The purpose of Performance Nutrition is to unleash the power of food so that athletes have more:

• Time to train: By reducing the risk of injury and illness.
• Effective training: By facilitating the adaptive response to training.
• Competition performance: From getting the food right in the days leading into competition; through individual race nutrition plans to cutting edge ergogenic aids.

Using cutting edge performance nutrition science, we work closely with athletes and coaches to support performance in the following areas:

• Individualised food and supplementation plans: Helping athletes understand what to eat, when to eat around training and why this impacts upon performance.
• Discipline specific strategies: Nutrition strategies that focus on the demands of the different disciplines within athletics and the different athletes within the disciplines.
• Biochemical and haematological analysis to identify deficiencies and support optimal metabolic function.
• Body composition assessments and guidance in achieving optimal form.

Nutrition helps an athlete to:

• Prevent injury and illness and reduce time spent away from training.
• Adapt from training through exploiting nutrient training interactions.
• Support competition performance whether it be fuelling for a marathon, nutrition priming for a 100m or planning nutrition strategies between heats.

Examples of Performance Nutrition Support:

• Injury and Illness Prevention/Treatment:

1. Periodising carbohydrate intake to allow the immune system to function effectively during heavy periods of training.
2. Calcium timing to enhance bone recovery.
3. Probiotics support for helping gut function and general immunity.
4. Diets to support tendon healing.

• Adaptation to Training:

1. Nutrition and training interaction to maximise performance
2. Protein timing – amount and type to maximise adaptation to specific training.
3. Nutrient timing to maximise recovery from exercise.
4. Maximising impact from altitude training

• Competition Performance

1. Fuelling race performance.
2. Enhancing power:weight
3. Nutritional priming on competition day.
4. Optimising body composition
5. Performing in hot conditions
6. Menu planning
7. Travel nutrition.

George Robinson (PhD Student at British Athletics)