Every athlete prepares individually and has different physiological characteristics. The following guide is intended to serve as a recommendation based on fundamental scientific knowledge and to shed light on the topic of nutrition and stress during the individual phases of sport.

3.1 Nutrition before training

The diet should be rich in carbohydrates before exercise. The athlete's diet (and that of non-athletes) should fulfill these five criteria:

low in fat, high in carbohydrates, fresh, varied and natural.

This is primarily achieved through normal nutrition, which provides practically all the necessary nutrients. However, supplementary energy drinks are also useful here, e.g. Carboloading products.

Before intensive training or competitions, the carbohydrate stores in the muscles and liver should be well filled. This is achieved by reducing training and eating a very carbohydrate-rich diet. In order to fill the carbohydrate stores to the maximum, an intake of 7 - 10 g of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight per day is necessary for approx. 3 days with greatly reduced training. This method, known as carboloading, should definitely be practiced during training before an important competition.

Filling the carbohydrate stores increases body weight by up to 3 kg, as 2.7 g of water are stored with every gram of carbohydrate. This is not weight gain! The body also stores water with the carbohydrates, so the weight gain results only from the carbohydrates (approx. 500-600 g) and the water (approx. 2.5 kg), no fat is produced. The water is then important for cooling during exercise. After training or competition, the carbohydrates and water and thus the 3 kilograms are completely gone again.

3.2 Nutrition directly before the competition

On the evening before the competition and in the morning before the start, you should not eat huge portions. Meals should be high in carbohydrates and low in fiber if you have a sensitive stomach.

You should also drink enough - your urine must be clear the evening before the competition. This applies regardless of the duration of the competition. Even the smallest fluid deficits have a very negative effect on performance.

The last large meal should be approx. 3 to 4 hours before the start and contain approx. 200 - 300 g of carbohydrates.

About 1 hour before the start, an additional carbohydrate intake of up to 60 - 80 g is advisable. However, the quantity and volume depend heavily on individual tolerance and the type/duration of the sport. For example, before an Ironman or longer cycling race, you can safely eat more and at a closer time before the start than before a 5 km run.

The following therefore applies: Before an important competition, the type and quantity of food should be tried out in a test competition or a corresponding training session in order to recognize individual intolerances in good time.

Caution: large amounts of magnesium before the start are not advisable as this can have a laxative effect.

3.3 Nutrition during training or competition

For short competitions lasting up to one hour (e.g. 10 km run), it is not necessary to consume food or drink. The body's own stores are sufficient here. An exception to this can be extreme heat or high humidity, in which case it is sometimes advisable to drink fluids.

However, due to the high load during short competitions, fluid intake is not very easy (swallowing) and should be practiced during training.

During longer competitions (and training sessions), it is particularly important to ensure the intake of fluids and carbohydrates. Sodium and potassium are also useful in order to absorb food more quickly and support the muscles. Magnesium should not be consumed during exercise, or only in small quantities.

It should be emphasized once again at this point that carbohydrates are absolutely essential during exercise, as contrary to popular belief, fat burning is only possible in the presence of carbohydrates for biochemical reasons.

The carbohydrates consumed during exercise should consist mainly of medium to long-chain carbohydrates such as maltodextrin or low glycemic index carbohydrates such as isomaltulose to ensure a steady and long-term carbohydrate supply without an excessive insulin response.

The following energy sources are generally available drinks containing carbohydratesbars, gelsbananas and sportsfruit gums are available. The most important criterion: the athlete must like and tolerate the product - again, both should be tested during training.
With drinks, it is important to ensure that the carbohydrate concentration is between 40 and 80 grams per liter (4 - 8 %) for optimal absorption. For comparison: cola and similar drinks and juices contain approx. 100 - 120 g of carbohydrates per liter.
The sodium concentration of the sports drink should be between 400 and 1000 mg per liter, potassium should be between 120 and 225 mg per liter.

The reason for the importance of the ratio of carbohydrates to water in the food consumed during exercise lies in the mechanism of food intake. First of all, 2 terms need to be explained here:

Osmolarity refers to the number of dissolved particles per liter of liquid, osmolality to the number of dissolved particles per kilogram of liquid. In sports practice, the two terms can be equated for the sake of simplicity, as one liter of sports drink weighs approximately one kilogram.
Example: A solution of 100 ml of water with 10 g of monosaccharides (e.g. glucose) has the same osmolarity as with 20 g of disaccharides (e.g. household sugar).

