What to eat the day before a competition
The day before matters as much as the training week. And it's the one most people improvise.
You trained for months. You looked after the final week. And then the day before competing you improvise your food, or worse, change it "to be safe".
It's the day where you have the least margin to experiment, and the one where most people do exactly that.
The rule that overrides all others
You try nothing new the day before. Not a food, not a supplement, not a different schedule, not a portion size you haven't tested in training.
It sounds obvious and it's the most common mistake, especially when competing away from home and everything around you is unfamiliar food. Digestive trouble on race day erases months of work.
Everything you plan to eat the day before competing you should have tested before a demanding session.
Loading glycogen, without overdoing it
The aim is to arrive with full reserves. For that, carbohydrate goes up the day before: between 8 and 10 grams per kilo if the event runs over 90 minutes.
For a 70 kg athlete, that's 560 to 700 grams. It's a lot, which is why it helps to:
- Spread it across 4 or 5 meals, not two giant plates
- Lower fibre that day — this is the moment to choose white rice over brown, white bread over wholegrain, peeled fruit over fruit with skin
- Lower fat, which slows gastric emptying and takes up room without contributing useful fuel that day
- Keep protein moderate, without loading it
A normal rice-and-beans plate works perfectly here: rice, a little bean purée, grilled chicken or fish, and fruit.
What to avoid
Very high-fibre meals. Enormous salads, whole legumes, wholegrain cereals. Excellent any other day; the day before they leave you heavy and risk intestinal trouble.
Fried food and creamy sauces. They take their time leaving the stomach.
Alcohol. It dehydrates and worsens sleep, which is the last thing you want that night.
Amounts you don't normally handle. Carb loading isn't eating until you burst. If you finish uncomfortable, you overdid it.
Hydration starts the day before
You don't hydrate on the morning of the race. You arrive hydrated.
Drink steadily through the previous day and add some salt to your meals — sodium helps retain the fluid instead of sending it straight to your bladder.
A simple check: your urine the day before and on the morning of the competition should be pale. If it's dark, you're behind.
Dinner
Make it early, familiar and free of surprises. No new restaurants the night before.
And it doesn't need to be huge. You did the bulk of the loading through the day; dinner only completes it.
By sport
Distance runner: this is where glycogen loading matters most. Full priority to carbohydrate and hydration.
Cyclist: same as the runner, with extra margin — during the event you'll be able to eat, which is harder while running.
Crossfitter or short, intense events: full loading isn't necessary. Eat normally, with enough carbohydrate, and prioritize arriving light and rested over arriving full.
If you have a competition coming up and want to build the strategy with time — not the night before — book a consultation.
Start by eating right
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