Warm Up
Hockey includes early morning practices, late games and a hungry athlete. As a parent who is spending long hours at the ice rink fueling your athlete can be overwhelming. Small nutrition changes to
Hockey is a high-intensity endurance sport that requires special attention in regards to nutrition and hydration. These athletes are prone to unwanted weight loss and dehydration due to the nature of the sport; it is crucial for optimal performance that they get in enough fluids and calories throughout the day. The macronutrients and timing of the food these athletes eat can play a key role in their performance, too. Further, nutrition for these players can look different depending on the season.
This article will provide information that can be easily implemented for optimal performance on and off the ice.
The Lineup: Essential Macros for Hockey Athletes
The three major macronutrients are carbohydrates, fats, and protein. Each of these play important roles in the diet of an athlete, and they can be consumed in the appropriate ratios and at the right times to maximize a hockey player’s performance during lifts, practices, and games.
Carbohydrates
Carbs, specifically glucose, are the body’s preferred source of energy. They are the quickest to metabolize when consumed, and the easiest to mobilize from storage in the body. Glucose is an example of what is commonly known as a simple sugar, and is stored in the skeletal muscle and liver as glycogen (energy storage) to be used quickly during exercise and periods of fasting. It is important that hockey players eat enough carbs because they need these energy stores in their muscles to successfully execute in their high-intensity bouts in both a practice and a game setting. Keeping the muscle full of glycogen requires appropriate carbohydrate intake prior to exercise.
Fats
Fats can also be metabolized for energy, especially during long-lasting exercise like a long practice or endurance workout. However, their role in a hockey athlete’s diet is more for caloric density and weight maintenance or gain depending on the goal. Compared to the other two macros, fats have the highest calorie per gram ratio. For this reason, they are a key ingredient when weight gain is an objective. Further, mono- and polyunsaturated fats are beneficial for heart health, keeping the athletes in tip top shape throughout the year and allowing them to play their hardest.
Protein
All of the macros are important to the body’s functioning, but proteins play key roles in every single reaction taking place in the body. It is crucial when trying to build or maintain muscle that athletes are getting enough protein. Without adequate protein intake, the body will struggle to synthesize new and repair damaged skeletal muscle. During many forms of exercise, including playing hockey, skeletal muscle experiences micro tears. These are normal and healthy if the athlete is trying to stimulate muscle growth; it creates a beneficial inflammation that allows for all of the necessary components to come together and produce more muscle mass. Protein can also be beneficial for injured athletes for the same reasons.
It is important to remember that all of the macronutrients are vital components of a healthy diet and are necessities for any athlete.
The Game Plan: How to Time Eating Correctly for Optimal Performance
Nutrition recommendations are based on practice times, length and intensity. Performance nutrition often focuses on when the athletic events are to ensure the body is properly fueled at the correct times. Keep in mind that these guidelines can be applied as snacks or as meals, depending on hunger levels and time until practice.
Preworkout
The preworkout recommendations are different based on time until the workout. 3-4 hours before a workout (lift, practice, game), aim for a mix of all three macros in a filling combination. This should look more like a meal, and these calories will be helpful by sustaining the athlete through the workout. It is also important to remember to stay hydrated throughout the day leading up to the workout. The body will need plenty of fluids, as it is likely the workout will involve heavy sweating. As the workout gets closer (about 30-60 minutes), it is a good idea to get in some quick carbs. This is a good time for a snack size portion, so try things like
- GoGo Squeezes
- energy chews or waffles,
- fruit snacks, a banana,
- toast with jelly.
Intra-workout (between periods): fast carbs
After the workout begins, the need for nutrition does not end.
During high-intensity exercise, it is important that carbs are replenished in order for the athlete to continue performing at an optimal level. These carb sources look similar to those consumed immediately before the workout (quick, simply sugars). Aim to consume something every 45 minutes during a practice or game. Anything that can be eaten quickly between periods or on the sideline during practice works well here. Examples include honey packets, Gushers, Sour Patch Kids, applesauce pouches, or a sports drink.
In regards to hydration, it is a good idea to include some electrolytes in the athlete’s fluids. This can be in the form of sports drinks (Gatorade, Propel) or as electrolyte packets (LMNT, DripDrop). It is likely they have begun sweating, so making sure to do their best to keep with the fluids loss is a good plan.
Post Workout: a healthy mix of carbs, proteins, and fats
After a workout, it is important to replenish the nutrients that have been used for energy or other purposes. It is likely that the body has used both carbohydrates and fats for energy and that protein has been lost due to muscle damage. This means that all three of the macronutrients should be replaced in ample amounts. This post workout portion should likely be the size of a meal. The meal should have a good source of all three macronutrients and follow the Athlete’s Plate.
Sometimes, athletes’ appetite can be disrupted by high-intensity exercise and may find it difficult to eat a big meal after a workout. If this is the case, liquid options like chocolate milk, shakes or smoothies are good alternatives. Athlete’s should still have a large recovery meal 3 hours after a training session. This ensures that the athlete is still getting the nutrients they need for a good recovery. A more comprehensive explanation of post workout nutrition can be found here.
