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Summer is when athletes build the aerobic engine that carries them through the entire competitive season. But summer is also when the most nutritional damage occurs — athletes are home, unsupervised, often skipping meals, training in heat, and rapidly increasing volume. A coach who proactively addresses summer nutrition prevents the typical August crash.
In summer base building, your athletes are doing something fundamentally different from races:
| Training Phase | Weekly Mileage | Primary Demand | Carb Need (g/kg/day) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy / Off-season | 15-25 mpw | Recovery | 4-5 |
| Summer Base | 30-50 mpw | Volume | 6-8 |
| Peak Season | 40-55 mpw | Intensity + Volume | 7-10 |
| Championship | Taper | Glycogen loading | 8-12 |
The jump from off-season to summer base is the most dangerous transition in the training year. An athlete who was running 20 mpw in May and is now running 45 mpw in July needs 1,000+ more calories per day — and most of them don't realize it.
| Plate Section | Portion | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Vegetables | 1/2 plate | Salad, roasted vegetables, raw vegetables |
| Grains/Starches | 1/4 plate | Rice, pasta, bread, potatoes |
| Protein | 1/4 plate | Chicken, fish, eggs, tofu |
| Plate Section | Portion | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Grains/Starches | 1/3 plate | Rice, pasta, oatmeal, toast |
| Protein | 1/3 plate | Chicken, beef, eggs, Greek yogurt |
| Vegetables + Fruit | 1/3 plate | Mixed vegetables, berries, banana |
| Plate Section | Portion | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Grains/Starches | 1/2 plate | Pasta, rice, bagels, potatoes |
| Protein | 1/4 plate | Chicken thigh, salmon, eggs |
| Vegetables | 1/4 plate | Cooked spinach, broccoli |
| Time | Action | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 6:45-7:00 AM | Light carb breakfast | Banana + granola bar, bagel + PB, toast + honey |
| Pre-practice | 12-16 oz water or sports drink | Not just coffee or nothing |
| During practice | Sip every 15-20 min (if >60 min) | Water or diluted sports drink |
| Within 30 min after | Recovery fuel | Chocolate milk, PBJ + banana, yogurt + granola |
| Time | Action | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 12:30 PM | Real lunch (not skipping) | Full plate — this is the fuel for practice |
| 2:30-3:00 PM | Transition snack | PBJ, granola bar + banana, trail mix |
| During practice | Sip every 15-20 min | Water or sports drink |
| Within 30 min after | Recovery fuel | Chocolate milk, recovery shake, dinner |
Summer heat is a force multiplier for dehydration. Athletes can lose 1-2 liters of sweat per hour in hot conditions.
| Timing | Amount | What |
|---|---|---|
| Morning (before practice) | 16-20 oz | Water |
| During practice | 7-10 oz every 15-20 min | Water or electrolyte drink |
| After practice | 24 oz per pound lost (if weighing) | Water + electrolytes |
| Throughout the day | Sip consistently | Goal: pale yellow urine |
| Sign | Severity | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Dark urine | ⚠️ Mild dehydration | Increase fluid intake immediately |
| Headache, dizziness | 🟡 Moderate | Stop activity, move to shade, hydrate |
| Confusion, cessation of sweating | 🔴 Heat emergency | CALL 911 — this is heat stroke |
Send this in June, before summer training begins:
Subject: Summer Training Nutrition — Fueling the Base
Dear [Team] Parents,
Summer training begins [date]! As mileage increases from [X] to [X] per week, your athlete's calorie needs will increase by 1,000+ calories daily. Here are three things that will make the biggest difference:
Breakfast before practice is mandatory. Even a banana and granola bar at 7:00 AM prevents bonking at 8:30.
Post-practice recovery fuel within 30 minutes. Chocolate milk + a banana is the gold standard. If your athlete comes home and crashes on the couch first, they've missed the window.
Hydration starts the night before. 16-20 oz of water before bed and 16-20 oz first thing in the morning sets the baseline.
We'll have water and recovery snacks available at practice, but home fueling is the foundation.
Looking forward to a strong summer, Coach [Name]
| Weekly Mileage | Daily Carbs (g/kg) | Daily Protein (g/kg) | Approximate Daily Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 mpw | 4-5 | 1.2-1.4 | 2,200-2,500 |
| 30 mpw | 5-7 | 1.4-1.6 | 2,500-2,800 |
| 40 mpw | 6-8 | 1.6-1.8 | 2,800-3,200 |
| 50 mpw | 7-10 | 1.8-2.0 | 3,200-3,800 |
| 60+ mpw | 8-12 | 2.0+ | 3,800+ |
For a 130-lb athlete at 40 mpw: ~7 g/kg × 59 kg = 413g carbs/day. That's approximately:
Before Module 2: Send the Summer Email to Parents above. Customize it with your dates and mileage progression. Then introduce the Athlete's Plate concept at your next team meeting or practice — post the plate visual in your team area and reference it daily. "Is your plate matching your training today?"
Subscribe to unlock all 5 modules, plus 18 coach toolkit items and 300 nutrition guides.
