When starting a new training program or increasing your current workload, it is important to consider the additional energy demands placed on your body.
While this article focuses primarily on endurance-style training, the principles apply to most sports and training programs. Adequate fuelling supports performance, recovery and overall wellbeing and under-fuelling can quickly undermine your progress.
Signs Your Body May Need More Fuel
Your body will often give you warning signs when your energy intake is not matching your training load. These signs can look different for everyone, but common indicators include:
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Feeling unusually tired throughout the day
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Slower recovery between training sessions
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Persistent hunger or strong food cravings
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Difficulty pushing intensity in training
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Feeling flat, low in energy or unmotivated
Addressing these signs early can help prevent longer-term performance issues and reduce injury risk.
How to Increase Energy Intake to Match Training
Increasing overall energy intake does not need to be complicated. Small, practical changes can make a big difference.
Ways to increase fuel intake include:
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Increasing portion sizes at main meals
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Adding extra snacks across the day
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Swapping lower-energy foods for more energy-dense options
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Choosing full-fat dairy instead of reduced-fat
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Adding avocado instead of spreads like Vegemite
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Including starchy vegetables at dinner such as potato, sweet potato, corn or pumpkin
These changes help ensure your body has enough fuel available to support training demands.
Why Pre-Training Nutrition Matters
What you eat before training can significantly impact how you feel and perform during your session.
Appropriate pre-training nutrition helps:
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Improve training intensity and quality
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Delay fatigue
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Support concentration and effort
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Reduce the likelihood of underperforming
Timing and food choice are key.
When Should You Eat Before Training?
Most people tolerate a main meal around 2 to 4 hours before training.
This meal should include:
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High-quality carbohydrates
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A source of protein
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Some healthy fats
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Vegetables or salad
For most people:
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Mid-morning training means breakfast is your main pre-training meal
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Afternoon or evening training means lunch fills this role
What If You Train Early in the Morning?
If you train first thing in the morning, a pre-training snack can be helpful.
Most people tolerate a snack around 30 to 60 minutes before training, although this can be closer to the session depending on gut comfort. This snack should be:
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High in carbohydrates
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Low in fibre
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Low in fat
This provides a quick energy top-up without causing gastrointestinal discomfort.
Pre-Training Snack Ideas
Simple pre-training snack options include:
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A banana
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A glass of fruit juice
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A muesli bar
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A slice of toast
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Low-fat yoghurt
These foods are easy to digest and provide readily available energy for training.
Learning to Fuel Your Body Well
Listening to your body and adapting your intake to match your training is key.
There is no single approach that works for everyone. Finding what feels best for your body, your training schedule and your goals will help you get more out of each session and support consistency long term.
If you are unsure how to fuel appropriately for your training load, personalised guidance can help remove the guesswork.
Make Fuelling Easier With Simple Meal Ideas
Having a handful of go-to meals and snacks makes consistent fuelling much easier, especially during busy training weeks. Exploring easy recipes can help you build balanced meals that support performance without overthinking nutrition.