people, promoting an increase in total fluid intake as its first advantage. The formula also provides efficient delivery of carbohydrate while rehydrating the athlete.

Some people think that sports drinks are only useful to elite athletes. Since they are more expensive than plain water, it is important to consider if they provide value for money. The answer concerns nutritional needs rather than sporting talent. If you are involved in a sport in which you are sweating and depleting fuel stores, then a sports drink provides a simple answer to meet your special needs. Good use of a sports drink will improve your endurance and performance. This represents value, whether the outcome is a gold medal, a personal best, or simply your enjoyment of an exercise session. Nevertheless, if expense is a problem, then a diluted cordial mix can provide a cheaper option.

Competition Nutrition - Special issues

Basketball player

Q: “I finish many of my games late at night. Should I eat then? Isn’t it bad to go to bed with a full stomach? Even when I finish a game or practice in the early evening, I don’t feel like taking the time to prepare and cook a meal. I just want to eat quickly and get to bed.”

A: Many sedentary people eat most of their day’s intake at the end of the day, when they are most inactive. These are the people who should try to reduce their night-time snacking. However, for an athlete who has just finished a game or training late in the evening, eating is an important part of the recovery process. It is hard to find the time and energy to cook a meal when you arrive home late. If you are living in a family situation, you may be lucky to have your meals cooked for you. Hopefully all family members are enjoying high carbohydrate eating and you can simply heat up your meal when you get home. If you are looking after your own meals, then it is a great idea to cook ahead. There may be time before your game to prepare a meal, or you can save some leftovers from a previous occasion. When games are really late, you may be able to eat a hot meal as your pre-game meal, and eat a lighter snack after the game. Portable snacks may be taken to the game and eaten immediately afterwards, or on the trip home. An action-packed drink or a bowl of cereal are other high-carbohydrate snacks that can be quickly prepared when you get home.


Q: “Our season is filled with road trips in which we play two or three games over a weekend. How can I recover well for this schedule while I am away from the comforts of home?”

A: Travelling can become a way of life for the elite athlete. Teams may provide players with a daily allowance to look after their own food requirements, or better still the team manager may organise a schedule of meals and snacks to suit nutritional requirements and the timetable.

Team eating can be a great way of looking after team spirit as well as food needs. Most restaurants or hotels can supply a suitable high-carbohydrate menu - especially if you organise this ahead of time. It is a good idea to arrange buffet-style service - since this is a quicker way to provide food to a large group and allows each athlete to choose exactly what they want. But take care when you are eating in groups or in ‘all you can eat’ situations. It can be easy to lose the plot and overeat treats or total meal size. Don’t worry about what other people are eating. Eat just what you need. There will be plenty of time for celebrating afterwards.