Welcome to the Triathlon Nutrition Academy Podcast! Brought to you by Advanced Sports Dietitian, Taryn Richardson. Listen as I break down the latest science to give you practical, easy to digest strategies to transform yourself into a Supercharged Triathlete! You have so much untapped potential...and I want to help you unlock that with the power of nutrition.
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He Ate 1,000 More Calories a Day and Lost 8kg: What 9 Months of Triathlon Nutrition Actually Changes
Episode 261
Thursday, October 1, 2026 • Duration 47:02
What happens when you eat 1,000 more calories a day? For Curt, a 54 year old triathlete from Texas, it meant losing 8kg, ditching the daily nap and finally making it through a training day without bonking. That is not a typo, and it is not a fluke.
Nine months ago, three brand new Triathlon Nutrition Academy athletes came on the show a few weeks into the program to share what it is really like on the inside. Now Curt, Jade and Steve have finished all three phases and they are back. Three different athletes, three different decades of life and three very different starting points: a 39 year old mum of three from WA in her second Ironman build, a scientist from Texas who watched from the sidelines for 4 years while his mate got faster and a 71 year old from San Diego with more than 300 races behind him and no formal nutrition education until now.
WHAT YOU WILL TAKE AWAY
Why Curt lost 8kg while going from around 2,000 to closer to 3,000 calories a day, and why underfuelling was the thing keeping the body fat on
The one change that eliminated Curt's post-workout naps and gave him back at least an hour a day
How Jade went from years of fasted sessions to fuelling every session, and what changed when she hit 90g of carbs an hour on the bike
Why Steve calls nutrition free speed after 30 years of hand waving it, and how a race week plan changed 5 national championship races in 3 days
What separating fluid from fuel does to a race day plan
The benefits nobody expected outside triathlon, from a happier marriage to more beach days and a kid who packs his mum's long run fuel
What all three would say to the version of themselves sitting on the fence 9 months ago
Nutrition is not something you fix in a week, and it is not something you fix for life by collecting free nuggets from AI, YouTube or podcasts. It is something you learn, practise and make your own. That is exactly what the Triathlon Nutrition Academy is built for: 9 months learning how to fuel your body for your own training, with me and a group of legends like Curt, Jade and Steve beside you.
Doors to the Triathlon Nutrition Academy are open right now. Join the October cohort here before doors close on Saturday 10 October.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Introduction: Curt, Jade and Steve 9 months on
01:45 One word for their nutrition now versus then
03:20 Curt: no more bonking, no more naps, 8kg down while eating more
08:40 Jade: fitting TNA around 3 kids, work and an Ironman build
10:50 Jade: from fasted training to every session fuelled
12:20 Steve: the biggest mistake of a 30 year career and why nutrition is free speed
14:30 Steve: 5 national championship races in 3 days with a plan
16:10 Curt: race day now, and separating fluid from fuel
17:55 Jade: the Busselton build, 90g of carbs an hour and the scribbled paper plan
22:30 A year of listening to the podcast versus a year inside the program
24:30 What changed the most in how they fuel and race
27:05 What changed outside triathlon: smoothie bags, a happier wife and more beach days
30:40 Steve on strength training and getting bigger at 71
31:30 What they learnt about themselves that they did not expect
36:20 What they would tell themselves 9 months ago, and was it worth the investment
41:20 What is next: Busselton, Edmonton and a possible full distance
Can you gain muscle while losing body fat at the same time, or is body recomposition just a clickbait headline?
For years the advice has been that you have to pick one. Eat in a calorie deficit and lose body fat, or eat in a calorie surplus and build muscle. A brand new study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology in April 2026 says the picture is more interesting than that, and it is already being butchered all over social media. I break the whole paper down for you. What the researchers did, what they actually measured, and the bits the headlines have quietly skipped over. Then I do the part that matters most, which is translating a study done on young resistance trained lifters into what it means for someone swimming, biking and running six days a week.
