Health & WellnessBeginnerPreview
Sports Nutrition Basics
Learn how to fuel your training with precision — timing carbohydrates and protein to match your workout demands, optimising recovery nutrition, and evaluating the real evidence behind popular supplements.
Active adults and recreational athletes who want a science-backed approach to fuelling their training without nutrition overwhelm.
Course content
Workbook & downloads
Put the course into practice — a printable workbook plus editable templates you can fill in and reuse.
Preview the workbook
This workbook translates the course concepts into hands-on practice — you will calculate your own macro targets, design your pre- and post-workout meals, evaluate the supplements you currently use, and build a personalised weekly fuelling plan. Work through each section after completing the corresponding module, and revisit your entries as your training load changes.
Macronutrients and Energy for Exercise
Establish your baseline — calculate your daily protein, carbohydrate, and fat targets based on your current bodyweight and training load.
Exercise: Calculate Your Daily Macro Targets
Use the ACSM/AND/DC formulas from Module 1 to calculate your personalised daily protein, carbohydrate, and fat targets. Answer all prompts before moving to the worksheet.
- What is your current bodyweight in kilograms? If unsure, estimate.
- How many training sessions do you complete per week, and what is the average duration and intensity of each?
- Based on the training load table in Lesson 1, which carbohydrate category best describes your current training (light / moderate / high / very high)?
- Which protein range applies to you — recreational, strength/hypertrophy, endurance, or caloric deficit? What daily protein target in grams does that give you?
Worksheet: My Daily Macro Target Sheet
Fill in each row using your calculations from the exercise above. These become your daily nutrition benchmarks for the rest of the course.
- My bodyweight (kg)
- My training load category (light / moderate / high / very high)
- Daily carbohydrate target — low end (g/kg x bodyweight)
- Daily carbohydrate target — high end (g/kg x bodyweight)
- Daily protein target (g/kg x bodyweight)
- Daily fat target — low end (0.5 g/kg x bodyweight)
- Daily fat target — high end (1.5 g/kg x bodyweight)
- Estimated total daily calories (carb g x 4 + protein g x 4 + fat g x 9)
- Biggest gap vs. my current diet (carb / protein / fat / hydration)
Checklist: Macronutrient Foundation Checklist
- I know my bodyweight-based daily protein target in grams
- I have identified my training load category and corresponding carbohydrate range
- I understand the distinction between training-day and rest-day carbohydrate needs
- I can name at least 3 high-quality protein sources I will actually eat
- I know my sweat-loss indicator (urine colour) and its target zone
- I have logged one day of food to compare actual intake against my targets
Pre-Workout Nutrition
Design and test a pre-workout nutrition strategy matched to your specific training schedule, timing constraints, and gut tolerance.
Exercise: Map Your Pre-Workout Scenarios
Most athletes have 2–3 recurring pre-training scenarios (e.g., 6am session, lunchtime session, evening session after work). Describe your most common ones and work through the timing logic for each.
- List your 2–3 most common training times. How many hours before training can you realistically eat a full meal in each scenario?
- For each scenario, which template applies — the 3–4 hour full meal or the 30–60 minute snack (or both in sequence)?
- Have you ever experienced GI discomfort, cramping, or reflux during training? If so, which foods or timing patterns preceded it?
- Do you currently use caffeine before training? If so, what source, how much, and how far before exercise?
Worksheet: Pre-Workout Meal Planner
Complete one row per training scenario. This becomes your go-to reference when planning training-week nutrition.
- Scenario name (e.g., 6am gym session)
- Training start time
- Latest time for a full meal (3–4 hours prior)
- Full meal choice (food, estimated carbs g, estimated protein g)
- 30–60 min snack choice (food, estimated carbs g, estimated protein g)
- Caffeine: yes / no — if yes, source + dose (mg) + timing before training
- Gut-tolerance rating from last trial (1 = poor, 5 = excellent)
- Adjustments to test next session
Checklist: Pre-Workout Nutrition Readiness Checklist
- I have identified a reliable full meal option for when I have 3+ hours before training
- I have identified a low-fat, low-fibre snack option for when I have less than 1 hour before training
- I have tested at least one pre-workout meal during a low-stakes training session
- I know my effective caffeine dose and timing if I choose to use it
- I avoid high-fat, high-fibre meals within 90 minutes of training
- I have a fasted-training protocol ready for unavoidable early sessions
Post-Workout and Recovery Nutrition
Build a recovery nutrition strategy calibrated to your between-session gap — distinguishing rapid-recovery protocols from standard 24-hour recovery.
Exercise: Identify Your Recovery Urgency Level
Recovery nutrition urgency depends primarily on the time between training sessions. Work through these prompts to identify which recovery protocol applies to you.
- How many hours typically separate your training sessions? Do you ever train twice in one day or on consecutive mornings?
- Do you typically arrive at training in a fasted state (more than 4 hours since your last protein-containing meal)? How often?
