How To Eat For Performance | Tim Briggs
Chris Williamson (host), Tim Briggs (guest)
In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Chris Williamson and Tim Briggs, How To Eat For Performance | Tim Briggs explores eat To Perform: Carbs, Micros, And Competition Nutrition Demystified Tim Briggs explains how to build nutrition for athletic performance by prioritizing health (micronutrients and gut function) first, then dialing in macros and calories around training demands.
Eat To Perform: Carbs, Micros, And Competition Nutrition Demystified
Tim Briggs explains how to build nutrition for athletic performance by prioritizing health (micronutrients and gut function) first, then dialing in macros and calories around training demands.
He argues that carbohydrates are the primary fuel for almost all strength and endurance sports, and outlines how to time carbs and protein pre-, intra-, and post-workout for better performance and recovery.
The discussion contrasts fad diets (keto, paleo, carb backloading, etc.) with a more evidence-based, sustainable approach that balances macros, emphasizes veggies, and manages gut inflammation via tools like low-FODMAP choices.
They also cover competition-week and weight-class strategies, hydration and electrolytes, intermittent fasting trade-offs, and how to think about body composition goals without wrecking health or performance.
Key Takeaways
Start with health: fix micros and gut before obsessing over macros.
Briggs begins every athlete by correcting micronutrient intake (especially lack of greens) and minimizing gut inflammation, because deficiencies and poor digestion blunt energy, recovery, and mood long before macro tweaks matter.
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Most athletes need more carbohydrates, not fewer, to perform.
Across the energy systems spectrum—from powerlifting and CrossFit to football and endurance—carbohydrates are the dominant fuel, so very low-carb or keto approaches usually compromise output, especially for high-intensity, glycolytic work.
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Structure training-day meals around a clear pre–intra–post framework.
A simple template is: complex + simple carbs, protein, and some fat 1–2 hours pre; a little fast carb (e. ...
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Use carb loading and familiar, low-irritant foods before competition.
In the week before an event, gradually increase daily carb intake and avoid ‘gut-bomb’ foods (pizza, excessive gluten/dairy, high-FODMAP items) so you start competition fully fueled, with minimal GI distress and inflammation.
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Hydration and electrolytes are performance variables, not afterthoughts.
Serious training and multi-WOD comp days can drive liters of sweat loss, so baseline intake (≈3–4 L/day) plus deliberate electrolyte replacement (e. ...
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Match carb and calorie intake to training load, not just bodyweight.
A practical range for most athletes is about 2–7 g of carbs per kg bodyweight, scaled up on heavy training/comp days and down on off days, with protein around 1–2 g/kg and fats adjusted to hit total calories and support hormones.
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Fad diets often work by hidden calorie cuts, not magic mechanisms.
Approaches like keto, paleo, carb backloading, or extreme refeeds typically succeed because they reduce weekly calorie intake or constrain food choice, but they can hurt energy, mood, and sustainability compared to a flexible macro- and micro-focused plan.
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Notable Quotes
“If you don't feel 100% when you eat a food, don't eat the food.”
— Tim Briggs
“If we look at the whole spectrum of sports—carbohydrate is throughout.”
— Tim Briggs
“The best diet for me appears to be the one that I can stick to the longest.”
— Chris Williamson
“We’re not so much a performance company. We start everyone the same: fix health, then adjust calories up or down.”
— Tim Briggs
“You can be the best fighter in the world, but if your body falls apart when you cut, you're fucked.”
— Chris Williamson
Questions Answered in This Episode
How can a recreational athlete realistically estimate where they should sit on the 2–7 g/kg carbohydrate range given their sport and weekly training volume?
Tim Briggs explains how to build nutrition for athletic performance by prioritizing health (micronutrients and gut function) first, then dialing in macros and calories around training demands.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
What practical steps can someone take over 2–4 weeks to methodically test and implement a low-FODMAP style of eating without overcomplicating their life?
He argues that carbohydrates are the primary fuel for almost all strength and endurance sports, and outlines how to time carbs and protein pre-, intra-, and post-workout for better performance and recovery.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
For athletes who love intermittent fasting, what is the minimum effective amount of pre- and post-workout nutrition they should add to protect performance and immunity?
The discussion contrasts fad diets (keto, paleo, carb backloading, etc. ...
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How would Tim adjust his nutrition recommendations differently for a pure strength athlete, a CrossFitter, and a long-distance runner over a full training year?
They also cover competition-week and weight-class strategies, hydration and electrolytes, intermittent fasting trade-offs, and how to think about body composition goals without wrecking health or performance.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
What indicators—performance metrics, mood, digestion—should an athlete track to know whether a new nutritional approach is genuinely helping or just creating placebo-driven ‘results’?
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Transcript Preview
(wind blowing) Ladies and gentlemen, I'm joined by Tim Briggs from Warry Programming and We Dominate Nutrition. Welcome.
Thank you.
You may remember Tim from such episodes as Why Does Fitness Hurt So Much-
Yeah.
... and Can You Teach Mental Toughness?
Yeah.
Um, they were-
They were massive hit. I'm very opinionated. (laughs)
Incredibly opinionated.
Driven by opinion.
(laughs) That's exactly what it is.
And exactly will to the end of the day as well.
Ta- We, we... It's just the same. It's just a replicate. So today, we're going to be talking about how to eat for performance.
Yes.
Um, particularly for me, I'm, I'm interested in this.
Mm-hmm.
I know how to eat to get lean, but-
Yup.
... if you were to say, "You've got a powerlifting meet next weekend, then you've got an endurance event the weekend after and then you've got a CrossFit competition the weekend after that-"
Yeah.
"... wha- how, what would you eat and why?" I, I wouldn't have a clue. I wouldn't-
(laughs)
... know the first place to start.
First up, the athlete will be outrageous. (laughs)
(laughs) If they can do all of those things.
If they can do all of those, if they're gonna do a powerlifting meet, and did you say, like a-
Uh-
What was the last one as well?
... the CrossFit event and then a, like a endur- like a, a root, marathon or something.
And a marathon. Pfft. Probably not gonna happen.
Need to be Jordan Wallace, don't you?
Yeah, it'd be Jordan Wallace. (laughs)
Jordan Wallace can do all those things.
Yeah. The power a little bit... Nah, I joke, I joke.
We'll see.
Got my power though. And you.
Um, so we're gonna talk about that. Um, uh, uh, is there a, a basis to start from in understanding-
Yeah.
... um, sports nutrition?
Yeah, so the way we approach nutrition, we look at health first. So we look at the micros as well as the overall energy balance, and that's where we start every athlete that does We Dominate Nutrition. So we look at all deficiencies, we look how we can kind of manipulate the micronutrients as well as the macronutrients. The micros are the vitamins and minerals. Uh, if you have deficiencies on those, your energy's going to be affected, you're going to be quite lethargic, your recovery's gonna be down, and that can all be, uh, targeted through food. So we can look at eating a variety of veggies, eating the whole spectrum of colors of fruit and veg, maybe supplement with a green shake, maybe even a vol- multivitamin.
Mm-hmm.
Uh, that's where we kind of start things, 'cause if we've got those deficiencies, we're gonna be down long term when we do get to these competitions.
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