IN THIS EPISODE
- What body recomposition actually is, and why it is not the same thing as losing weight
- What the 2026 study did, and what happened to all three groups over 10 weeks
- Why an increase in fat-free mass does not automatically mean a kilo of new muscle
- The training detail that did just as much work as the nutrition did
- Whether you really need 2.5 grams of protein per kilo of body weight a day
- Why the size of the calorie deficit matters far more than most triathletes think
- Where this study stops transferring the moment you apply it to endurance training
- Who is well placed to recomp right now, and who is better off picking one goal
- The 4 things I would start with if body recomposition is your goal
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Can you build muscle and lose fat at the same time 02:01 What body recomposition actually means 04:03 Inside the 2026 study05:26 The results after 10 weeks07:05 Why fat-free mass is not the same as muscle08:43 The training that made it work10:51 The big protein question13:19 Why the deficit was only 250 calories14:29 Where triathletes need a different approach15:40 Who body recomposition actually suits18:26 The 4 things I would focus on21:07 The big takeaway
How 5 Masters Triathletes Fuelled the Hilliest 70.3 in the World
Episode 259
Thursday, September 17, 2026 • Duration 01:01:16
What does it take to fuel the hilliest 70.3 in the world?
Six Triathlon Nutrition Academy athletes lined up at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice, France on 12 and 13 September 2026. A 1.9km swim in the Mediterranean, 90km on the bike with around 1190m of climbing, a long grind up the Col de Vence, an 11km technical descent with both hands on the brakes, then a flat half marathon in the baking French sun along the Promenade des Anglais.
One day after the race, five of them sat down with me to talk through what they did, what they would change and what they would tell you if Nice is on your bucket list. Most of them are masters athletes racing in the 60 to 69 age groups. Not one of them raced on the same nutrition plan.
Joining me are Kathleen Gilton, Kelly Estes, Stephen Duquette, Stanford Skelton and Daniel Walker.
WHAT YOU WILL TAKE AWAY
Why the athlete who was most afraid of the bike had the best ride of her life
How bike choice and gearing change what you can carry, and when you can actually drink it
How to ride light on a long climb without under-fuelling the back half of your race
What it takes to run a hot half marathon with no cramping, four years after cramping nearly ended a triathlon career
The race week mistake that cost a well-prepared athlete 20 minutes on the run, and it had nothing to do with training
Why six athletes on the same course, in the same heat, all fuelled differently and all got it right
TIMESTAMPS
01:46 Meet the athletes who raced Nice 02:47 Kathleen on the bike leg she feared most 08:53 Road bike or TT bike, and gearing 11:36 Losing 8kg without losing bike power 15:24 Riding light on the climb without under-fuelling 17:53 A hot run and the cramps that never came 23:02 When race day does not go to plan 31:54 Saturday women, Sunday men: the split day 40:05 What each athlete is most proud of 49:40 Would they have got there without nutrition
The Next 4 Things I'd Fix If You Were My Athlete
Episode 258
Thursday, September 10, 2026 • Duration 22:03
Most triathletes are working their nutrition list backwards. They start at number eight and skip one through seven entirely.
In Episode 229 I walked you through the first four things I fix with every triathlete I work with. The big rocks. This is Part 2, and it picks up at number five. If you have not heard 229 yet, go and listen to that one first, because these next four do not work without the foundations underneath them.
Number five is your hydration and electrolytes, which most athletes think they have sorted and almost never do. Number six is the three micronutrients that quietly put a ceiling on everything else. Number seven is your race nutrition strategy, which is a lot more than deciding which gel you are taking. And number eight is the fun stuff, the sprinkles on the icing on your cake, which is exactly where nearly everybody wants to start.
