Nutrition
FOR HYBRID
ATHLETES
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HYBRID NUTRITION 101
The following disclaimer outlines the terms and conditions of use for the nutrition guide provided
as part of the 14 Day Hybrid Challenge, created by James Blanchard and offered by Highbar
Fitness Limited. By accessing and using this nutrition guide, you acknowledge and agree to the
following:
1. Not a Substitute for Medical Advice: The information provided in this nutrition guide is intended
for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional
medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or qualified
health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
2. Individual Responsbility: The nutrition guide is designed to provide general dietary
recommendations and tips for participants of the 14 Day Hybrid Challenge. However, individual
nutritional needs and health considerations vary. It is your responsibility to consult with a qualified
healthcare professional before making any significant changes to your diet, especially if you have
any pre-existing medical conditions or dietary restrictions.
3. No Guarantee of Results: The results and outcomes of following the nutrition guide can vary
depending on a multitude of factors, including your individual metabolism, genetics, activity level,
and adherence to the guidelines. James Blanchard and Highbar Fitness Limited cannot guarantee
specific results or outcomes.
4. Assumption of Risk: Participation in the 14 Day Hybrid Challenge and the use of the nutrition
guide involve certain risks, including the risk of injury or adverse health effects. By voluntarily
participating, you assume all risks associated with the program, and James Blanchard and
Highbar Fitness Limited shall not be held liable for any injuries, illnesses, or damages that may
occur as a result of your participation.
5. Consultation with Professionals: Before making any significant dietary changes, it is
recommended that you consult with a registered dietitian, nutritionist, or other qualified healthcare
professional. They can provide personalized advice tailored to your individual health needs and
goals.
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modify, update, or change this disclaimer at any time without prior notice. It is your responsibility
to review the disclaimer periodically for any updates.
By using the nutrition guide and participating in the 14 Day Hybrid Challenge, you acknowledge
that you have read, understood, and agreed to the terms and conditions outlined in this disclaimer.
Last updated: 1/8/2023
For any inquiries or concerns regarding this disclaimer, please contact us at
james@jamesblanchard.co.uk
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James Blanchard Founder, Highbar Fitness Limited
Date: 1/8/2023
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HYBRID NUTRITION 101
Considering there are whole textbooks about 3" thick on the most niche subtopics of sports nutrition, we can't even begin to talk fully about the ins and
outs of nutrition for hybrid athletes, but we can cover the basics pretty nicely.
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FOUNDATIONS
The diet of a hybrid athlete (or any athlete for that matter) shouldn't be all that
different from a typical, healthy and balanced diet that you'd recommend to
anyone else. The foundational aspects that should be present, whether hybrid
or not, are:
A respect towards energy balance
depending on your needs and goals
A priority on high nutrient density foods. Lots of fruit, vegetables,
legumes, whole grains, dairy products and lean protein sources.
A respect towards your environment. Wherever possible, have access
to healthy foods and eat them in a safe, undistracted environment.
Getting enough protein in. The amount needed will depend
on your activity levels and type of exercise performed.
Living as low stress a life as is reasonable. Low stress levels
will make you better equipped to make dietary changes.
Getting enough sleep (sleep affects dietary intake). Getting
adequate sleep basically benefits everything, so prioritise it.
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ENERGY BALANCE
Neutral energy balance = if calories burned are the same as calories
consumed, bodyweight is maintained.
Positive energy balance = if calories burned are fewer than calories consumed,
then bodyweight is gained.
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Negative energy balance = if calories burned are greater than calories
consumed, then bodyweight is lost.
If your hybrid goals are serious, especially if you're trying to improve
performance in the endurance side of things you should be aiming to not
always be in a negative energy balance. This is because training needs fuel. If
you're losing weight it by definition means you're not giving your body what it
needs to maintain itself, so it has to draw upon its own stores for fuel.
However, it's often a goal of some people to be losing body fat whilst they're
training, so we recommend having a very gentle calorie deficit to minimise the
risks of muscle loss, lack of training intensity, fatigue etc. Something in the
region of a 5-15% deficit is ideal.
