The NFL Combine is one of the most unique events in sport, a true example of peaking at very specific time. We aren’t training for 17 mini-peaks as we are in the NFL league season, or 82 competition nights like the NBA. You cannot truly “peak” for the Super Bowl or a National Championship—what if you never get there? NFL Combine preparation is like the Olympics, a snapshot in time to perform at your best. But instead of four years to prepare, you are lucky if you get nine weeks. This brings a need for a very specialized training layout—and, with that, the demand for a structured fueling program that aligns with these short, but vitally-important, microcycles.
Sports Academy is an elite training facility with locations in California and Texas, hosting large NFL and NBA Combine Preparation programs and NFL, NBA, and MLB off-season training programs. Yearly, Sports Academy hosts 40+ NFL pre-draft athletes handling all facets of their training, fueling, and recovery with a team of performance coaches, position coaches, physical therapists, performance dietitians, manual therapists, and psychologists.
Most athletes have had interactions with sports dietitians, so they have a basic understanding of performance nutrition. We fine-tune that info to meet the demands of Combine preparation, says @lindsey_rd. Share on XAs we break down our Sports Academy “NFL Combine Fuel” program, it is important to consider the demands of each training phase. Understanding these physiological stimuli ensures we are supporting adaptation, performance, and recovery. According to Ursula Heyner, Performance Coach at Sports Academy, NFL Combine preparation training is divided into the following phases:
- Diagnostics: Week 0
- Acclimation/GPP: Weeks 1-2
- Accumulation: Weeks 3-4/5
- Intensification: Weeks 4/5-6/7
- Taper: Weeks 7-8
- NFL Combine/Realization: Week 9
Performance coaches and dietitians should note that each individual athlete gets a timeline unique to them. Did they play in the National Championship game and arrive to us in mid-January? Are they coming off an injury? Did their season end in late November, and they’ve been out of structured training/fueling for a month?
For the purpose of this article, we will discuss fueling to support each of these defined phases above, understanding that the duration an athlete spends in each will vary.
The metabolic demands remain relatively consistent throughout our phases: ATP-PC dominant training with enough aerobic capacity to recover between reps and handle the overall workload. What will vary, and thus what drives our nutritional modifications through the phases, is the training demand. Is the phase lower or higher volume? Are we putting a premium on stress adaptation or recovery?
Nutritionally, we also need to get the athlete to an optimal body composition, allowing them to perform well on tests and position drills—but at a weight that favors their competition on field. According to Duke Manyweather with OL Masterminds:
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“There are nuances with each individual player’s state, if we have a player that is 290 lbs. and struggles to anchor or whose play strength isn’t up to par, we need to explore putting on lean mass. On the contrary, if we have a 350-360lb athlete, we need to evaluate his body composition and investigate: Is he struggling to recover? How is his joint health? Can he sustain a high level of play at that bodyweight? If not, we need to get him leaner. For Combine, there is a fine line between getting a player (up or down in weight) to match a number, but potentially diminishing performance.”
Herein lies part of the challenge of fueling the Combine Athlete.
NFL Combine preparation is like the Olympics, a snapshot in time to perform at your best. But instead of four years to prepare, you are lucky if you get nine weeks, says @lindsey_rd. Share on XThree key concepts are important to note, as they are the main variables that we are supporting nutritionally in a concurrent fashion with varying degrees of emphasis:
- Preparedness—This is long-term. It refers to the athletes’ overall level of training and, in this case, physiological output (strength, power, speed, etc.) and experience with the combine drills themselves.
- Fitness—This is medium-term and refers to the athletes’ current ability to adapt and tolerate stressors as well as the volume and intensity of training.
- Readiness—This is short-term and refers to the athletes’ current ability to perform on a given day. It’s most affected by acute factors.
We will be discussing fueling strategies to support and optimize all three of these factors so that we get the results we want at the appropriate time: during the NFL Combine.
Our main focus? Giving the athlete the best tools to manage stress and optimize the timing of their response to fitness vs. fatigue so they can adapt and recover on schedule, maximizing their performance during Combine week. As Bryan McCall, Director of Sports Performance at Sports Academy, puts it, “At the end of the day, this is the time to materialize untapped potential and showcase the full capabilities of the athletes to the football community.”
Many articles have been written on training protocols for Combine preparation, but how are we fueling athletes through these phases, promoting adaptation, fueling training demands, and supporting recovery? I’m glad you asked.