The osmolarity of the food pulp in the gastrointestinal tract is now decisive for the speed of food absorption. If a sports drink has a lower osmolarity than the blood, it is referred to as a hypotonicdrink. If the osmolarity of the sports drink and blood is identical, the drink is isotonic; if the osmolarity of the drink is higher than that of the blood, the drink is hypertonic.
Hypotonic and isotonic drinks are ideal as they are absorbed by the body most quickly. Hypertonic drinks are first diluted with water from the body until they are isotonic. In this case, water is removed from the body, which reduces performance under stress, and absorption is delayed.
A sports drink should therefore be hypotonic or isotonic. How is this achieved? SQUEEZY sports drinks are low in short-chain carbohydrates and high in medium to long-chain carbohydrates. This ensures that the required amount of carbohydrates is achieved with a low number of dissolved particles. In addition, only the most essential ingredients such as sodium and potassium are included. As a result, the drinks have a low osmolarity and are well tolerated by the stomach. This clearly shows how nutrition and exertion are linked during sport.

For this reason, it is important to always drink water in addition to bars, gels etc. to ensure that the food pulp is present in the optimum concentration for absorption (this is also noted on SQUEEZY gels).

The amount you need to drink varies depending on the weather and should not normally exceed approx. 0.75 to 1.0 liter per hour, as otherwise the rate of gastric emptying will be exceeded. As the fluid requirement is sometimes higher in hot conditions, the fluid reservoirs should also be replenished prior to exercise as part of a carboloading program.

According to current studies, caffeine has a performance-enhancing effect, although not all athletes respond to it. According to current research, approx. 3 - 7 mg per kilogram of body weight (equivalent to approx. 2 cups of coffee) should be consumed approx. one hour before exercise and approx. 1 - 2 mg per kilogram of body weight per hour during exercise (equivalent to approx. 75 - 150 g SQUEEZY ENERGY SUPER GEL). However, as caffeine also has a diuretic effect in sensitive people, this should also be tried out during training.

3.4 Nutrition after training or competition

Immediately after training or competition, the function of the immune system is restricted. This is all the more true the more intense the exercise was. As a result, the body is more susceptible to infections in the hours after exercise. The period of increased susceptibility to infection is called the open window, the entire effect is known as the open window effect.

A prompt intake of carbohydrates after training significantly reduces this effect and therefore the susceptibility to infection. At the same time, the body's carbohydrate stores are replenished and the recovery time is shortened. The replenishment of glycogen stores is all the more effective the faster the carbohydrate intake is started after exercise, ideally within a few minutes.

The ideal thing to do after training is to use recovery productswhich, by providing carbohydrates, proteins and minerals/trace elements, have a positive effect on the replenishment of carbohydrate stores, the reduction of the open-window effect and the regeneration of damaged muscles.

To avoid the open-window effect, L-glutamine and branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) are also sometimes recommended, but there is still a need for research to clarify this definitively.

The same nutritional principles apply as before training. Food should be low in fat, high in carbohydrates, fresh, varied and natural. Proteins can support regeneration after intensive exercise.

Experienced athletes listen to their bodies: thirst indicates a lack of water or fluids, hunger indicates the need for carbohydrates and an appetite for something hearty indicates the need for minerals, especially sodium and potassium.

3.5 Nutrition under special conditions

The external conditions have a considerable influence on the need for the individual building blocks of nutrition. Example: The warmer it is, the more water is needed, the cooler it is, the less.
In hot weather, sports drinks should be mixed with a lower concentration (4 % = 4 g carbohydrates per 100 ml), as drinking more will ensure that enough carbohydrates are absorbed. If it gets hot, the drinks can also be chilled, the tolerance should be tested during training.

The increased need for minerals due to increased sweating should primarily be prepared or compensated for with appropriate food before and after exercise; this is only possible to a limited extent during exercise. Tip: Salt sticks on days before a heat load. The advantages: Salt sticks provide carbohydrates (and are practically fat-free) as well as the mineral sodium and thus, for osmotic reasons, also ensure better storage of water (which is increasingly absorbed due to the thirst caused).

In cold weather, sports drinks should be mixed with a higher concentration (8 % = 8 g carbohydrates per 100 ml) to ensure that enough carbohydrates are absorbed even with a reduced drinking volume. If it gets very cold, the drinks can also be warmed.