WHAT YOU WILL TAKE AWAY
Why one standalone sweat test is not a number you can set and forget for life
The three micronutrients that determine whether you can train and race well, and why supplementing blindly is the wrong first move
What a race nutrition strategy actually involves, and why practising your fuel is not the same as practising it at race intensity
The full roll call of supplements and gadgets triathletes ask me about, and where they genuinely belong in the order
Why your recovery nutrition does not finish when you cross the finish line
The order I would work through all eight in, so you get the best bang for your buck
TIMESTAMPS:
01:26 Hydration, sodium and sweat testing for triathletes 04:57 Iron, calcium and vitamin D for endurance athletes 08:59 Race nutrition strategy and recovery after racing 13:36 Performance supplements and what actually works 18:52 How to fix your triathlon nutrition in order
WANT ALL EIGHT BUILT OUT PROPERLY, IN THE RIGHT ORDER, FOR YOU?
How to Fuel an Ironman When You've Only Ever Raced 70.3
Episode 257
Thursday, September 3, 2026 • Duration 32:14
You can get away with a fuelling gap over five hours. You cannot get away with it over 13.
Stepping up from 70.3 to Ironman is the exact moment most triathletes work out that their fuelling needs attention. Julie Whitton is 13 weeks out from Ironman Western Australia, her first full distance race after a decade of racing halves. She is a paramedic with New South Wales Ambulance, she has been a shift worker for 21 years, and she trains off a nine day roster that changes constantly. In this episode she takes Taryn through exactly what she has had to upgrade to get to that start line, and where the gaps showed up once the hours went up.
This is not a first Ironman story. This is the step up story, for the triathlete who already races 70.3 well and assumes that skill carries over.
IN THIS EPISODE
What changes in your bike and run fuelling numbers when a race goes from five hours to 13 hours
Why a small hourly shortfall you got away with at 70.3 compounds into a walk at full distance
The shift from liquid fuel to solid food on long rides, and the trap of swapping over too fast
How to gut train on gels without hitting flavour fatigue weeks before race day
What Julie was doing at 70.3 that stopped working the moment the volume climbed
Why she moved her recovery from 90 percent to 100 percent, and what that changed in her week
Fuelling your body for what you want it to do rather than for how you want it to look
TIMESTAMPS
04:37 Training for Ironman around shift work 07:12 Bike fuelling from 70 to 80 grams 13:25 Run fuelling and flavour fatigue 17:35 What stopped working at full distance 23:35 Fuelling for performance not appearance
ABOUT JULIE WHITTON
Julie (Jules) Whitton is an age group triathlete and a paramedic with New South Wales Ambulance, where she has worked shift work for 21 years. She has been a Triathlon Nutrition Academy athlete since January 2023 and is now part of the Supercharged Squad. After a decade racing 70.3, she is stepping up to full distance at Ironman Western Australia on 6 December 2026. Julie was last on the show in Episode 119, Juggling Shift Work and Triathlon.
Maurten vs Precision vs SIS Beta Fuel: A Triathlon Dietitian's Verdict
Episode 256
Thursday, August 27, 2026 • Duration 18:02
Are you paying up to $5.20 a gel because that is what they hand out on course?
Maurten, Precision Fuel and Hydration and SIS Beta Fuel are the three gels I get asked about more than any others. So I put them side by side and worked out what is actually in the packet, what each one costs you per 100 grams of carbohydrate, and whether that price gap buys you anything at all. No brand has paid me a cent to talk about them. I am Switzerland when it comes to sports nutrition products.
One of these gels costs roughly two thirds more than another for the exact same gram of carbohydrate. Whether that is money well spent comes down to three things most triathletes have never been taught to look for.