(Let’s also keep in mind that while we will be speaking specifically to preparing an athlete for the NFL Combine, you can apply these fueling principles to peaking for any athletic event that has a set and known timeline (think preparing championship boxers or mixed-martial artist competing once every six to nine months). The main theme in these preparations? “Support the athlete through the respective demands of each training phase.”)
Now, let’s break down how we fuel each phase, first by understanding the training demands on the athlete, then how we are supporting those demands with fuel, hydration, and supplementation.
Diagnostics: Week 0
An athlete can come to us anytime from mid-December to mid-January. Upon their arrival, we get busy with our nutrition intake and evaluation process while the Performance Team carries out diagnostic testing. Here, we gather a DEXA scan and resting metabolic rate (RMR) and meet with each athlete to analyze their fueling and hydration needs. During this evaluation, we discuss many facets of the athlete’s fueling and hydration, including (but not limited to):
- Current body weight/playing weight and where they see themselves for the Combine (note: since this may vary from what the Performance Team deems optimal, these discussions keep evolving as more data becomes available).
- Preferred foods and fueling patterns.
- Pre-, intra- and post-training nutrition they have used throughout their careers.
- Pertinent injury history.
- Current/past supplementation protocols.
- Sweat rate/concentration.
- How they evaluate their hydration status.
- Recent lab panels and current/previous nutritional deficiencies.
- Any nutritional challenges they have faced in their career.
- Anything they anticipate could be challenging during their time with us.
This is an important meeting to build rapport with the athlete and to let them know that we are there to support all their fueling, hydration, and supplementation needs. Building that trust is key as we look at adherence to protocols and buy-in. At this point in their careers, most athletes have had interactions with sports dietitians, so they have a basic understanding of performance nutrition principles. Our goal is to take that information, fine-tune it to meet the demands of Combine preparation, and fill-in knowledge gaps where necessary.
After this in-depth analysis, our sports dietitians meet with the Performance Team to discuss the needs of each individual athlete. We set goal body weight ranges and body composition change targets. These evolve over time as Performance Coaches gather more information about each athlete, see them move, watch them in drills, and listen to athlete feedback. We need the athlete to be confident moving at the weight range set for them. As a Sports Dietitian, my job is to take my knowledge and expertise, combined with athlete and coach feedback, to develop a plan that the athlete can execute to reach their performance peak.
This is an important meeting to build rapport with the athlete and to let them know that we are there to support all their fueling, hydration, and supplementation needs, says @lindsey_rd. Share on XMuch of our work during this phase is done behind the scenes. We are developing the athlete’s fueling and hydration plan, composing their meals (we will discuss this at length in the next section), organizing their supplementation protocols, and constructing their pre-, intra- and post-training fueling regimens. When you are fueling a team with 100+ athletes, not a lot of individualization can occur. Here, we can really customize each protocol to the athlete, down to their post-training shake recipe and pre-bed supplement protocol. Our goal is to get them on their specific fueling, hydration, and supplementation program no later than three days into their time with us. When you have a short timeline, every day matters and introducing key concepts early reinforces their importance.
Acclimation/GPP: Weeks 1-2
Training Demands: This phase is a return to training for many athletes, and it serves multiple foundational functions:
- Allows the athlete time to restore functional mobility and stability after a long season or potentially a layoff.
- Gives them the opportunity to rehab minor injuries.
- Serves to prepare the involved musculature and connective tissue for the intense training to come.
- Allows the performance staff the opportunity to teach technical components that will be essential to the athletes’ performance down the road while still in a lower intensity environment.
Nutritional Support: Here, we are focusing on managing soreness while helping the athletes familiarize themselves with their fueling plan. Motivation is typically high in this phase and buy-in with nutrition the best of all the phases. These are crucial weeks as we look at building the foundation for what is to come.
Individualized meals are ordered based on the athlete’s nutritional needs, fueling preferences, and any food allergies/intolerances. Having a tested resting metabolic rate from our partner, Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI), allows us to accurately prescribe caloric targets for the various workloads the athlete will encounter. Through our meal prep partner, Prep Kitchen, we can customize amounts and type of carbohydrates, proteins, and fruit/vegetables in each meal. For high-need athletes, we work to supplement meals with additional carbohydrates, fruits, and/or healthy fats to meet needs.
Ordering the most elite meals won’t help if the athletes won’t eat them—we work to find options they enjoy and communicate frequently on any adjustments that need to be made. Performance coaches, position coaches, physical therapists, and manual therapists all help message the importance of putting quality fuel in their systems to support high training demands and optimize recovery.