Being in a positive energy balance during certain hard phases of training or
when your goals are to gain muscle mass can be beneficial as it by definition
means that you have more than sufficient fuel and if gaining weight it means
you're adding lean tissue to some level, assuming your training is adequate.
Having your calorie intake to have you in a neutral energy balance most of the
time is preferable. This means that you're consuming enough energy to fuel
your body, but not too much, means you're at less risk of nutrient deficiencies
(drop calories too low and your food intake goes down and thus so does your
vitamin and mineral intake to some level).
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HOW MUCH SHOULD I EAT?
In order to work out how much to eat, you have two main options:
Option one - set a goal calorie intake, track how much you eat and adjust it in
accordance with your bodyweight changes.
Pick your goal from the choices below and if you're more towards the inactive end
of the spectrum, go towards the lower end, if you're very active then go towards
the higher end.
GOAL OF WEIGHT/FAT LOSS
GOAL OF WEIGHT MAINTENANCE
GOAL OF WEIGHT/MUSCLE GAIN
INACTIVE
Bodyweight in lbs x 22 =
target calorie intake
INACTIVE
Bodyweight in lbs x 27 =
target calorie intake
INACTIVE
Bodyweight in lbs x 32 =
target calorie intake
V ACTIVE
Bodyweight in kg x 30 =
target calorie intake
V ACTIVE
Bodyweight in kg x 35 =
target calorie intake
V ACTIVE
Bodyweight in kg x 40 =
target calorie intake
Example if 80kg = 1760 to 2400
calories per day depending on
activity levels.
Example if 80kg = 1760 to 2400
calories per day depending on
activity levels.
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Example if 80kg = 2560 to 3200
calories per day depending on
activity levels.
Remember this is just a start. Any method of working out how many calories you
need to eat per day will need some tweaking.
Typically, the best way of adjusting is to weigh yourself regularly and take an
average across the week. Compare from week to week and if you notice any
significant changes then adjust your goal intake in the relevant direction by 200500 calories until you're getting the goal you want. Typical sensible goals for
weight loss is ~0.5% of your bodyweight per week, weight gain is ~0.25-0.5% of
your bodyweight per week.
Aim to eat 1.6-2.2g per kilo of bodyweight of protein, for example if 80kg, eat 128176g protein per day. Make up the rest of your target calorie intake from whatever
mix of carbs and fat that you like, just err more towards a greater carbohydrate
intake if you're training hard or frequently.
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Option two - apply some common sense, build your meals around your goal
and rely on your body's inbuild mechanisms to intuitively eat enough
Eat according to your hunger and fullness - eat more when you're hungry, stop
when you feel full. This might take a certain degree of practice, but remember
this is your body's inbuilt mechanism for regulating food intake, so can
absolutely be trusted.
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Listen for other cues aside from hunger such as headaches, feeling tired, being
unable to concentrate, which might indicate you need to eat more.
As an athlete, recognise that there are however times when you need to eat
when you might not be hungry, such as post workout or in the meals leading up
to a long run that might need more aggressive fuelling, so apply common
sense here and eat enough which might push you slightly past the feeling of
being full.
Strive to eat a balanced diet, adopting a slant towards eating sufficient
carbohydrate to fuel your exercise, plenty of vegetables and a good amount of
protein to encourage repair and growth. A little bit of fat adds nutrients and
makes your food tasty and more palatable which can encourage you to eat
enough. An example of how you could split your meals is indicated below.
If you're finding yourself feeling tired during sessions independent of getting
enough sleep, managing stress etc. then eat a little more. If you're feeling slow,
sluggish, too full during exercise, then back off on food intake a little.
LEAN
PROTEIN
FRUIT/
VEG
+ SMALL AMOUNT FAT
+ NON CALORIE CONTAINING DRINKS
+ FLAVOUR (LOWER CALORIE SAUCES,
SPICES ETC.)
STARCHY
CARBS
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MACRONUTRIENTS
Also known as 'macros', these are the nutrients required in large quantities that
contribute to our body's normal functioning.
In this category, we've got protein at 4 calories per gram, carbohydrates at 4
calories per gram and fats at 9 calories per gram.