WHAT YOU WILL TAKE AWAY
What is actually inside each gel: carbohydrate, sodium, calories, caffeine and the main ingredients
What it costs to fuel at 90 grams of carbohydrate an hour on each brand, in both Aussie and US dollars
What the glucose to fructose ratio means in plain English, and the carbohydrate rate you need to be hitting before it matters to you
Whether the hydrogel does what the marketing implies it does
Which gel makes sense for Sprint, Olympic, 70.3 and full distance racing
How to read a sports nutrition label so you are not at the mercy of whoever has the biggest marketing budget
STUDIES MENTIONED
Currell, K., & Jeukendrup, A. E. (2008). Superior endurance performance with ingestion of multiple transportable carbohydrates. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 40(2), 275 to 281. [https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0b013e31815adf19](https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0b013e31815adf19)
O’Brien, W. J., & Rowlands, D. S. (2011). Fructose-maltodextrin ratio in a carbohydrate-electrolyte solution differentially affects exogenous carbohydrate oxidation rate, gut comfort, and performance. American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, 300(1), G181 to G189. [https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpgi.00419.2010](https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpgi.00419.2010)
Over 45 and Losing Power? Your Protein Isn't Working Like It Used To
Episode 255
Thursday, August 20, 2026 • Duration 14:58
Everywhere you look, someone is telling you to eat more protein. If you are over 45 and your power is going backwards, more protein is not the fix you have been promised. Back in January the US dietary guidelines roughly doubled their protein recommendation, and that was overdue. But guidelines written for a sedentary population are a very different thing to guidelines for an athlete training 10 to 15 hours a week. Something real does change in your muscles as you get older, and the research on masters triathletes makes for uncomfortable reading. What it does not show is that eating more protein fixes it. In this episode I take you through what is actually happening in ageing muscle, what happened when researchers doubled the protein after a muscle damaging session, and the 5 protein levers to pull instead of just reaching for more.
WHAT YOU WILL TAKE AWAY
• What anabolic resistance is in plain English, and why the rules changed at about 35 without anybody sending you the memo
• Inside the Australian study that compared masters triathletes with younger ones, and what happened to their muscle repair and their cycling time trials
• What doubling the post exercise protein dose actually bought masters triathletes, and what it did not • Why your total protein intake stops paying you back once you are in a reasonable range
• The 5 protein levers, and why most triathletes only ever pull number 5
• Why your breakfast is almost certainly the weak link in your day
• Why the same mistake is happening right now with carbohydrate
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Everywhere you look, eat more protein
00:27 Over 45 and your power is going backwards
00:55 The number is the easy part, eating it is not
01:22 Welcome
01:43 What actually changes in your body as you get older
Are you Overtraining or Under-Fuelling?
Episode 254
Thursday, August 13, 2026 • Duration 26:09
Your legs are heavy, your easy sessions feel hard, and you are not improving despite training consistently. If you immediately thought overtraining, you are right. That is also the exact symptom list for under-fuelling.
Researchers went looking for every training overload study that also measured what athletes were eating. 21 studies made the cut, and in 18 of them, 86%, the athletes were under-fuelled. So the majority of athletes diagnosed as overtrained in the research were in fact not eating enough. Which raises a fairly uncomfortable question about that extra session you are thinking of adding to your training schedule right now.
In this episode, I show you how to tell whether you are overtrained or under-fuelled, why adding volume to an under-fuelled athlete makes everything worse, and the 3 signals plus 3 fixes to run through before you touch your training program.
WHAT YOU WILL TAKE AWAY
Why overtraining and under-fuelling start in exactly the same place in your brain, and why that changes the fix
What energy availability actually is, and why it is not the same thing as calories in versus calories out
The maths run on a 75 kg age-grouper training 12 hours a week, and what his number actually comes out at
Why overtraining is a diagnosis of exclusion, and what the professionals rule out first
The 3 signals that tell you under-fuelling is on the table at all
The 3 things to fix today, before you add another hour of training
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 The symptom list you are about to recognise 00:54 The number that should stop you adding a session 01:57 Same origin, same dials, different fix 02:20 You do not get fitter during your sessions 03:37 Inside the research: 18 out of 21 studies 04:17 Why overtraining is a diagnosis of exclusion 05:26 Energy availability, in plain English 07:15 Running the numbers on a 75 kg male age-grouper 09:35 The same maths for a female athlete 10:31 Why your own numbers will be different11:37 What happens when training goes up and food does not13:05 But I just need to train more, right?14:55 Signal 1: your appetite has gone the wrong way16:05 The feather, the brick and the truck16:30 Signal 2: the scales are not behaving17:36 Signal 3: easy is fine, your top end has gone18:31 The fourth sign: illness and niggles that outstay their welcome19:35 Fix 1: what you do during training20:31 Fix 2: recovery nutrition and the 4 Rs21:19 Fix 3: does your food move when your training moves22:08 An important note if this episode touched a nerve23:01 The recap24:21 Run the sums before you add the session
Is Carb Loading a Myth?