As a Sports Dietitian, I use my knowledge and expertise, combined with athlete and coach feedback, to develop a plan the athlete can execute to reach their performance peak, says @lindsey_rd. Share on XWith the increased demand on the tissues in this phase, ensuring the athlete is meeting protein needs is critical. Prescribing protein targets of 1.7-2.0 g/kg is common here. We now know that the body can utilize greater amounts of protein in a single dose than we had once thought, with current recommendations set at .25-.4 grams/kg/meal to optimize muscle protein synthesis.1 An athlete who has trouble fueling frequently will have larger protein targets at each meal.
Target macronutrient ranges will vary based on the respective athlete’s stats, individual response, and expenditure (here is where collaboration with the Performance Team is crucial, understanding workload on each day to ensure we are accurately prescribing nutritional protocols). For the purpose of this article, we will consider the needs of a 315lb Offensive Lineman with a calculated RMR of 3,150 kcals looking to maintain body weight. On a high workload day, this athlete will require between 5,435 and 5,985 calories, (physical activity level (PAL) factor of 1.725-1.9), hence the need for frequent fueling windows.

We can also consider how meals will be built for the above athlete. Remember that targets are individualized based on goal, intake data, and information from our evaluation. Once total calorie needs are set (tested RMR x PAL for each respective day of training), we calculate macronutrient needs: protein at 1.7-2.0+ grams per kilogram (or higher in a fat loss athlete), carbohydrates at 4-7+ grams/kilogram, and fats will make up the remainder of calories (at least 20% of intake). After subtracting pre-, intra-, and post-training fuel from these targets, we are left with what we need the athlete to intake from their three main meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
Often, one of these meals will be heavier than the others (think of an athlete who doesn’t like to fuel with large amounts of food mid-day for an afternoon speed session—we would then have higher targets at their dinner meal), but for the purpose of this exercise we will assume that we are equally dividing these targets between meals. Our calculations would then be:
- Carbohydrates (g) (after subtracting out pre-, intra- and refuel needs)/3 meals
- Protein (g) (after subtracting out pre-, intra- and refuel needs)/3 meals
- Fat (g) (after subtracting out pre-, intra- and refuel needs)/3 meals
A sample meal breakdown for our 315-pound lineman could look like
- Fat (g) (after subtracting out pre-, intra- and refuel needs)/3 meal
- ~1000 kcals
- 130 grams carbohydrate (520 kcals)
- 60 grams protein (240 kcals)
- 28 grams fat (252 kcals)
We are then able to build out the athletes’ meals to match the calculated targets. A chart with the sources we select from is shown in Figure 2. Amounts are selected by weight (oz.) to meet these needs. (Note that many athletes will also have a pre-bed snack to help get them to target and allow for a lighter mid-day meal.)

Base supplementation protocols are also implemented during these initial weeks. Through our partner, Momentous, we can provide elite, third-party tested supplementation to our Athletes. (See Figure 3 for a sample supplement protocol.)
A brief summary on the purpose of each protocol is below (note that each athlete will have a different protocol based on dietary intake and nutritional needs, but these are possible inclusions):

- Beet Root: Vasodilation (rich in nitrates) (if not using pre-workout).2
- Beta-Alanine: Attenuates neuromuscular fatigue (if not using pre-workout).3
- Pre-Workout: Caffeine, Beta Alanine, Vasodilator.4
- Collagen Peptides: Improvements in fat-free mass, tendon morphology, recovery.5
- Hydration/Carbohydrate Beverage: Carbohydrates to fuel training, sodium replacement.
- Creatine: Increases in maximal work output, power production, sprint performance, and fat-free mass.6
- Whey Protein Isolate: Highly bioavailable protein source, muscle protein synthesis.
- Multivitamin: Micronutrients to prevent deficiency.
- Vitamin D: Bone health, muscle protein synthesis, ATP concentration.7
- Omega-3s: Inflammation control, nervous system function, improving training adaptation.8
- Magnesium: Protein synthesis, cellular energy production, nerve and muscle function.9
- Zinc: Skeletal muscle synthesis and regeneration, role in proteostasis (if deficient in diet).10
- Ashwagandha: Improvements in strength, power, cardio-respiratory fitness, time to fatigue and recovery.11
- Specific Pro-Resolving Mediators (SPMs): Inflammation control, promotes tissue repair.12
- Turmeric: Reduced soreness and inflammation.13
During the acclimation phase, we have not yet tested sweat rate/composition because losses are lower, so we are working off estimated and self-reported fluid and electrolyte targets. Our “base” recommendations for athletes are set at 1 oz. fluid/kg body weight, then a rehydration target of 20-24 oz. per pound lost during training. During this phase, these “in and out” body weights are recorded to understand individual losses. Our goal is to keep the athlete at a loss of no more than 2% body weight during a training session.14 In the next phase, when sweat rates are higher with increased workload, we will measure sweat rate and concentration to develop their customized hydration plan.
