Your plate, half of your training

A well-built plan delivers nothing if your energy doesn't keep up: sessions that stall, recovery that drags, injuries. Trainetic calculates your needs for each day from your profile, adds what your session costs, and splits protein, carbs and fat according to what you're preparing for. You log, it adds up.

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Five rules of sports nutrition

They come from the position statements of sports nutrition societies.

Eat enough, first. Too low an intake for your training load wears you out, leads to injury and lowers performance: this is relative energy deficiency in sport, described by the International Olympic Committee.

Carbs follow the load. From 3 to 5 g per kilo per day for light training, from 5 to 7 for moderate training, more for high volumes.

Protein at every meal. From 1.2 to 2 g per kilo per day, spread over the day, to repair and build.

Timing matters. A carb-rich meal 1 to 4 hours before a key session; protein and carbs in the hours that follow.

Drink according to thirst and heat. Losing more than 2 % of your body weight in sweat lowers performance; drinking far more than you lose brings nothing.

How Trainetic calculates your needs

The same rules for everyone, applied to your profile and your sessions.

Guideline	In Trainetic
Baseline needs	Mifflin-St Jeor equation, from your profile
Session day	What the session costs on top of rest: the session you did if your watch recorded it, otherwise the planned one
Carbs	7 g per kilo when you're preparing for a race with a date, 4 g otherwise
Protein	1.6 g per kilo; 2 g if you're aiming to lose weight, 1.8 g to gain
Fat	Whatever remains, never less than 20 % of your calories
Low-calorie day	Carbs go down first, never protein

If you set a weight goal, its safeguards apply too: capped deficit, minimum intake, an alert if you lose weight too fast.

Around your session

What you eat before, during and after matters as much as the session itself.

Before

A carb-rich, easy-to-digest meal, 1 to 4 hours before. Nothing new on race day.

During

Beyond an hour of effort, 30 to 60 g of carbs per hour; up to 90 g on very long events, for those who have trained for it.

After

Protein (about 0.3 g per kilo) and carbs in the hours that follow, to recover before your next session.

When this module isn't right for you

If you are pregnant, under 18 years old, on medical treatment, or if your relationship with food is difficult, talk to your doctor first: in these situations, a weight goal is not something to set on your own. If you think you may have an eating disorder, talk to your doctor: they can point you to the specialist support service in your country.

Five common mistakes

Training more and eating the same. When volume goes up, your plate has to keep up.

Cutting carbs to lose weight in the middle of race prep. Your quality sessions are the first to suffer.

Trying a new gel or a new dish on race day. Your stomach needs training too.

Forgetting recovery. The meal after counts as much as the next day's session.

Trusting the calories burned shown on your watch. The errors are large; your weight curve tells you whether your intake is right for you.

Where these values come from

Every guideline on this page comes from a public source.

Carbs, protein, before, during and after exercise: joint position statement of the American College of Sports Medicine, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Dietitians of Canada (2016). Protein: International Society of Sports Nutrition (2017).

Relative energy deficiency in sport: International Olympic Committee consensus (2023). Hydration: American College of Sports Medicine (2007).

Watch errors on calories: Stanford University (2017). Your baseline needs: the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, review by Frankenfield (2005).

Common questions about sports nutrition

Should I eat more on session days?

Yes: your target for the day goes up by what the session costs, on top of your resting needs.

How many carbs a day when preparing for a race?

Trainetic aims for 7 g per kilo when you're preparing for a race with a date. On light days, you can be below that without worry.

Do I need supplements or protein powder?

Rarely necessary: a varied diet covers the needs of most athletes. Trainetic counts your protein wherever it comes from.

What should I eat before a race?

A meal rich in carbs, low in fiber and fat, that you've already tested in training, 2 to 4 hours before the start.

Can I lose weight while preparing for a race?

Yes, at a moderate rate, and preferably well before the race. See the page lose weight running.

Is it free?

Yes: your needs for the day, the food log, barcode scanning. The written review of your day and your week is part of Premium.