Fuel to match your efforts: Our three-tiered approach

At Team EF Coaching, we frequently field these questions from athletes. And it will come as no surprise that the answers are not simple.

To help make sense of the nutrition equation, our WorldTour nutrition team uses a system of three distinct tiers. One tier represents hard training or racing. The second represents moderate training or strength-focused days. The final tier is reserved for restorative rest days.

These three basic tiers are the building blocks upon which we build healthy meals and comprehensive nutrition plans for our riders. We design athletes’ meal plans to match their levels of activity each day. Armed with these three tiers, we can start answering questions like what should I eat? How much should I eat, and when should I eat it?

Tier One

High energy / hard training / competition / key workouts

We reserve tier one meals for our athletes’ most challenging training or racing days. Tier one morning meals are designed to optimally fuel for a huge effort, in terms of both macronutrients and a high number of calories. Evening meals in this tier are created for maximum recovery after these efforts. These meals include enough protein to optimize protein synthesis and plenty of carbohydrate to ensure muscle and liver glycogen stores will be filled. Note that these meals should generally be lower in fiber.

Tier Two

Medium / moderate days / normal training / strength training

Meals that fall into the tier two category are designed to be eaten on moderate training days. A morning meal in this tier is designed to help fuel a moderately hard workout, while tier two evening recovery meals provide the right balance of carbohydrate and protein to promote recovery after moderate training. There is an increased focus on protein in tier two, with a focus on healthy fats, but still enough carbohydrate to fuel highly effective training. Meals in this tier should be low in saturated fats.

Tier Three

Health / low energy / rest days / recovery days

Tier three meals are designed specifically with rest and recovery in mind. These are meals that are ideal for days of light training or rest. There is a focus on a wide variety of nutrients, high fiber, and healthy fats. Low in saturated fats.

How can you use this information to improve your own fueling?

On your own, you can start simply by paying close attention to your food intake during days of different efforts and energy expenditure. Take notes on how you feel and how you perform. You may start to come to some startling conclusions on your own! Finally, consider how you can change the way you eat throughout an entire day to match that particular day’s activity level. This practice can help athletes prevent over-eating on rest days and under-eating while training or racing.

If you’re interested in working with a professional, our Premium membership includes nutrition coaching to help you understand and meet your fueling needs and goals. Premium membership also grants athletes access to our library of recipes, designed around our three-tiered system.