Macros and Sports Nutrition: The Practical Guide for Your Clients
Protein, carbohydrates, fats, meal timing and hydration: the figures from reference position stands, explained simply so you can guide clients who train.
By L'équipe I Train With You
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Nutrition is one of the first questions clients ask, and often one of their first obstacles. This guide gathers the figures a coach needs: the three macronutrients, energy needs, timing around sessions and hydration, based on the reference position stands cited below. To build meals and link them to programs in one place, see our personal trainer software page.
Your role: general guidance, not prescription
Coaches can explain the principles of eating for training and suggest meal templates. Nutritional care for people with metabolic or eating disorders belongs to dietitians and doctors: diabetes, kidney disease, eating disorders, pregnancy or minors call for a health professional. The figures below are for healthy adults who train.
Protein: build and repair
The joint position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada and the American College of Sports Medicine recommends 1.2 to 2.0 g per kg of body weight per day for people who train (Thomas et al., 2016). Spread intake over 3 or 4 meals, include a protein portion at each, and stay at the top of the range during a calorie deficit to help preserve muscle.
Carbohydrates: training fuel
| Activity level | Carbohydrates per kg per day |
|---|---|
| Light activity, low-intensity sessions | 3 to 5 g |
| Moderate training, about 1 h a day | 5 to 7 g |
| High volume, 1 to 3 h a day | 6 to 10 g |
Most clients of a gym or home coach sit in the first row. Favour minimally processed sources and place part of the carbohydrates around sessions.
Fats: essential, in moderation
Fats support hormone production and the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K. The joint position generally suggests 20 to 35% of energy intake. Quality sources: rapeseed and olive oil, nuts, oily fish, eggs.
Estimating energy needs
- Resting energy expenditure with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (1990): (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age) + 5 for men, - 161 for women.
- Activity factor: from 1.2 (sedentary) to about 1.9 (very active).
- Goal adjustment: a slight deficit to lose fat, a slight surplus to gain muscle.
Treat the result as a starting point and adjust after 2 to 4 weeks based on weight, waist and training energy.
Meal timing and hydration
- 1 to 3 h before: digestible carbohydrates and a moderate protein portion.
- After: protein and carbohydrates in the following hours, especially if another session comes within 24 h.
- Hydration: start exercise well hydrated and avoid losing more than 2% of body weight during exercise (ACSM, 2007). For short indoor sessions, water is enough.
For most clients, daily quantity and quality matter far more than the exact minute of a snack.
Classic mistakes
- Cutting carbs to lose fat: the overall energy balance matters, and sessions suffer.
- Too little protein during a cut: that is precisely when it protects muscle.
- Copying an athlete's plan: a client training three times a week needs far less.
For supplements, read sports supplements: what actually works. For day-to-day follow-up, see how to support clients as a private coach.
How I Train With You handles client nutrition
In I Train With You, you build meal templates from more than 3,000 foods of the Ciqual composition table: calories and macros are calculated automatically. Add supplements if needed, then assign meals to your clients, who find them in their app next to their sessions. See the features.