Ordering the most elite meals won’t help if the athletes won’t eat them—we work to find options they enjoy and communicate frequently on any adjustments that need to be made, says @lindsey_rd. Share on XAthletes coming off late bowl games may need to work to control inflammation and prepare their bodies for the accumulation and intensification phases during these initial weeks. Recovery, not adaptation, is the priority here. We focus on anti-inflammatory foods (dark leafy greens, fatty fishes, berries, nuts, extra virgin olive oil, tomatoes, etc.) and add turmeric/other high-antioxidant supplementation, such as tart cherry juice to their regimen (as discussed later, we do not utilize these during the entirety of the program as the inflammatory process helps signal training adaptation, and we do not want to attenuate the anabolic signaling process).15 These athletes are already utilizing, and will continue to use vitamin D, magnesium, and omegas, our other main supplement players in inflammation control.
Accumulation: Weeks 3-4/5
Training Demand: This is the “work” phase. Volumes start to climb as athletes are now prepared for the demands of the training. Repetition is key here as athletes practice the techniques taught by the performance staff and gain experience at the drills. Output (velocity) is still not as high in the field work as it will be because of several factors:
- Exercise selection—the distances for speed work are still progressing from shorter to longer, often resisted sprinting occupies a slot here as acceleration is emphasized and top speed work is still sub-max in nature, and technical drills still occupy a portion of the volume as techniques continue to be reinforced and stabilized.
- The weight room still plays a vital role here as athletes who are “under-powered” and need to increase ground reaction force (GRF) strive to improve those variables through resistance training protocols. Some athletes also might potentially be trying to gain muscle here and a certain amount of weight room tonnage is essential.
Because of the overall workload, athletes are not peaking here and might even appear on the surface to take a step backward as fatigue accumulates and their body adapts to the stressors placed on it.
Nutritional Support: During this higher volume phase, we want to ensure athletes are meeting their carbohydrate needs, which are greater in this phase (typically with targets set at 6-7+g/kg BW). Fatigue is high, and we can start to see motivation to adhere to nutritional protocols decreasing.
Having carbohydrate sources that are favorable and easy to grab/consume helps get athletes to target. More carbohydrate-dense carb sources are prioritized at meals (think rice and pasta vs. potatoes or yams). We also keep bowls of fresh and dried fruits, whole fruit juices, carbohydrate beverages, bagels, and other carbohydrate-rich items around the facility to support this higher need phase. For athletes needing to drop weight or change their body composition, carbohydrate intake is still very important to support adaptation to training stimulus and prevent injury—adjustments to sources and amounts are made to support those goals.
Sweat losses also increase here, allowing us to test sweat rate and composition to calculate exact fluid and sodium losses per hour of training. Individualized hydration plans can then be drawn up to ensure athletes are meeting these increased needs. As you can see in Figure 4 below, fluid and sodium losses can vary greatly between athletes. Electrolyte supplementation will be utilized for athletes with higher losses and those not taking in enough through their diet.
During this higher volume phase, fatigue is high, and we can start to see motivation to adhere to nutritional protocols decreasing, says @lindsey_rd. Share on XWe keep different options in our toolbox to meet these varying needs, from moderate to high sodium (~500-1000 mg), and with varying carbohydrate amounts (~12-30 grams). Rate of fluid consumption is also important to note, and something we educate the athlete on. To avoid a diuresis effect, we want the athlete to drink frequently throughout the day and to space post-training rehydration over two hours (vs. “chugging” large amounts at one time). For the Sports RD, having many filling stations located around the facility, ensuring plenty of water is available at offsite training locations, and providing water bottles/jugs helps the athlete successfully execute their hydration plan.

Frequent touch points with athletes help maintain buy-in and adherence to meal, supplementation, and hydration plans, especially during this phase when fatigue levels are high. We want to make executing their fueling as seamless as possible, ensuring they have all the tools they need for success. This includes prepped meals, snacks, beverages, pre-portioned supplementation, and easy access to fluids and electrolytes. Remember, many of these athletes are staying in extended stay hotels during this time, so they may have limited food-preparation tools.