Episode 253
Thursday, August 6, 2026 • Duration 19:59
Is carb loading a myth? A paper published in June has social media convinced that it is.
A comment landed on my socials this week saying exactly that. It didn't appear out of nowhere. There is a new paper doing the rounds, the headlines have picked it up and sprinted into some pretty heavy clickbait territory, and they have taken it somewhere I don't think the authors ever wanted it to go. So I'm going to tell you exactly what that paper says, what it doesn't say and how to apply it to you as an age group triathlete.
I'll walk you through the 14 studies this whole argument rests on, why only 2 of them were double blinded and the detail in the research design that changes how you should read every one of those headlines. Then I'll show you brand new data on 27 real women racing at the 2024 World Champs, which I think is the far more important number for you.
IN THIS EPISODE:
What the June 2026 commentary actually did, and why it is not the carb loading study everyone thinks it is
How 10,422 papers were screened down to just 14
Why most of that research doesn't reflect how you actually race
What happened to muscle glycogen when athletes ate enough carbohydrate
Why I never wrote Matt Hauser a carb loading plan, and what that tells you about yours
The World Champs food diary data on what female age groupers really ate the day before their biggest race
The second problem with this research that nobody is talking about yet
What I want you to do differently before your next race
TIMESTAMPS 00:00 The comment that kicked this off 00:27 The paper behind the headlines, and what it actually is 02:58 From 10,422 papers down to 14 03:29 Why only two of them were double blinded 04:17 Riding with no fuel on board, and some of them fasted 05:42 The two studies the myth claim rests on 06:23 What actually happened to muscle glycogen 08:02 The one that was really a creatine study 09:33 Why I'm not calling this case closed 10:15 World Champs: only 26% hit their carb loading numbers12:25 Train like a professional, eat like a beginner12:48 Why Matt Hauser never needed a carb loading plan14:34 There is a ceiling, but that doesn't mean your tank is full15:40 The second problem nobody is talking about16:26 Risk versus reward17:54 What I want you to do before your next race18:42 So, is carb loading a myth?
Why Eating Healthy Isn't Enough to Fuel a Triathlon with James Anderson
Episode 252
Thursday, July 30, 2026 • Duration 32:46
You can eat really good food all day long and still have no idea how to fuel a triathlon.
Dr James Anderson is a dentist, a Triathlon Nutrition Academy athlete and one of the most organised humans you will ever meet. Smoothie bags prepped in the freezer. Snack bags packed for every work day. Quality food, every single day. He was still eating the wrong things at the wrong time for three sports, and he had no idea until he went looking for the gaps. In this episode James shares what changed between joining the Academy and crossing the line at his first 70.3 in New Mexico, including the quadrathlon that scared him into taking the detail seriously, what carb loading and sodium loading did for his cramping and headaches, and the moment on the run where his fuel stopped working and he had to think his way to the finish line.
WHAT YOU WILL TAKE AWAY
Why eating healthy and fuelling for triathlon are two completely different skills
What being super organised with food still misses when you are training for three sports
How conflicting advice online leaves smart, capable athletes stuck in paralysis by analysis
What carb loading and sodium loading did for a big athlete racing at altitude
How to troubleshoot on course when your race nutrition stops working, instead of taking a DNF
Why James is leaving his bike computer and Strava behind next time
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Eating well and fuelling for triathlon are not the same thing
00:33 Meet Dr James Anderson, dentist and TNA athlete
01:47 The bike shop moment and a very optimistic swim time
05:26 Fitting three sports around a full time job and a business
06:40 The Apple Blossom story
09:04 Organised, disciplined and eating the wrong things at the wrong time
10:40 Why a smart, capable guy could not work it out on his own
Related Shows Based on Content Similarities
Discover shows related to Triathlon Nutrition Academy, based on actual content similarities. Explore podcasts with similar topics, themes, and formats, backed by real data.
