FuelingYour Performance: How to Eat, Hydrate, and Recover to Reach Your Goals

Whether you’re training for endurance, strength, or just trying to get more out of your WODs, how you fuel matters. The right food, hydration, and recovery strategies give your body the energy to perform, reduce injury risk, and help you bounce back faster.

Here’s a practical guide to fueling your performance.

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Why Fueling Matters:

Proper fueling provides the energy your muscles need and supports recovery. Poor fueling leads to fatigue, slower performance, worse recovery, mood changes, and a higher injury risk. Good fueling is an investment in long-term health, well-being, and athletic progress.

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Carbohydrates: Your Primary Energy Source

1. Role: Carbs are the main fuel for working muscles. For prolonged exercise (90+ minutes), consuming carbs before, during, and after activity helps maintain blood sugar, delay fatigue, and improve endurance.
2. Simple, easy-to-digest carbs (best close to workouts): fruit, unsweetened applesauce, FitAID, or other quick sugars. These provide rapid energy without upsetting the stomach.
3. Complex carbs (best further from start time): oatmeal, rice, potatoes, beans. They digest slower and provide sustained energy when eaten 2–4 hours before activity.

Protein and Recovery

1. Protein is essential—don’t skip it. Protein provides the fundamental building blocks that your body needs to build and repair muscles.
2. Animal protein provides complete protein, whereas proteins from other sources can be incomplete and need to be paired with intention to meet all the requirements. There a lot of options out there that can work for vegetarians and vegans!
3. General guidelines are to aim for .8 – 1 gram of protein per pound of ideal body weight. (Ex: 150 pound person would aim for between 120 - 150 grams of protein)

Recovery strategies

• Emphasize a well-balanced, whole-foods diet.
 
• Schedule rest days and practice stress management.
 
• Prioritize hydration
• Benefits of proper recovery: lowered injury risk, reduced stress,     better endurance and speed, and improved long-term performance.

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Hydration:Small Changes, Big Effects

Even mild dehydration impairs performance and recovery

• Start the morning with ~8 oz if you train early.
 
• Drink ~8 oz about 30 minutes before activity.
 
• Sip 8–10 oz every 20 minutes during prolonged workouts.
 
• Post-workout, replace fluids and electrolytes—options include coconut water or an electrolyte mix (e.g., LMNT)

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CognitiveFunction Matters!

Nutrition and hydration aren’t just for muscles—your brain needs fuel to coordinate complex movements, react quickly, and maintainform. This is especially important for athletes who perform technical lifts and gymnastics movements.

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CommonSigns of Poor Fueling

• Persistent fatigue or excessive soreness
• Declining workout performance
• Mood changes or irritability
• Increased likelihood of injury

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Practical Pre-Workout and Post-Workout Tips

• Pre-workout meal timing: aim for a full meal 2–4 hours before activity.

• Include carbs + protein; keep fiber and fat lower to avoid GI upset.
 
• If you feel nauseous eating pre-workout, opt for liquids (smoothies, shakes).
 
• Goals: maintain blood sugar and ensure glycogen stores are adequate.
 
• Example pre-workout combos:
  
  • Banana, protein powder, and a small handful of nuts
  • Chicken with sweet potatoes and green beans (2-4 hours before)
  • Smoothie with fruit, yogurt, and protein powder or high protein yogurt
• During long sessions, use simple carbs and fluids to maintain energy.
• Post workout use The Athlete Plate Method on your first meal.
  
  • 1/3 Non Starchy Veggies
  • 1/3 Starchy Carbs
  • 1/3 Protein
  • Small Amount of Healthy Fat
    

Other Practical Recommendations

• Avoid alcohol around training and recovery—it impairs recovery and sleep.
• Prioritize sleep; it’s essential for recovery and performance adaptations.
• If you’re feeling unusually tired, sore, or underperforming, you might not be eating enough or you might need more rest.

Fueling your performance is simple in concept: provide adequate carbs for energy, prioritize protein for recovery, stay consistently hydrated, and give your body rest.

Small, consistent habits—timed meals, smart snacks, electrolytes when needed, and enough sleep—compound into better workouts, faster recovery, and fewer injuries. Start with these basics and adjust based on how you feel and perform.

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