Kelsey HigginsonSports Nutrition Coach and Founder at Clutch Day Coaching

Rapid fire Q&A with an athlete nutrition coach

8 Aug 2025 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:08

In this rapid‑fire interview, an athlete nutrition coach delivers concise, actionable guidance on pre‑game snacks, daily carbohydrate requirements, hydration and electrolyte strategies, the relationship between bodybuilding‑style strength work and explosive athletic training, and the interplay of strength and speed for female athletes. The coach suggests three quick pre‑game snacks (dried mangoes with pretzels, a granola bar with applesauce, and a light PB&J), outlines carbohydrate intake ranges (6‑10 g/kg for endurance athletes, 3‑7 g/kg for team‑sport athletes), emphasizes pairing water with electrolytes (about 16 oz water with ~500 mg sodium per practice), clarifies that bodybuilding can be incorporated but must be balanced with power work, and encourages female athletes to develop both strength and speed, noting that greater force production enhances velocity. The interview also raises a question about foods commonly perceived as healthy that may be suboptimal for athletes, though no answer is provided in the excerpt.

Questions this video answers

Dried mangoes with pretzels, a granola bar with applesauce, or a light peanut‑butter‑jelly sandwich.

Endurance athletes need about 6‑10 g per kilogram body weight; basketball or football players need roughly 3‑7 g per kilogram.

Both are very important and should be paired together during physical activity.

A practical rule of thumb is 16 oz of water with about 500 mg of sodium (plus potassium) per practice session.

Bodybuilding can be incorporated, but athletes who need explosiveness must also train for fast movements; strength work alone isn’t sufficient.

Can you give me 3 pregame snacks to eat?
About 60 minutes before the game, you could have dried mangoes with pretzels, you could have a granola bar with some applesauce, or you can have just like a PB&J. Keep the peanut butter pretty light.
How many carbs do I need to eat every day?
If you're an endurance athlete, you need about 6 to 10 grams per kilogram of body weight. If you're like a basketball, maybe football player, it's going to be anywhere between 3 and 6 to 7 grams per kilogram of body weight.
Are electrolytes or water more important?
Both are very important to pair together, especially during physical activity.
How many electrolytes do I need to drink?
That's a very individualized question. My rule of thumb is going into practice, if you could have at least 16 ounces of water with about 500 milligrams of sodium, because there's potassium in there as well, um, that's a great start.
Is lifting weights like a bodybuilder bad as an athlete?
If you are an athlete who needs to be explosive, who needs to run, jump, and cut and, and do fast movements, then you need to train for those movements. Those are two different types of training. You can incorporate bodybuilding into that if you're trying to increase muscle size, but you're also going to need more explosive movements as well.
As a female athlete, should I focus on being strong or being fast?
You can be both. The stronger the athlete, the more force that you can put into the ground, which then increases your speed.
Are there any foods that people think are healthy but actually aren't?
No, I think a lot of times people think salads are like the only healthy foods, and they don't see rice and pasta and potatoes as healthy, but, um, those are very essential for athletes.