- Describe your current post-workout habit — do you eat within 30 minutes, within 2 hours, or when convenient?
- Have you noticed correlations between post-workout eating patterns and next-session energy levels or soreness?
Worksheet: Recovery Meal Template
Design a ready-to-use recovery meal for your two most common post-training situations (rapid recovery under 8 hours; standard recovery 24+ hours).
- Situation A: rapid recovery (under 8 hours to next session) — meal name
- Situation A: carbohydrate foods and estimated grams
- Situation A: protein foods and estimated grams
- Situation A: prep time in minutes (target under 15 for rapid protocol)
- Situation B: standard recovery (24+ hours) — meal name
- Situation B: carbohydrate foods and estimated grams
- Situation B: protein foods and estimated grams
- Situation B: micronutrient focus (e.g., iron-rich greens, omega-3 fish, antioxidant berries)
- Pre-sleep protein option (cottage cheese, casein shake, milk) — my choice and portion
Checklist: Recovery Nutrition Checklist
- I know whether I need a rapid-recovery or standard-recovery protocol after each session
- My rapid-recovery meal contains 1.0–1.2 g carbohydrate per kg bodyweight and at least 20 g protein
- I have a pre-sleep protein option ready for days with high training loads
- I eat at least 2 portions of oily fish per week or supplement omega-3
- I use colourful vegetables as my primary antioxidant source, not mega-dose supplements
- I check urine colour post-exercise and rehydrate to pale straw before my next session
Supplements — Evidence, Dosing, and Red Flags
Audit your current supplement use against the AIS evidence framework, decide which (if any) to keep, and build a lean, evidence-based stack.
Exercise: Supplement Audit
List every supplement you currently take or have recently purchased. For each one, work through the evaluation prompts to determine whether it earns a place in your stack.
- List all supplements you currently take — name, dose, frequency, and monthly cost.
- For each supplement, look up its AIS classification (Group A, B, C, or D). What did you find?
- Does the supplement have at least 2 independent randomised controlled trials supporting its use for your specific training goal? If you cannot find any, that is your answer.
- Is the product batch-tested by Informed Sport, NSF Certified for Sport, or BSCG? If not, and you compete, what is your risk tolerance?
Worksheet: Evidence-Based Supplement Decision Sheet
Complete one row per supplement. Use the keep / pause / drop decision column to build your final stack.
- Supplement name
- Current dose and frequency
- Monthly cost (CAD/USD)
- AIS classification (A / B / C / D / unknown)
- Number of RCTs found supporting my specific use case
- Third-party testing certification (yes / no / unknown)
- Decision: keep / pause and reassess / drop
- Reason for decision
Checklist: Final Supplement Stack Checklist
- Every supplement in my stack has at least AIS Group B classification or better
- Each supplement has a specific performance or health goal — I can state it in one sentence
- At least one of creatine monohydrate or caffeine is in my stack if they align with my training goals
- Every supplement I use is either certified by Informed Sport or NSF Certified for Sport, or I am not subject to anti-doping testing
- I have removed or paused any supplement I could not classify with evidence
- I have calculated the monthly cost of my remaining stack and confirmed it is justified by the expected benefit
Exercise: Build Your Weekly Fuelling Plan
Bring together all four modules into a written 7-day fuelling plan that reflects your actual training schedule, macro targets, and supplement stack.
- Write out your training days and rest days for a typical week. Note the training type (strength, cardio, mixed) for each.
- For each training day, specify your pre-workout meal or snack, your post-workout recovery meal, and your carbohydrate intake target (higher on training days, lower on rest days).
- Identify the one biggest nutrition habit you will change this week based on what you learned in this course.
- Set a 4-week check-in goal — what measurable outcome (performance, body composition, energy, recovery quality) will you use to evaluate whether your fuelling changes are working?
Your Action Plan
- Weigh yourself this week and calculate your personal daily protein and carbohydrate targets using the ACSM/AND/DC formulas
- Log 3 consecutive days of food intake in Cronometer or MyFitnessPal and compare actual macro intake against your new targets
- Design and write down a pre-workout meal and snack for each of your 2–3 recurring training time slots
- Test your pre-workout meal choice during a low-stakes training session and rate your energy and gut comfort on a 1–5 scale
- Prepare a rapid-recovery meal template (batch-cook option preferred) for days when your next session is under 8 hours away
- Complete the supplement audit worksheet — list everything you take, look up AIS classification, and apply the keep / pause / drop framework
- Add creatine monohydrate to your stack if strength or power training is a primary goal — start with 3–5 g/day maintenance dose
- Swap at least one high-fat post-workout snack for a balanced recovery meal within 2 hours of training this week
- Check your urine colour first thing in the morning for 7 consecutive days and track whether it correlates with next-day training quality
- Review your fuelling plan at 4 weeks against your target outcome and adjust one variable at a time
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