http://www.performancenutritioncollective.com.au/

Performance Nutrition Collective, Berry (2026)

27/05/2026

Let me introduce you to a 14-year-old rep soccer midfielder 👇
Midfielders carry one of the highest running loads on the field.
Now add:
👉 Playing up a grade
👉 Back-to-back games
2 games Sunday → followed by a sprint session Monday morning
So when she said:
👉 “My legs feel heavy early in the week”
…it wasn’t random.

At first glance?
You’d think fitness.
But when we looked closer…
👉 She wasn’t eating enough to match the work
👉 Carbs were too low for her load
👉 Glycogen wasn’t being fully restored between sessions

So we didn’t touch the training.
We changed the fuel:
✔️ Intake went up (3000+ cals)
✔️ Carbs up to match the workload (6–7g/kg)
✔️ Better between-game + recovery fuelling
✔️ Reduced within-day energy deficits
👉 Her mum nailed the ex*****on - and so did she.
Eating that much, consistently, at 14? ...That’s impressive. 🔥🔥

What happened?
No more heavy legs Monday.
Energy skyrocketed.
Recovery is on another level.
She’s now:
👉 Building lean mass in the gym
👉 Still on her feet late in games
👉 Sharp when others are fading

Same athlete.
Same training.
Different fuel.

Most athletes I see aren’t underperforming because of training…
They’re underperforming because they’re underfuelled for it.
You don’t feel “fit” when glycogen is low…
👉 You feel flat.
speedcoaching

20/05/2026

One of the most underrated recovery tools for teen athletes 👇
The pre-bed snack
At first, most teens resist it…
👉 “I’m not hungry”
👉 “I already had dinner”
But once it becomes routine, they actually start to enjoy it.
This isn’t about adding “extra food” for the sake of it.
👉 It’s about closing the day properly.
💡 Why it matters:
Teen athletes have high metabolic demands.
And overnight:
👉 Growth
👉 Repair
👉 Adaptation
…are all happening.
But if dinner is early and nothing after?
👉 That can become a 10–12-hour gap without fuel.
Overnight is also the longest fasting window of the day, where recovery and muscle repair are still occurring behind the scenes 💭
🔑 What we aim for:
Something simple with:
✔️ Protein (repair)
✔️ Carbohydrate (recovery)
✔️ A little fat (helps slow release)
🍫 What this can look like:
As it gets colder here in Aus…
👉 Hot chocolate + a small snack
👉 Yoghurt + granola
👉 Toast + nut butter
👉 Milk + something easy on the side
🔥 Recovery doesn’t just happen in training… A lot of it happens

18/05/2026

For teen athletes, lunch is often one of the few meals away from training.
That means it’s a great opportunity to blend both worlds:
👉 performance nutrition + general health nutrition.
We talk a lot about performance.
But athletes are human too.
👉 health matters.
So let’s build an athlete lunchbox 🎒
Using the performance plate method 👇
🥔 1/2 carbohydrates
→ support energy availability
→ fuel growth, learning + training performance
👉 Around training: faster carbs
(fruit, bars, easy options)
→ quick access energy
👉 Away from training: more complex carbs
(wraps, rice, pasta, oats)
→ sustained energy + stability
🍗 1/4 protein
→ support muscle repair + adaptation
→ help athletes recover and get stronger from training
🥦 1/4 colour (fruit + veg)
→ provide vitamins + minerals
→ support recovery, immunity + overall health
🥑 + healthy fats
→ support hormones + nutrient absorption
→ help keep energy more stable across the school day
💡 Here’s the important part…
Performance nutrition and health nutrition are not always identical.
Around training:
👉 we prioritise fuel that is easy to access and use quickly.
Away from training:
👉 we can lean more into balance, fibre, micronutrients and overall health support.
Because what athletes do between sessions matters too.
✔️ carbohydrates for fuel
✔️ protein for repair
✔️ colour for health and recovery
✔️ fats to support the system
Because performance isn’t built from one session alone.
👉 It’s built from how athletes fuel the entire day.