View plans & pricing0 of 5 modules complete
Summer is when athletes build the aerobic engine that carries them through the entire competitive season. But summer is also when the most nutritional damage occurs — athletes are home, unsupervised, often skipping meals, training in heat, and rapidly increasing volume. A coach who proactively addresses summer nutrition prevents the typical August crash.
In summer base building, your athletes are doing something fundamentally different from races:
| Training Phase | Weekly Mileage | Primary Demand | Carb Need (g/kg/day) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy / Off-season | 15-25 mpw | Recovery | 4-5 |
| Summer Base | 30-50 mpw | Volume | 6-8 |
| Peak Season | 40-55 mpw | Intensity + Volume | 7-10 |
| Championship | Taper | Glycogen loading | 8-12 |
The jump from off-season to summer base is the most dangerous transition in the training year. An athlete who was running 20 mpw in May and is now running 45 mpw in July needs 1,000+ more calories per day — and most of them don't realize it.
| Plate Section | Portion | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Vegetables | 1/2 plate | Salad, roasted vegetables, raw vegetables |
| Grains/Starches | 1/4 plate | Rice, pasta, bread, potatoes |
| Protein | 1/4 plate | Chicken, fish, eggs, tofu |
| Plate Section | Portion | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Grains/Starches | 1/3 plate | Rice, pasta, oatmeal, toast |
| Protein | 1/3 plate | Chicken, beef, eggs, Greek yogurt |
| Vegetables + Fruit | 1/3 plate | Mixed vegetables, berries, banana |
| Plate Section | Portion | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Grains/Starches | 1/2 plate | Pasta, rice, bagels, potatoes |
| Protein | 1/4 plate | Chicken thigh, salmon, eggs |
| Vegetables | 1/4 plate | Cooked spinach, broccoli |
| Time | Action | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 6:45-7:00 AM | Light carb breakfast | Banana + granola bar, bagel + PB, toast + honey |
| Pre-practice | 12-16 oz water or sports drink | Not just coffee or nothing |
| During practice | Sip every 15-20 min (if >60 min) | Water or diluted sports drink |
| Within 30 min after | Recovery fuel | Chocolate milk, PBJ + banana, yogurt + granola |
| Time | Action | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 12:30 PM | Real lunch (not skipping) | Full plate — this is the fuel for practice |
| 2:30-3:00 PM | Transition snack | PBJ, granola bar + banana, trail mix |
| During practice | Sip every 15-20 min | Water or sports drink |
| Within 30 min after | Recovery fuel | Chocolate milk, recovery shake, dinner |
Summer heat is a force multiplier for dehydration. Athletes can lose 1-2 liters of sweat per hour in hot conditions.
| Timing | Amount | What |
|---|---|---|
| Morning (before practice) | 16-20 oz | Water |
| During practice | 7-10 oz every 15-20 min | Water or electrolyte drink |
| After practice | 24 oz per pound lost (if weighing) | Water + electrolytes |
| Throughout the day | Sip consistently | Goal: pale yellow urine |
| Sign | Severity | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Dark urine | ⚠️ Mild dehydration | Increase fluid intake immediately |
| Headache, dizziness | 🟡 Moderate | Stop activity, move to shade, hydrate |
| Confusion, cessation of sweating | 🔴 Heat emergency | CALL 911 — this is heat stroke |
Send this in June, before summer training begins:
Subject: Summer Training Nutrition — Fueling the Base
Dear [Team] Parents,
Summer training begins [date]! As mileage increases from [X] to [X] per week, your athlete's calorie needs will increase by 1,000+ calories daily. Here are three things that will make the biggest difference:
Breakfast before practice is mandatory. Even a banana and granola bar at 7:00 AM prevents bonking at 8:30.
Post-practice recovery fuel within 30 minutes. Chocolate milk + a banana is the gold standard. If your athlete comes home and crashes on the couch first, they've missed the window.
Hydration starts the night before. 16-20 oz of water before bed and 16-20 oz first thing in the morning sets the baseline.
We'll have water and recovery snacks available at practice, but home fueling is the foundation.
Looking forward to a strong summer, Coach [Name]
| Weekly Mileage | Daily Carbs (g/kg) | Daily Protein (g/kg) | Approximate Daily Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 mpw | 4-5 | 1.2-1.4 | 2,200-2,500 |
| 30 mpw | 5-7 | 1.4-1.6 | 2,500-2,800 |
| 40 mpw | 6-8 | 1.6-1.8 | 2,800-3,200 |
| 50 mpw | 7-10 | 1.8-2.0 | 3,200-3,800 |
| 60+ mpw | 8-12 | 2.0+ | 3,800+ |
For a 130-lb athlete at 40 mpw: ~7 g/kg × 59 kg = 413g carbs/day. That's approximately:
Before Module 2: Send the Summer Email to Parents above. Customize it with your dates and mileage progression. Then introduce the Athlete's Plate concept at your next team meeting or practice — post the plate visual in your team area and reference it daily. "Is your plate matching your training today?"
Subscribe to unlock all 5 modules, plus 18 coach toolkit items and 300 nutrition guides.
View plans & pricing