A mid-point body composition analysis is performed in week 4 to measure progress toward goal (lean mass increase, fat loss, etc.) and may drive adjustments to the athlete’s fuel plan. Remember that these adjustments are highly influenced by how the athlete is feeling, not strictly on the data. Our hope is to see increases in lean mass and a maintenance, or slight decrease, in fat mass on our gain/maintain athletes and a decrease in bodyfat levels with a maintenance of lean mass in our weight loss athletes. (Remember that the more aggressive the deficit we have the athlete in, the greater loss of lean mass we will typically see. This is where a conservative deficit that still supports the training demand is favorable.)
Intensification: Weeks 4/5-6/7
Training Demands: Intensity is the primary goal, so volume stops climbing and begins to decrease over the course of this phase. Technical drills and resisted running, while still present, take a back seat to full speed efforts. Repetitions decrease as sprint distances increase to a point where true max velocity can be achieved. Intensity in the weight room is still high, but volume begins to back off. Maximal effort performances are the emphasis here.
Nutritional Support: Cue nutritional strategies to support the central nervous system, an often-overlooked piece of fueling. While carbohydrate needs decrease a bit during this phase, they are still a vital part of the athlete’s fuel plan. Excitement and nerves are building here as we quickly approach the main event. Nutritionally, we reinforce our messaging with the athlete that these are crucial weeks, working to keep them locked in on their fueling, hydration, and supplementation.

In this phase, we will run our “Mock Combine” event in which we are able to test the fueling and hydration strategies we will use for the Combine. This “trial run” with pre- and intra-fueling and hydration helps us solidify protocols to use in Indianapolis. Remember, we have been practicing these the entire way (nothing new on competition day), but here we really work to nail down timing and specifics for each individual athlete. Amounts and timing will vary by athlete.
Let’s not forget that the mental preparedness component of Combine preparation is something we put great emphasis on, and we ensure our team provides fueling strategies to support athletes. We know the interaction between the gut microbiome and the brain (gut-brain axis), and stress to our athletes that what they are putting in their system affects not only physical performance, but also cognitive function.16 Preventing micronutrient deficiencies through food intake and supplementation (specifically vitamin D, B-vitamins,17 and iron18) are also critical here, as is consumption of DHA and EPA (omega-3s). Emerging research tells us that creatine supplementation may also be beneficial, especially in short-term memory and reasoning tasks.19
Taper: Weeks 7-8
Training Demands: Here, we are looking to stabilize the improvements made in the previous phases while enhancing recovery so that the athletes are fresh enough to perform their best when it counts. The hard training is over, and we are refining the athletes’ abilities while giving them the tools to achieve supercompensation and adapt to a level of performance beyond anything they have been capable of before. Recovery and readiness are the emphasis now.
Nutritional Support: As discussed earlier, we avoid using high-antioxidant supplements when possible throughout the previous training phases. With the short timeline, adaptation and anabolic signaling are crucial. The inflammation process, within reason, is beneficial to ensuring the athlete adapts to the stimulus placed on their system. Alternative recovery modalities are used throughout the program, especially where recovery, not stress adaptation, is the focus. According to Bayleigh Wheat, Performance Bodywork Specialist at Sports Academy:
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“In utilizing advanced recovery modalities like Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), Pulsed Electro-Magnetic Field Therapy (PEMF), and Low-Level Light Therapy (LLLT) from Eleve Health, we empower our athletes to push their limits while safeguarding their physical health. By implementing tailored recovery protocols after specific training sessions, we strategically enhance their ability to manage inflammation and optimize performance throughout the acclimation, accumulation, and intensification phases of training.”
Nutritionally, we wait until the taper weeks to implement some of these high-antioxidant supplements, with the goal of inflammation control and optimized recovery prior to the Combine. Here, we will add turmeric and SPMs to the athlete’s supplementation regimen and utilize tart cherry juice before bed. We will also put more of a focus on anti-inflammatory foods in this phase. The athletes will see more salmon, spinach/dark leafy greens, and berries in their meals. This is “crunch-time”—here, we strongly recommend athletes avoid consuming fried/fast foods and alcohol (this is the suggestion throughout the program, but stronger messaging is used in these weeks where acute readiness is vital).
While training volume and intensity are down during this taper, we keep fueling targets consistent with the intensification phase. This fuel is vital to the repair and recovery process and ensures the athlete will enter the Combine in a well-fueled state.