06/05/2026

I get asked this all the time: what should I keep in my training bag? 🎒

Especially for athletes going between sessions… this is my go-to 👇

🍓 Quick carbs (fruit, dried fruit, bars)
👉 Before + during training
→ immediate energy
→ supports speed, power + output

👉 Between sessions / after training
→ restore fuel stores (glycogen)
→ support muscle recovery so you can go again
Examples:
• turkey wrap
• sushi
• sandwich
👉 choose based on time + access

🥛🍫 Milk drink + bar combo
👉 Straight after training (especially if not hungry)
→ easy to get in
→ kickstarts recovery immediately
→ supports glycogen replenishment + muscle repair

💧 Fluids + electrolytes
👉 Before, during, after
→ maintain hydration + performance
→ especially important in heat

🔥 Your training bag = your performance toolkit
If it’s not in your bag…
👉 It’s probably not happening

27/04/2026

🍝 1 day vs 3-day carb loading… what actually works best?
Carb loading has evolved and for ultra runners, more isn’t always better.

Traditional approach:
👉 2–3 days high carbohydrate to maximise glycogen
But research shows:
👉 1 day of HIGH GI carbs can be enough to fully restore glycogen

So we put it to the test 👇
👉 Enter: Chief Testing Officer (CTO) Nick 🧪
a.k.a. “yep I’ll try that”
The guy who never says no when I say:
“I’ve got an idea…” 😅

So when I wanted to compare:
👉 1-day high GI vs traditional 3-day carb loading
Nick was all in
👉 He tried this for a recent Backyard Ultra which he nailed by the way on both fronts!!!

We tested it in training …
Then again…
Then one more time (because that’s how we do things)
👉 Tested. Re-tested. Confirmed.
What we found:
⚡️ Energy = comparable to 3-day load
😌 Gut = WAY better tolerance
🏃‍♂️ Feel = lighter, sharper, race-ready

The reality with 3-day loading:
❌ Heaviness
❌ Bloating
❌ GI discomfort
❌ That “overfull” feeling on race morning

👉 If you know, you know… 😅
💡 The takeaway:
👉 It’s not just “high carb” it’s high GI + low residue
👉 1 day can work really well
👉 But it’s not one-size-fits-all

What actually matters:
✔️ Test in training
✔️ Individualise
✔️ Then apply on race day

22/04/2026

🏉⚽ The game might be over…
But recovery is just getting started
Fuelling doesn’t stop when the match ends

👉 MD+1 is where recovery drives adaptation
💥 Why this matters more than you think
That sore, stiff feeling after a game?
👉 it’s not just discomfort
👉 it can affect how well you refuel
Muscle soreness often reflects muscle damage
(sprinting, decelerations, collisions, eccentrics)
When muscle is damaged:
👉 glycogen storage is less efficient
So even if you’re eating carbs…
👉 refuelling can be slower

🔹 What this means
If glycogen isn’t fully restored:
❌ lower energy next session
❌ reduced output
❌ accumulated fatigue

🔹 How to fuel MD+1
🍚 Prioritise carbohydrate intake
👉 don’t underdo carbs
👉 you may need MORE than usual
🍗 Add protein across the day
👉 support muscle repair
⏱ Start early
👉 recovery begins in the first few hours' post-match

🫐 Polyphenol-rich foods (berries, cherries), 🍒 tart cherry, 🐟 omega-3 fats and 🌿 turmeric all support recovery processes
👉 think food-first, not supplement-first

✨ The takeaway
Sore muscles = higher recovery demand
👉 eat more, not less
👉 recover properly
👉 adapt and improve
Because what you do after the game
👉 determines how you perform in the next one
walker7

15/04/2026

MATCH DAY // fuel the performance 🏉

Match day nutrition is all about keeping carbohydrate availability high so you can perform when it counts.

Why it matters:
⚡ supports sprint efforts
⚡ helps maintain decision making
⚡ improves repeated high-intensity performance
⚡ supports recovery so you can back up again

A simple match day framework:
1️⃣ Pre-match meal (around 3 hours before) → build the base
2️⃣ Pre-kickoff snack (30–60 mins before) → top up fast carbs
3️⃣ During the match → maintain energy and blood glucose
4️⃣ Recovery after the match → replace, repair, and reset

The goal is not to “eat perfectly.”
The goal is to fuel for the demands of the game.
Fuel early. Fuel consistently. Recover properly. Then go again. 👊

walker7

09/04/2026

🏉⚽ Match Day performance doesn’t start at kick-off
It starts the day before.
As we move into team sport season, I’m working with more soccer and rugby athletes dialling in their competition fuelling.
Because as competition builds…
👉 fuelling becomes just as important as training

Over the next few posts, I’ll break down a simple framework athletes can apply:
🏉⚽ MD-1 → build the fuel tank
🏉⚽ MD → fuel the game
🏉⚽ MD+1 → recover and go again

