PRE-MATCH CARBOHYDRATES

Written By Max Everard

THE IMPACT OF PRE-MATCH CARBOHYDRATES

A study on premier league academy footballers found that consuming a higher carbohydrate meal 135 minutes before a 90-minute match simulation led to a 4.3% increase in dribbling speed on average.

More impressively, this improvement was 13.3% in the 61st-75th minute and 10% in the 76th-90th minute - key phases of the game where fatigue usually kicks in.

Since increased dribbling speed has direct implications for goal-scoring, chance creation, and overall match impact, this highlights how crucial pre-match nutrition is for performance, especially in later stages of a game.

For context, the academy players in the study were u16 so used 1.1g of carbs per kg of body weight and consumed 135 minutes prior due to an 11am kick-off

But research suggests adult players may benefit more from 1.4g/kg, consumed 3-4 hours before a match.

Takeaway Message:

Get your pre-match meal right to maximize performance when it matters most

https://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/31650/3/Intervention%20Manuscript%20-%20Repository%20Version.pdf

Max Everard
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