Body composition-wise, the work should be done. Our goal is to not have athletes drastically decreasing calories/carbohydrates or using dehydration strategies to lower their body weight, which can have a negative effect on performance. This is why adherence to protocols and execution throughout the eight weeks prior is crucial, and why we do a mid-point check-in at Week 4 to make any adjustments prior to this phase. Ideally, we can increase carbohydrates and calories for athletes who were in a deficit in the weeks leading up to the Combine.
We want the athlete to drink frequently throughout the day and to space post-training rehydration over two hours (vs. “chugging” large amounts at one time), says @lindsey_rd. Share on XThere is a lot of behind-the-scenes work going on here as we prepare all the fueling and hydration items each athlete needs to Indy. Like an away game, we want to keep things as consistent as possible, ensuring everything the athlete used during training is replicated for them in Indy. We will discuss this in the next section.
Realization: Week 9
Training Demands: This is where it all comes together as preparedness, fitness, and readiness intersect simultaneously and we seek to perfect the athletes’ performance. Timing is crucial, as everything we have done up to this point is irrelevant if the athletes leave PRs on the training hall floor. It is now “game time” and we want the athletes to feel good, look good, and perform at a level beyond anything they have ever seen. The focus is on putting the most confident, explosive, and healthy athlete possible on the turf at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indy.
Nutritional Support: Our main goal here is to ensure the athlete has everything they need to execute their fueling, hydration and supplementation. The last thing we want is them to put in all the work for the past eight to nine weeks then rely on fast foods or “wing-it” with their fueling and hydration. We need to cover each category of their nutrition: meals, hydration, pre- and intra-training fuel, recovery nutrition, and supplementation.
- Meals: Prepped meals, consistent with those the athlete fueled with for the entirety of the program, are shipped to our host hotel at the Combine, ensuring the athlete has well-tolerated, familiar foods available. Lower-fiber carbohydrates and lean proteins are prioritized here to support performance and minimize risk of GI distress.
- Hydration: It’s important to note that hydration needs are increased on travel days. Based on current recommendations we set a hydration target of 100-300 mL/hr. of fluid while in the air.20 Hydration status is then evaluated after travel with adjustments made as necessary. Gallon water jugs and electrolyte supplements are provided to each athlete according to their hydration plan.
- Pre/Intra Fuel: Athletes are provided individualized bags containing the carbohydrate items they have used for pre- and intra-fueling throughout training and at Mock Combine. Timing and amounts should be matched as closely as possible to those utilized throughout the program.
- Recovery Nutrition: Ready to drink protein shakes, packets of whey/plant protein, carbohydrate-rich items, and tart cherry juice are all available to utilize after training/events and before bed, ensuring we continue to support the recovery process.
- Supplementation: Supplements are individually packed for each athlete similar to those utilized during the taper phase (multi, omegas/SPMs, vitamin D, magnesium, creatine, turmeric, zinc, ashwagandha).
As Sports RDs, our role at the Combine is to ensure athletes have what they need accessible at all times. This may mean running an athlete meals or fuel during a long day of meetings/interviews/medical or bringing refuel items for post-training. Athletes will typically arriv two to three days prior to their first event, a critical time to ensure they are well-fueled and hydrated before they take the field.
When nine weeks is all you have to prepare for one of the biggest stages of an athlete’s career, you need to look for every advantage possible, says @lindsey_rd. Share on XDuring long days of back-to-back obligations, hydration can be challenging. Ensuring the athlete has water and electrolytes with them is key. There are a lot of moving pieces for the athlete here. Our job is to make nutrition, hydration, and supplementation easy to execute, not an additional stressor.
Our goal is to maintain a fueling schedule as consistent as possible with what we utilized during training. Three main meals, pre-, intra-, and post-training fuel, and performance snacks as needed/before bed. Timing will vary, but we strive to ensure we are hitting these fueling windows and avoiding long stretches without fuel/hydration.
When nine weeks is all you have to prepare for one of the biggest stages of an athlete’s career, you need to look for every advantage possible. Nutrition may feel like a small piece of the puzzle, but it can have a profound impact on training adaptation, recovery, and performance. By supporting each phase of training with targeted fueling, hydration, and supplementation, we help “set the stage” for an athlete to peak at a very calculated time. That time could be the NFL Combine, the Olympics…or even a big high school track meet. It’s any time the athlete needs to put forth an all-time best effort on a specific day or period of time. When we know the questions in advance, we can come up with the answers to the test.
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