🔹 MD-1: Build the fuel tank
The day before competition is about maximising glycogen stores
→ so players start the match fully fuelled
Low glycogen =
❌ reduced sprint performance
❌ earlier fatigue
❌ drop-off late in the match

🔹 What this looks like in practice
🍝 Carbohydrate becomes the priority
Most athletes aim for:
👉 6–8 g carbohydrate per kg bodyweight
Example (70 kg athlete):
👉 360–480 g carbohydrate spilt across the day

🔹 How to structure the day
✔ High carbohydrate
✔ Moderate protein
✔ Lower fat + fibre
✔ No long gaps between meals
—
🔹 Example Day
Breakfast
🥣 oats + banana + honey
Lunch
🍚 rice bowl + lean protein
Dinner
🍝 pasta + tomato sauce + lean meat
Snacks (spread across the day)
🥤 smoothie (milk + oats + banana)
🥣 yoghurt + granola + berries
🍞 toast + nut butter
Pre-bed
🍚 rice pudding + kiwi fruit
🍫 homemade oat slice / muesli bar
👉 steady carbs across the whole day
👉 top up glycogen stores

🔹 Don’t forget hydration
💧 Fluids across the day
🧂 Sodium with meals
Starting hydrated = better endurance + decision making

✨ The takeaway
Match day performance starts the day before
👉 Build glycogen
👉 Delay fatigue
👉 Maintain high-intensity output
Start the game with a full fuel tank.

Next post:
🏉⚽ Match Day (MD) → how to fuel before and during the game

30/03/2026

⚠️ Low Cholesterol Isn’t Always “Elite”

In endurance athletes in clinic, I often see:
Total cholesterol
LDL
Triglycerides
…extremely low.

And everyone celebrates.
“Wow, that’s amazing cardiovascular health.”

But pause.

🧠 Cholesterol is not just a heart marker.
It is a structural and hormonal molecule.

It is required to make:
〰️Oestrogen
〰️Progesterone
〰️Testosterone
〰️Cortisol
〰️Vitamin D

If cholesterol is chronically suppressed in an underfuelled athlete…

We don’t just think “great arteries.”
We ask:
➡️ Is energy intake sufficient?
➡️ Are we suppressing steroid hormone production?
➡️ Is this adaptive or maladaptive?

Very low triglycerides can also signal:
Low carbohydrate availability
Chronic underfuelling
High training load without adequate intake

Context matters.
Biomarkers don’t exist in isolation.

Elite health isn’t about the lowest number.
It’s about the right number for the physiology.

SportsNutrition

23/03/2026

Morning swim. Afternoon swim.
Recovery decides the quality of the second session. 🏊‍♀️

Most double-session athletes think PM fatigue is just “being tired.”
It’s not.

The morning session depletes muscle glycogen.

After training, your muscle is primed to refuel:
1️⃣Glucose transporters move to the muscle surface
2️⃣Glycogen synthase activity rises
3️⃣Insulin sensitivity is elevated

This is when glycogen restoration is fastest ⏱️

Early feeding can significantly increase the rate of glycogen resynthesis compared to delaying intake.

Wait a couple of hours?
You don’t lose the opportunity completely, but restoration slows.

And if another session is coming…
You start behind.

That’s where the 3 Ts matter:
Timing ⏰ start early
Type 🍚 quality carbohydrate
Total 📊 enough to match the load

Afternoon pace drops aren’t random.
They’re often a refuelling problem.

Twice-daily training demands twice-daily recovery.

16/03/2026

The best carb target is the one your gut can handle.
I recently worked with an athlete preparing for race day.
Sensitive gut.
Chronic bloating
Reactive under stress.
History of GI issues.

She calculated her hourly carb targets.
On paper? Perfect. 📊
In reality? Too high for her.

There is no medal for forcing 90g/hr
if your gut can only tolerate 60.

More carbs don't better performance if they’re not absorbed.

The goal isn’t the highest intake.

It’s the highest intake you can:
-Tolerate
-Absorb
-Oxidise
-Repeat under pressure

Push beyond that and you get:
❌Sloshing
❌Nausea
❌Panic pacing
❌DNFs

Textbooks give ranges.
Practice looks at the athlete in front of you.

Sometimes 60g or less an hr wins. 🏁

Individualisation always beats ideology.

Performance Nutrition Collective

27/05/2026

20/05/2026

18/05/2026

06/05/2026

27/04/2026

22/04/2026

15/04/2026

09/04/2026

30/03/2026

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