WOMEN’S TRAINING

It’s widely accepted that within the hierarchy of sports nutrition that energy balance/energy availability forms the foundations, and should be where the most attention is applied. But one of the most common observations that I’ve encountered when working with female athletes is that they’re not eating enough to support their training. Yet, rarely do they ask, ‘Am I eating enough?’

This could be due to pressure to stay lean for performance gains. Or societal pressures that lead to dieting mindset and behaviours. While it may be true that leaner can equate to improved performance, there’s also a point where too few calories become detrimental, resulting in muscle loss, poor performance and even fat preservation – the exact opposite of what is trying to be achieved.

But what cannot be forgotten is that the number of hours’ training that a triathlete completes across