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

Macronutrients and athletic performance

Carbohydrate, protein and fat needs for training and performance — evidence-based daily targets scaled to body mass and training load.

Intermediate Evidence: Established consensus 3 min read Reviewed 2026-10-31 Status: draft

Learning objectives

  • Explain the role of each macronutrient in exercise
  • Calculate carbohydrate needs from training load
  • Set protein targets for adaptation and recovery
  • Describe fat requirements and the limits of low-carbohydrate approaches for performance

Before this lesson

Why this matters

What athletes eat determines how well they train, recover and compete. This lesson sets the daily foundation; timing and competition strategies build on it.

Fundamental concepts

Athletes’ needs are expressed in grams per kilogram of body mass per day (g/kg/day) and scaled to training load [thomas2016].

Carbohydrate

Carbohydrate fuels high-intensity exercise via glycolysis and high-rate oxidation [hargreaves2020]. Guidelines [thomas2016] [burke2011]:

Training loadCarbohydrate (g/kg/day)
Light (low intensity or skill-based)3–5
Moderate (~1 h/day)5–7
High (1–3 h/day moderate–high intensity)6–10
Very high (>4–5 h/day)8–12

Periodise intake: more on hard days, less on easy or rest days.

Protein

Protein supports muscle repair, adaptation and immune function. Recommended intakes are ~1.2–2.0 g/kg/day [thomas2016]; the ISSN suggests 1.4–2.0 g/kg/day for most exercising people, distributed every 3–4 h in doses of ~0.25–0.4 g/kg [jager2017].

Fat

Fat supplies energy for lower-intensity exercise, essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins. Typical intakes are 20–35% of energy; going below ~20% is generally not recommended [thomas2016].

Common mistakes and misconceptions

Case study

A 60 kg female 800 m runner feels flat in interval sessions. Diet review shows ~3 g/kg/day carbohydrate. With a sports dietitian, intake increases to ~6 g/kg/day on hard days; session quality and mood improve within two weeks.

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.

Introductory needs verification — opens a YouTube search

Sports nutrition basics: carbs, protein, fat

Australian Institute of Sport / sports dietitians (search)

You will understand: macronutrient roles for athletes

Why: From sport-science institutions.
Technical needs verification — opens a YouTube search

How much carbohydrate do athletes need?

Asker Jeukendrup / mysportscience (search)

You will understand: carbohydrate guidelines explained

Why: Leading researcher in sports nutrition.

Knowledge check

Knowledge check · 0/5

1. An athlete training moderately ~1 h/day typically needs carbohydrate of about…

Answer B. Thomas et al. (2016) recommend 5–7 g/kg/day for moderate exercise programmes.

2. The ACSM/AND/DC position recommends protein of…

Answer B. Higher intakes may help during energy restriction.

3. Why express needs per kg rather than as % of energy?

Answer B. Percentages can mislead when energy intake is high or low.

4. Fat intake for athletes should generally not fall below about…

Answer B. Very low fat intakes risk nutrient inadequacy.

5. High-intensity performance is most dependent on…

Answer B. Glycolysis and high-rate oxidation rely on carbohydrate.

Short-answer & application questions

  1. Calculate daily carbohydrate and protein for a 65 kg footballer training 90 min/day.
  2. Explain why a “40/30/30” template may not suit an endurance athlete.
  3. Plan carbohydrate periodisation across a hard and an easy day.

Key takeaways

  • Express athletes’ needs in grams per kilogram of body mass, scaled to training load.
  • Carbohydrate: ~3–5 g/kg/day for light training up to 8–12 g/kg/day for very high endurance loads.
  • Protein: ~1.2–2.0 g/kg/day, spread across meals of ~0.3 g/kg.
  • Fat: usually 20–35% of energy; very low intakes risk inadequate essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins.

Connected topics

sports nutrition

Pre-, intra- and post-workout nutrition strategies

sports nutrition

Fuelling for endurance vs strength/power sports

lifestyle nutrition

Macronutrients and their roles in health

sports nutrition

Creating individualised nutrition plans

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. Jäger R, Kerksick CM, Campbell BI, et al. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: protein and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14:20. doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8 Position stand check pending
  3. 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
  4. Hargreaves M, Spriet LL (2020). Skeletal muscle energy metabolism during exercise. Nature Metabolism, 2(9):817–828. doi:10.1038/s42255-020-0251-4 · PubMed 32747792 Narrative review verified

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