Why Eating is Hard During Competition and What to Do About It

A phenomenon that almost any athlete can attest to is the lack of appetite during a competition, meet, race, or game.
For athletes who only compete in short duration events, like a 10km race or a 2 hour hockey game, not having an appetite is probably not going to impact performance too much. For endurance events and CrossFit competitions (which in my opinion are most like endurance events when it comes to nutrition), not eating properly can have a massive impact on the outcome.
It is not uncommon to hear an athlete say that they don’t eat during competition because they aren’t hungry. They might even boast about not needing to eat during a competition. I used to be one of those athletes. It’s true that hunger gets shut down, but it is not true that an athlete can meet their potential without properly fueling.
This content is available exclusively to Members
Become an member and start enjoying full access to all our community and sports content, and an ad-free experience.
- Exclusive content
- Ad-Free web/app experience
- Comments on articles
- Exclusive 15% WIT discount
- $1 per month for the first 4 months, $8 each month after
- Exclusive content
- Ad-Free web/app experience
- Comments on articles
- Exclusive private Facebook Group
- Regular coffee breaks hang outs
- Exclusive 15% WIT discount
billed annually
Already a member? Log In.