Using Glycemic Index to help you fuel
Glycemic Index (GI) is a simple way of ranking exactly how fast a source of Carbohydrate can raise your blood glucose levels.
Effectively, it assess the rate at which a CHO source can provide energy for your body to use during exercise.
A food with a higher GI will provide energy quicker then a food with a lower GI. Although, when blood sugar is spiked quicker, it is used by the muscles for energy quicker, meaning stores will get depleted faster.
This is an important thing to consider when we are choosing the foods that we eat to fuel us for performance. Equally, it will also impact the timing of our fuelling before competition. I will break this down further below:
High Glycemic Index Foods:
Best consumed immediately before or during competition as this is when you are likely to require energy quickly. Most sports have some form of half time or interval break, this is an ideal time to refuel and get that quick release of energy to help sustain performance.
Medium Glycemic Index Foods:
Best consumed 1-2 hours pre competition in the form of a light snack/lunch or secondary breakfast. Particularly when competition is either in the afternoon or evening.
This kind of fuelling is ideal for helping to top up glycogen stores prior to competition.
Low Glycemic Index Foods:
Eat these 3-4 hours before competition, these provide a slow, constant release of energy. They keep you feeling fuller and fuelled for longer and reduce the need for excessive fuelling in the short period of time leading into competition.
One thing that cannot be stressed enough when fuelling for performance is ensuring you select foods that are lower in fat and fibre content the closer you get to competition. This is to reduce the risk of GI distress which will likely have a negative impact on your performance.
Lastly, always make sure to trial a new nutrition strategy before rolling it out on game day. The last thing you want is a nutrition strategy that does not work for you.
As always, get in touch for more support!
Published: 21st August 2026
Mid Competition Fuelling
Mid Competition Fuelling using a Food First Approach!
During competition most athletes require between 30-60g Carbohydrates per hour, although during some events such as long distance cycling where intensity and duration is much greater, you may benefit from an increased carbohydrates intake of between 60-90g / Hour
What you may need to consider is the duration and intensity of your performance. For example, as mentioned above, a cyclist taking part in the Tour De France will require a larger CHO intake than a rugby player competing over 80 minutes.
Equally, another thing to consider is, are you required to perform multiple times in one 'competition' for example an Irish dancer, or 100m Sprinter who may have to take part in heats or qualifying rounds. Therefore the timing and quantity of each CHO intake here may differ.
Select a few of these options that suit your needs and preferences to help fuel you in your next competition!
Stay tuned for our next post covering 'Glycemic Index' and how that can help you with your carbohydrate selection and timing pre and during competition!
Published: 20th August 2026
Factors affecting youth athletes performance
Youth athlete performance doesn't just come down to how effective a players technical, tactical and physical attributes are.
Ultimately, there is far more to it than just what meets the eye.
How well a player can perform stems from all of the wider contextual factors that impact them and their lives AND how effective their technical, tactical and physical attributes are. It is not a case of one or the other.
As Coaches, Parents and Fellow Athletes, we all have a responsibility to understand and recognise this so that when it comes to it, we are best equipped to support our young players in their journey.
Factors that need to be considered in youth athlete development can be placed into 3 categories:
Biological
Psycological
Social
When addressed altogether, they allow for a well rounded, holistic approach to youth athlete development.
On the right, you will see a more detailed brekadown of factors that influence youth athletes performance, this time broken down into sport/non-sport related. Although when you lstart to taker a closer look, you can start to place each one of those into the 3 Biopsychosocial categories.
Equally, as much as being aware of these factors is great. It isn't enough. In a sporting context, coaches should actively implement strategies to mitigate the risks associated with the negative side of biopsychosiocal development. For example, this may include tracking player readiness and wellness prior to sessions. This is a simple step i take each week with my athletes to ensure they are not over-reaching and putting themselves at risk of over use injuries and also to make sure the risk associated with training when fatigues is accounted for.
At the end of the day. Every decision we make should have our athletes well being at the forefront.
Need more support helping your youth athletes? Reach out, we'd love to help!
Published: 9th May 2026
