Training Nutrition Windows
Fuel five phases around a workout to protect energy, recovery and immunity
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 82%
Briggs splits fuelling into a sequence of windows anchored on the workout. One-to-two hours before, you eat a blend of complex and simple carbohydrate (e.g. oats and a banana) plus 20-30g of protein for a roughly 400-calorie meal. About thirty minutes out you take fast sugars like a banana to spike energy. Intra-workout is optional but effective: roughly 30g of liquid sugar and 10g of BCAAs sipped through longer sessions. Immediately post-workout you take fast sugars plus a little protein, partly to blunt the post-exertion dip in immunity when athletes are most vulnerable to illness. Then a post meal of complex carbohydrate replenishes muscle glycogen, with fats kept low so they don't slow carb absorption. The whole window can span four to five hours.
Origin
Shared by nutritionist Tim Briggs of We Dominate Nutrition and Worried Programming on Modern Wisdom, built from coaching CrossFit and strength athletes on how to time fuel around competition and training days.
Core principles
- 01Carbohydrate is the main fuel source for glycolytic and high-intensity work
- 02Blend slow-release (complex) and fast-release (simple) carbs by how close you are to training
- 03The post-workout window matters for both glycogen replenishment and immunity
- 04Keep fats away from the peri-workout window because they slow carb absorption
- 05Liquid carbs like maltodextrin/dextrose are an easy, low-effort way to hit intake
How to run it
- 1
Pre window (1-2 hours out)
Eat a blend of complex and simple carbohydrate such as oats with some fruit, plus 20-30g of protein regardless of height, weight or gender. A scoop of peanut butter adds general caloric value for around a 400-calorie meal.
Pro tip Aim for roughly 400 calories so you are filled but not heavy going in.
- 2
Immediate pre (~30 minutes out)
Load a little fast sugar as you walk into the gym. A banana giving around 20g of sugar is the simple default here.
- 3
Intra window (optional)
For longer sessions, sip liquid carbohydrate such as maltodextrin or dextrose, roughly 30g of sugar plus about 10g of BCAAs, to sustain energy through the work.
Pro tip Only sip on lower-intensity or strength blocks; don't try to drink through a metcon.
Watch out A coach will rightly shout at you if you reach for a drink instead of the bar mid-metcon.
- 4
Immediate post
Take fast sugars plus a little protein straight after finishing. The sugar helps because glycogen stores are depleted and immunity dips, leaving you vulnerable to illness right after hard work.
Pro tip Elite athletes take on sugar immediately after qualifying efforts for exactly this immunity reason.
- 5
Post meal
Go home and eat a meal heavy in complex carbohydrate to replenish muscle glycogen after the session's breakdown, and keep fats low in this meal.
Pro tip Limiting fat here keeps carbohydrate absorption fast; save most fats for meals further from training.
In the wild
An athlete waking to train at midday eats oats with a scoop of protein and peanut butter one to two hours before, has a banana on the way in, sips a liquid-carb and BCAA mix through the session, takes fast sugars with a little protein the moment they finish, then goes home for a high-complex-carb, low-fat meal to top glycogen back up.
→ Higher, more stable energy through the session and faster recovery afterwards.
Common mistakes
Eating fat in the peri-workout window
Fat slows carbohydrate absorption, so a fatty post-workout meal blunts glycogen replenishment when speed matters most.
Trying to sip carbs through a metcon
High-intensity conditioning is the wrong time to be drinking; save intra-carbs for lower-intensity or strength blocks.
Is it for you?
Best for
Strength, CrossFit and interval athletes wanting to get the most out of every hard session.
Not ideal for
Someone purely in a fat-loss phase who trains fasted for convenience and isn't chasing peak session output.
From the transcript
“so we categorize it in several windows you've got your pre”
“this is for immunity so if you know it's armed with Olympians when they run their qualifying races”
“why we limit in our fats in the meal it can slow down the absorption of carbohydrates”
From the episode
How To Eat For Performance - Tim Briggs - #070
Tim Briggs