Expert Analysis: Scott Tindal on Eating Properly For Ironman Training

Scott Tindal is co-founder and Chief Nutrition Officer at Fuelin. He has worked with athletes for the past 20 years including,

• Premiership & International Rugby

• Paralympics

• Americas Cup Sailing

• the National Hockey League (NHL)

• and Ironman.

Scott has some excellent feedback on our answer to a previous reader question:

"Regarding food and eating regularly throughout the day while training for an Ironman, do you typically eat 3 meals per day/intermittent fast/snack and meals? Curious what your typical routine is and what you’d recommend for someone in training."

Do more meals equal more gains?

Tempo's take:

More meals equals more gains: In heavy training periods, I would probably eat at least five meals a day. Some large, some small, but definitely should be defined as a meal. If training is heavy, the mix needs to be carb-heavy, enough protein, and a variety of veggies

Scott's take:

If the purpose of the training is performance (& not weight loss), then getting the correct caloric intake to support this is crucial and a key component of an effective training program. Many athletes need clarification on this and try to lose weight whilst also trying to perform at their best. You should pick a purpose and stick with it for some time.

Rather than designing your day around meals to be consumed, base it on how many sessions you are doing. If you have a morning swim and then a bike session in the afternoon, this could look like a pre-swim snack, a swim session, breakfast after, a mid-morning snack, lunch, a bike session, a post-bike snack, and dinner. In this case, it would be six meals in the day.

The Tempo reader mentioned they're fasting; I don't recommend doing periods of time-restricted fasting if the purpose is to perform at your peak.

Protein intake should be high. Whether you are a 30-year-old male or female, menopausal female or older (> 60-year-old male), protein intake should be at a minimum of 1.6g/kg/BW. For most athletes, shooting above this into the 2-2.5g/kg/BW will assist lean muscle mass retention and aid recovery of the whole body system.

Should you load up on carbs?

Tempo's take:

Carbs, carbs, carbs: If there are long sessions and/or multiple sessions then you need serious carbs. For example, on the bike, I'll take at least 100gr/hr of carbs for a longer ride. More if the intervals are heavy!

Scott's take:

Agree. Carbs are undoubtedly important. Context should be applied to deciding how little or how much is required. Eating huge amounts of carbs is only sometimes the key - it will depend on the session's purpose and the athlete's short-term and long-term program goals designed with their coach.

The intensity and duration of the session will determine the amounts and types of carbs.

For lower-intensity, long-duration sessions, whole foods that contain carbs and fats can be considered for use by the athlete. Total calories are important to either match or to be in deficit, depending on the training goal. High glycemic carbs will be king for higher intensity, longer duration sessions (>80 mins/). This will be gels, bloks and fluids depending on palatability, gut tolerance and the athlete's ability to cope with high amounts of carbs.

A blanket recommendation of 90-120g/hr of carbs is not recommended, as it will depend on the individual athlete and what they require based on the power and pace they are producing.

The ability to cope with those amounts usually requires "gut training" to minimize GI distress. Repeated "gut training" should occur in training sessions as part of an athlete's race nutrition strategy. In essence, what you do in training becomes your race strategy because you know exactly what to take, how much and when.

How should you time your meals?

Tempo's take:

Meal timing is key: If there are multiple sessions make sure the meals are timed well. For example, if you have a training day with two big workouts, don't zone out for an hour on the couch after the first one, make sure you get in a good meal ASAP.

Scott's take:

Agree - looking forward to the next session and eating to ensure you have refueled and recovered before the next is vital. This also applies to the next 24 hours. You may have a light training day on a Friday, yet your Saturday is rammed. This means you must eat your calories on Friday to prepare for the next day. All of this is what we term "training-based nutrition". Fuelin manages all these decisions for the athlete to allow them to focus on eating, hydrating, and training. The essential things in life :)

Thank you Scott for your expert opinion!

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