- Vargas-Molina, S., Garcia-Palumbo, A., Garcia-Sillero, M., Bonilla, D. A., Petro, J. L., Aragon, A. A., Schoenfeld, B. J., & Benitez-Porres, J. (2026). Comparison of two nutritional protocols in body re-composition of resistance-trained participants. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 126, 4019-4030. [doi.org/10.1007/s00421-026-06209-6](https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-026-06209-6)
- Iraki, J., Fitschen, P., Espinar, S., & Helms, E. (2019). Nutrition recommendations for bodybuilders in the off-season: A narrative review. Sports, 7(7), 154. [doi.org/10.3390/sports7070154](https://doi.org/10.3390/sports7070154)
If body recomposition is one of your goals, this is a very good time to stop winging it and build a strategy around your training instead. The Triathlon Nutrition Academy is where I teach you how to work out your own numbers, against your own training program, in your own body, and then I am there every week while you actually do it. Doors only open a few times a year, so get your name on the list for the next cohort at [dietitianapproved.com/academy](https://www.dietitianapproved.com/academy).
If you want to be the athlete who gets off a plane in a foreign country and knows exactly what they are doing, come and join us inside the Triathlon Nutrition Academy.
That is exactly what the Triathlon Nutrition Academy is. It is not a meal plan and it is not one size fits all. It is me teaching you how to build your own nutrition strategy around your training, your race schedule and your actual life, so you walk out knowing how to do this for yourself for the rest of your racing life. We open the doors a few times a year. Get your name on the list at dietitianapproved.com/academy so you know the moment they open.
If you have a couple of halves behind you and a full quietly sitting on your list, the athletes who come unstuck are almost always the ones trying to learn how to fuel and how to train for 226 kilometres at the same time. Do one of those things first. Get your name on the list for our next cohort of the Triathlon Nutrition Academy at [dietitianapproved.com/academy](https://www.dietitianapproved.com/academy) and you will be the first to know when we open doors.
SUPPORT THE PODCAST [HERE](https://www.dietitianapproved.com/legend)
Episode 47: What is a Hydrogel? Does it improve endurance performance, with Andy King. [Listen here](https://www.dietitianapproved.com/podcast/episode-47)
The exact gel you use is the last 5% of your race nutrition strategy. If you want the other 95%, the Triathlon Nutrition Academy is my nine month education program that teaches you how to fuel your training week, train your gut and build a race plan that is uniquely yours. Doors open again soon, so register your interest at [dietitianapproved.com/academy](https://www.dietitianapproved.com/academy).
SUPPORT THE PODCAST (https://www.dietitianapproved.com/legend)
• Doering, T. M., Jenkins, D. G., Reaburn, P. R., Borges, N. R., Hohmann, E., & Phillips, S. M. (2016). Lower integrated muscle protein synthesis in masters compared with younger athletes. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 48(8), 1613-1618. [https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000000935](https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000000935)
• Doering, T. M., Reaburn, P. R., Borges, N. R., Cox, G. R., & Jenkins, D. G. (2017). The effect of higher than recommended protein feedings post-exercise on recovery following downhill running in masters triathletes. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 27(1), 76-82. [https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.2016-0079](https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.2016-0079)
• Santos de Souza, M., Zaleski Trindade, C. D., de Souza Castro, F. A., Buss, C., & Schneider, C. D. (2025). Protein intake by master swimmers: Implications for practice in sports nutrition, a cross-sectional study. Nutrition and Health, 31(3), 1095-1101. [https://doi.org/10.1177/02601060241276918](https://doi.org/10.1177/02601060241276918)
READY TO STOP GUESSING?
Knowing what to eat and when, around your own training program, is the whole game as you get older. That is exactly what I teach inside the Triathlon Nutrition Academy, and then troubleshoot with you every week in our Power Hour calls, so you are still doing it in 12 months time.
