FSHP Academy
Sports Nutrition — all lessons

Module 1: Foundations of Sports Nutrition

Energy systems and metabolism for nutritionMacronutrients and athletic performanceMicronutrients and hydration essentials

Module 2: Nutrition for Training & Competition

Pre-, intra- and post-workout nutrition strategiesFuelling for endurance vs strength/power sportsCompetition-day meal planning

Module 3: Body Composition & Weight Management

Balancing muscle gain and fat lossSafe weight-cutting practices for athletesNutrition for injury prevention and recoveryEnergy availability and RED-S

Module 4: Supplements & Ergogenic Aids

Evidence-based supplements (creatine, caffeine and others)Avoiding banned substances and doping risks

Module 5: Practical Applications

Creating individualised nutrition plansSports nutrition case studies

Competition-day meal planning

Planning nutrition and hydration for competition day — the pre-event meal, top-ups, between-event fuelling in tournaments, and practising the plan.

Advanced Evidence: Strong evidence 3 min read Reviewed 2026-10-31 Status: draft

Learning objectives

  • Plan a competition-day timeline of meals and fluids
  • Choose foods that are familiar, digestible and carbohydrate-rich
  • Manage tournaments with multiple events
  • Avoid common competition-day nutrition errors

Before this lesson

Why this matters

Months of training can be undermined by a poor competition-day plan. The aim is simple: arrive fuelled, hydrated and comfortable.

Timeline example (10:00 start, 90-min event)

TimeAction
48–36 h beforeIncrease carbohydrate if event >90 min (carbohydrate loading) [burke2011]
Evening beforeFamiliar, carbohydrate-rich dinner
06:30–07:00Breakfast: 1–4 g/kg carbohydrate, low fat/fibre (e.g., idli, banana, honey toast) [thomas2016]
07:00–09:00Sip fluids; urine pale
09:00Caffeine if practised (3–6 mg/kg) [guest2021]
09:45Small carbohydrate top-up (gel, banana) if desired
DuringPer nutrient timing guidelines
AfterFluids, carbohydrate and protein

Tournaments

Plan snacks by gap length:

  • <1 h: sports drink, gel, banana.
  • 1–2 h: sandwich, rice-based snack, fruit and milk.

  • 3 h: light meal.

Common mistakes and misconceptions

Case study

A state-level squash player loses energy in later tournament rounds. A plan with breakfast, snacks every 60–90 minutes and fluids with electrolytes keeps her performance consistent across four matches.

Further learning: video lessons

Video links are only marked “verified” after a human has watched them. Unverified entries open a YouTube search for that channel and topic rather than a guessed link.

Practical demo needs verification — opens a YouTube search

Race-day nutrition plan

sports dietitians (search)

You will understand: building a race-day timeline

Why: Practical.
Practical demo needs verification — opens a YouTube search

Tournament nutrition

sports nutrition educators (search)

You will understand: fuelling multiple games in a day

Why: Team-sport focused.

Knowledge check

Knowledge check · 0/5

1. The most important rule for competition-day nutrition is…

Answer B. Familiarity reduces GI and performance risks.

2. A pre-event meal 3 h before should be…

Answer B. Promotes fuelling and digestive comfort.

3. Between tournament matches 1 h apart, the best option is…

Answer B. Rapid, comfortable refuelling.

4. Caffeine on competition day…

Answer B. Caffeine is effective and not prohibited, but should be trialled.

5. Carbohydrate loading in the 36–48 h before a marathon aims to…

Answer B. Supercompensation supports prolonged performance.

Short-answer & application questions

  1. Write a competition-day timeline for a 10 a.m. half-marathon.
  2. Plan a tournament day with three badminton matches.
  3. List portable carbohydrate foods available in India.

Key takeaways

  • Never try new foods or supplements on competition day.
  • Pre-event meal: 1–4 g/kg carbohydrate 1–4 h before, low in fat and fibre.
  • For multiple events, refuel with easy carbohydrate and fluids between rounds.
  • Plan logistics: portable foods, timing, climate and travel.

Connected topics

sports nutrition

Evidence-based supplements (creatine, caffeine and others)

sports nutrition

Creating individualised nutrition plans

cricket

Cricket S&C case studies and practical sessions

References

  1. Thomas DT, Erdman KA, Burke LM (2016). American College of Sports Medicine joint position statement: nutrition and athletic performance. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 48(3):543–568. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000000852 Position stand check pending
  2. Burke LM, Hawley JA, Wong SH, Jeukendrup AE (2011). Carbohydrates for training and competition. Journal of Sports Sciences, 29(Suppl 1):S17–S27. doi:10.1080/02640414.2011.585473 Narrative review check pending
  3. Guest NS, VanDusseldorp TA, Nelson MT, et al. (2021). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: caffeine and exercise performance. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 18(1):1. doi:10.1186/s12970-020-00383-4 Position stand check pending

Educational content only — not medical advice. Consult a qualified clinician for diagnosis or treatment.