Kelsey HigginsonSports Nutrition Coach and Founder at Clutch Day Coaching

Early morning practice nutrition

6 Apr 2026 · 1 min

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In this instructional segment, the speaker emphasizes that athletes should not begin practice on an empty stomach. With exactly one hour between waking and practice start, they must break the overnight fast to ensure sufficient energy for high‑intensity activity. The speaker explains that carbohydrates are the primary fuel for such effort, likening them to gasoline for muscle energy tanks. Consequently, they recommend a simple, carb‑rich pre‑practice meal: a bagel paired with a banana. For those who find this amount excessive, a gradual approach is suggested—start with just the bagel for a week, then add the banana once the athlete feels comfortable. The overall message is to provide adequate carb fuel within the hour before practice to optimize performance.

Chapters

If you have exactly 1 hour from when you wake up to the time that practice starts, this is exactly what I need you to eat. Please do not show up to practice without having fuel in your body. You have to break your overnight fast in order for you to have energy to perform the way you want to perform. So please don't go train or practice fasted. So what I need you to eat is a bunch of carbs. Carbs are the gas to your muscle energy tanks. So when your body is doing high-intensity activity, it's using carbohydrates to fuel that activity. So you have an intense practice, you need a lot of carbs pre-practice in order to actually be able to perform well during practice. So I would recommend a bagel with a banana. You can use a fresher banana than this. This is my banana bread banana. If this feels like a lot, just start with the bagel for a week and then add the banana once you feel adjusted to the bagel.