Meeusen, R., Duclos, M., Foster, C., Fry, A., Gleeson, M., Nieman, D., Raglin, J., Rietjens, G., Steinacker, J., & Urhausen, A. (2013). Prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the overtraining syndrome: Joint consensus statement of the European College of Sport Science and the American College of Sports Medicine. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 45(1), 186-205. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e318279a10a
Melin, A. K., Areta, J. L., Heikura, I. A., Stellingwerff, T., Torstveit, M. K., & Hackney, A. C. (2024). Direct and indirect impact of low energy availability on sports performance. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 34(1), e14327. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.14327
Stellingwerff, T., Heikura, I. A., Meeusen, R., Bermon, S., Seiler, S., Mountjoy, M. L., & Burke, L. M. (2021). Overtraining syndrome (OTS) and relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S): Shared pathways, symptoms and complexities. Sports Medicine, 51(11), 2251-2280. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01491-0
READY TO STOP GUESSING?
Your day to day nutrition is the single most valuable thing I help my athletes with inside the Triathlon Nutrition Academy. I teach you how to fuel for training, racing and life, so you are not asking the internet random questions at 9pm every time your program changes or you see something shiny. Get your name on the list for our next cohort at dietitianapproved.com/academy
- Areta, J. L., [LILY: confirm the full author list from the paper before publishing]. (2026). Beyond belief? Absence of double-blinding and limited ecological validity in carbohydrate loading research. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.2026-0058
- Burke, L. M., Hawley, J. A., Schabort, E. J., St Clair Gibson, A., Mujika, I., & Noakes, T. D. (2000). Carbohydrate loading failed to improve 100-km cycling performance in a placebo-controlled trial. Journal of Applied Physiology, 88(4), 1284-1290. https://doi.org/10.1152/jappl.2000.88.4.1284
- Tomcik, K. A., Camera, D. M., Bone, J. L., Ross, M. L., Jeacocke, N. A., Tachtsis, B., Senden, J., van Loon, L. J. C., Hawley, J. A., & Burke, L. M. (2018). Effects of creatine and carbohydrate loading on cycling time trial performance. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 50(1), 141-150. [https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000001401
- Jones, R. O., Areta, J. L., Bennett, S., Pugh, J., & Louis, J. B. (2026). Dose-response of dietary carbohydrate intake on skeletal muscle glycogen, gastrointestinal comfort and body composition in endurance-trained individuals in simulated preparation for competition. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 36(6), e70312. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.70312
- Fortis, H. O., Whitehead, A. E., Cronin, C. J., Johnson, K. O., Shepherd, S. O., Hackney, A. C., Close, G. L., & Strauss, J. A. (2026). From intention to execution: Pre-race nutrition behaviours, influences, and performance outcomes in female endurance athletes at the IRONMAN World Championships. European Journal of Sport Science, 26(7), e70193. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsc.70193
If you want carb loading laid out properly in a way that is easy to understand, with a planner and a calculator that does all of the hard maths for you, my Carb Loading Masterclass is at dietitianapproved.com/carb-loading.
16:27 How the nutrition actually went at his first 70.3
19:16 Open water panic and the note in the swim cap
25:00 What he would do differently next time
29:18 The Power Hour crew and what is next
31:10 Nobody is born knowing this
GUEST
Dr James Anderson is a dentist based in New Mexico, USA, a Clydesdale age grouper and a Triathlon Nutrition Academy athlete who has just finished phase three of the program. He fell for the sport after seeing his first triathlon bike in a bike shop, raced sprint distance for three years and Olympic distance for two, and recently completed his first 70.3, the longest event he has ever raced. He is not on social media, so the best place to find him is in the TNA Power Hour.
WANT THIS FOR YOURSELF
Nobody is born knowing how to fuel three sports and you will not learn it at school or at uni. Get your name on the list for the next cohort of the Triathlon Nutrition Academy.
