Is sport nutrition periodisation one of the most over-complicated topics in our field?
Research we’ve conducted with elite male and female team-sport athletes show that moving from a rest day to a training day increases energy expenditure by ~450–650 kcal.
For an 80 kg player, that’s roughly +1.5–2 g/kg carbohydrates on training days.
Common sense suggests keeping this adjustment simple, obvious, and attractive. We don’t need the COM-B model or behaviour change wheel to work that out.
I like to frame it pre, during, and post exercise:
Pre –> add a fruit juice with the pre-training meal
During –> a banana or gel just before or during training
Post –> a recovery drink + extra fruit juice at the post-training meal
That’s all it takes to meet the extra demand.
In my experience athletes value clarity, so they can focus on what what they do best: performing.