THE FUELING SYSTEM: RUNNING YOUR BODY LIKE EQUIPMENT

Your body is equipment. Treat it like one. Skip maintenance and it breaks down mid-session. Nail the basics and it performs when it counts. This isn't about chasing trends. It's about running a system that works every single day, in the gym and out of it.

Start with protein. Target 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of bodyweight daily. A 90kg athlete lands between 144 and 198 grams. Spread it across three to five meals so your body always has raw material to work with. Chicken, beef, eggs, whey, fish — the source matters less than hitting the number consistently, day after day, week after week.

Creatine monohydrate is the most tested supplement in sports nutrition. Five grams a day, every day, no cycling required. It doesn't need to be taken pre or post workout — timing doesn't matter, consistency does. Mix it into whatever you're already drinking. It supports strength and power output over time. Nothing flashy. It just works.

Hydration gets ignored until it costs you a lift. A 2% drop in bodyweight from fluid loss measurably impairs strength and endurance output. Weigh yourself before and after a hard session — that difference in pounds is roughly the fluid ounces you need to replace, times sixteen. Add sodium if you're a heavy sweater or training in heat. Water alone won't cut it when you're losing electrolytes on the platform or the field.

Meal timing around training doesn't need to be complicated. Eat a meal with protein and carbs two to three hours before a session — enough time to digest, not so long you're running on empty. If you're training fasted or early morning, a smaller carb-protein snack 30 to 60 minutes out can bridge the gap. After training, eat within a reasonable window — a few hours, not a few minutes. The old anabolic window myth is dead. What matters is getting a solid protein and carb meal in without stalling for six hours.

For sessions under 60 minutes, food inside the workout is unnecessary. Past 90 minutes, especially in endurance work or multiple training blocks in a day, intra-workout carbs — 30 to 60 grams per hour from a drink or gel — keep output from crashing. This isn't about bodybuilders chasing a pump. It's about not running out of fuel when it matters most.

None of this replaces total daily intake, sleep, or training quality. It supports it. Protein targets, creatine, hydration, and smart timing are the infrastructure. Build the infrastructure right and the training does the rest. Skip it, and you're leaving performance on the table you already paid for.