Most athletes think nutrition starts the night before competition. That's already too late. Your pregame fueling window opens 36 hours before you step on the field, court, or rink — and closes about 90 minutes before kickoff.

Here's the protocol we use at SISU. Not theory. Not what a supplement company wants you to buy. What actually works for athletes who perform on demand.

THE 36-HOUR WINDOW

Performance fueling doesn't start with a pregame meal. It starts the day before. Here's why: your body needs time to top off glycogen stores, hydrate tissue, and stabilize blood sugar. You can't force that in two hours.

36–24 hours out: Eat normal, balanced meals. Slightly increase carbohydrates — rice, potatoes, oats. Nothing extreme. Just steady fuel coming in. Drink water consistently. You should be urinating pale yellow.

24–12 hours out: This is where most athletes start paying attention. Good. But they usually do it wrong — loading up on heavy, unfamiliar meals because they think "carb loading" means a mountain of pasta. It doesn't. Keep it simple. Keep it familiar. Your gut is not the place to experiment.

THE PREGAME MEAL (3–4 HOURS OUT)

This is the anchor. Get this right and everything else is fine-tuning. Get it wrong and no amount of mid-game sugar is saving you.

Here's the formula:

  • Carbohydrates: 1–1.5g per kg of body weight. Rice, white potatoes, toast, oatmeal. Easy to digest. Low fiber.
  • Protein: Moderate. 20–30g. Lean sources — chicken, fish, egg whites. Not a steak. Not a burger.
  • Fat: Minimal. Under 15g. Fat slows gastric emptying. You want this meal gone from your stomach before you compete.
  • Hydration: 16–20oz water with electrolytes. Not just salt — sodium, potassium, magnesium.

Timing matters more than quantity. 3–4 hours before gives your body time to digest and absorb. Any closer and you're competing with a half-processed meal in your gut.

THE ONE MISTAKE ALMOST EVERY ATHLETE MAKES

Sugar loading 30 minutes before competition.

You've seen it. The energy drink in the locker room. The candy bar on the bus. The "quick carbs" that spike your blood sugar, give you 15 minutes of perceived energy, and then drop you into a hole you can't climb out of.

If you need a pre-competition boost, it should come from a small, easily digested carbohydrate source 30–45 minutes out — a banana, a small sports drink, or white toast with honey. Not a sugar bomb. Not a pre-workout with 300mg of caffeine.

DURING COMPETITION

For sessions under 60 minutes: water and electrolytes only. Your glycogen stores from the pregame meal are sufficient.

For sessions over 60 minutes: 30–60g of carbohydrate per hour. Sports drink, chews, or gel. Start at minute 30, not when you feel tired. By the time you feel it, you're already behind.

POST-COMPETITION (THE WINDOW NOBODY TALKS ABOUT)

The 30 minutes after competition is your fastest absorption window. This is when your body is most efficient at replenishing what you just burned.

The formula: 0.3g/kg protein + 0.8g/kg carbohydrate. A protein shake and a banana. Chocolate milk. Rice and chicken. It doesn't have to be complicated — it has to happen.

Most athletes skip this because they're in the locker room, on the bus, or at a team meal that won't happen for another two hours. That's two hours of recovery time you can't get back.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Nutrition isn't complicated. It's just most athletes make it complicated by waiting until the last minute, then reaching for whatever's convenient instead of what's correct.

The athletes who perform consistently — the ones who don't have good days and bad days, they just have days — treat fueling the same way they treat training: with structure, with timing, and with intent.

We built the Pregame Nutrition Guide because this information should be free, and it should be simple. Enter your email below and we'll send you the full protocol — what to eat, when to eat it, and why it matters.