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PROTEIN
Protein is an essential nutrient for the human body. Made up of amino acids,
they serve as building blocks for the body's various tissues and are involved in
the repair processes involved post exercise. They are found in abundance in
animal based products such as meat, fish, dairy, eggs etc. but also in plant
based sources such as lentils, nuts, grains, soya and some vegetables.
Provided enough is eaten and in enough variety, plant based proteins are just
as good as animal based ones for muscle growth and repair.
CARBOHYDRATE
Carbohydrates (carbs for short) are the sugars, starches and fibres found in
fruits, grains, vegetables and milk products. These are the body's preferred
sources of fuel, especially for high intensity activity. Apart from very niche
circumstances, it's not recommended to try and eat a low carbohydrate diet if
your goals are performance-based as fuelling will very much be a limiting factor
in your performance.
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FATS
Fats are essential nutrients for our health - they help to form our cells, support
our immune system, produce certain hormones and help us absorb particular
vitamins.
There are different types of fat, and the way their molecules are arranged
determines how healthy or unhealthy they typically are. However, don't get too
bogged down in this, instead focus more on getting a mix of types of fat from
unprocessed foods. For example minimise your intake of processed foods like
pastries or chocolate and have fat sources such as avocado, olive oil, fatty fish
and eggs in your diet.
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WATER/FLUID INTAKE
Drink according to thirst, mainly from non calorie containing drinks. Drink
enough to ensure that your pee is a pale yellow colour (assuming you're not
supplementing with any vitamins/minerals or taking any medication that
makes your pee a different colour).
That's really all there is to it in most cases. No need to complicate it!
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SUPPLEMENTS
I've mentioned these last in the guide because they are the least important
thing. Most of them don't work, and those that do have fairly minimal impact.
However, since everyone seems to be obsessed with them, I'll give the most
effective ones that are worth your money a brief mention!
PLEASE NOTE - nailing your training and the other nutrition principles in the
guide will return AT LEAST 10 x the benefit you'll get from any of these
supplements.
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CREATINE
Creatine works by helping you produce energy during intense activities like
sprinting, lifting weights etc.
A typical rule of thumb is to take 5g of creatine monohydrate per day. Creatine
is cheap, well researched, and shown to be reasonably effective in most
people.
CAFFEINE
Caffeine is a stimulant which is used to improve physical strength and
endurance. The main way in which it works is that it promotes alertness and
wakefulness by blocking the receptors in the brain that are responsible for
sedation and relaxation. It may also act as a mild pain killer, enabling you to
push harder in exercise.
It's recommended if you're not used to caffeine to take 100mg dose to assess
tolerance. You can then ramp it up as required based on your individual
tolerance. FYI a shot of espresso is ~50-60mg whereas a can of Monster is
~150mg.
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PROTEIN POWDER
Protein powder is more of a food than a supplement, but it's worth mentioning
here for the fact that it's incredibly convenient, is quite cost-effective relative to
whole food protein sources and can help to boost your protein intake up
towards the recommended 1.6-2.2g per kilo daily intake.
My recommendation is to find one that you like the taste of and suits your
budget, then go with it!
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CARB GELS/CHEWS/DRINKS
When you're doing endurance exercise for an extended period of time,
carbohydrate availability becomes a limiting factor. This is because the body
can only store so much fuel to be used during exercise, and after a while, it will
run out. When exercising for longer than 90 minutes, it's recommended to take
in some dietary carbohydrates in the form of easily digestible sources, having
~20-25g every 30 minutes to start with.
Preference on this is very individual and will depend on how your stomach
tolerates them and your taste preferences.
NITRATES
Nitrates can be found in beetroot and leafy green vegetables. When you take in
nitrates, it gets converted into nitric oxide which has been associated with
increasing blood flow, increasing recovery and thus improving your aerobic and
anaerobic exercise performance.
Calculating the required dose of nitrates can be quite complicated, so two
things are recommended. One, is just to eat plenty of variety of vegetables in
your diet, including beetroot and green leafy vegetables which have good
health-promoting qualities anyway, and two, is to take a supplement such as
'Beet It!' and follow the instructions on the box.
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