The Penalty Box: What Nutrition Challenges do Hockey Players face?
All athletes – and all people for this matter – are subject to nuanced nutrition challenges. Depending on the sport, different obstacles may be faced. As discussed throughout this piece, hockey is a high-intensity endurance sport that typically results in caloric deficits and dehydration for its athletes if special attention is not paid to these areas.
Weight Loss/Weight Maintenance
Weight loss, maintenance, and gain are all a matter of caloric intake and expenditure. Weight loss occurs when calories consumed are less than calories expended during sport. Hockey is a high energy sport that requires a large number of calories; caloric balance is very important to provide adequate energy and recovery. The specific number of calories required for sport is relative to each athlete based on height, weight, and muscle mass.
Because of the demanding hockey practice and game schedule, it is common for athletes to experience weight loss during the season. However, weight loss means that athletes are not meeting their calorie requirements and fueling strategies need to be adjusted. Not meeting calorie needs can lead to increased risk of injury, difficulty recovering, fatigue, and loss of strength.
Hydration
Hockey is a very sweaty sport. Going up and down the ice under all of the gear is hard work. The body generates a lot of heat from doing this, forcing it to sweat to avoid overheating. Everyone’s sweat composition is a little different, but it typically contains some amount of sodium and chloride, two electrolytes that are important to normal body functioning. Especially for hockey players who sweat profusely during a practice or game, and it is important that they replenish these to continue performing their best. Whether it’s in between periods or throughout the practice or game, it is a good idea for these athletes to consume some sort of electrolyte beverage. This could be a sports drink or an electrolyte pack mixed with water. An article going into more detail about hydration can be found here!
Cramping
Muscle cramping in athletes typically occurs due to dehydration and/or muscle overuse. Starting competition hydrated AND staying hydrated is usually the simplest and most effective fix for these. It has been shown that products high in sodium like pickle juice shots or The Right Stuff are highly effective at reducing cramps quickly.
But if an athlete experiences chronic cramping, it is a good idea to include more electrolytes in their hydration plan.
Nutrition for Late Night or Early Morning Practices or Games
Game and practice times can make proper nutrition difficult when combined with an athlete’s school schedule. For example, if practice is at 6 am, it is not practical to have a bigger portion 3-4 hours before; it is best for that athlete to sleep. However, this makes it even more important for them to get in quick carbs before practice since their body will likely be low in glucose that is ready to be metabolized quickly. By consuming a banana with peanut butter, toast with jelly, or an yogurt parfait, the athlete will be ready to face an early workout.
Conversely, some games or practices are late at night. If that is the case, it is a good idea to treat your last meal of the day as the pregame larger portion with a healthy mix of the macronutrients, and consume it about 3-4 hours before game time. This will ensure that the body has plentiful stores come workout time. These athletes should still be consuming their quick carbs an hour to thirty minutes before it starts, too.
Time Out: Ways to Address Travel Challenges
Traveling for games or practices is pretty common as an elite athlete these days. However, all of this moving around can make good, consistent nutrition difficult. Below are some tips for those athletes that find themselves on the go year-round.
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- Take advantage of prepackaged foods. Yep, that’s right. Athletes likely need to eat some processed foods, and they are very convenient for traveling. Foods like applesauce pouches and fruit roll ups can be great preworkout carbs, and things like protein bars and shakes can be ideal for weight gain or maintenance while traveling. Electrolyte pouches and sports drinks are also great for travel hydration.
- Plan ahead. It is much easier to be ready for travel when the athlete is able to know an outline of their schedule and know when they will have access to food and fluids. Make sure to know the itinerary and bring snacks and fluids for times when there won’t be a lot of food or water available. Keep some staples in a bag at all times to keep around in case of a snack emergency.
- Have a variety. It is important to have a range of snacks on hand to meet the ever-changing needs of an exercising athlete. They may need a recovery snack for a short break in between games (think beef jerky or a protein bar) or a preworkout bite (something more like gummies or fruit roll ups). Keeping a few options for each on hand can be helpful when travelling.
A Sport Parents Guide to Travel Nutrition
Cool Down
Hockey can be an incredibly taxing sport, and athletes should be paying special attention to their hydration and nutrition practices in order to perform optimally. By properly timing meals and snacks, athletes will be appropriately fueled to enter workouts feeling their best and bettering their skills. Recognizing and addressing skill deficits is crucial to improving performance on the ice, and nutrition is no different. It is important to pay attention to where the athlete could improve in their nutrition and hydration practices to ensure they are recovering as they should be. Finally, by planning ahead before traveling, hockey athletes will be ready for any snack emergency that comes their way.
In-season, they should be focusing on maintaining muscle by getting in enough food throughout the day and complimenting that with appropriate hydration to fuel for practices and games. In the off season, the focus should switch to dialing in their nutrition in order to maximize muscle gain to come into the season stronger.
Guest post written by Makena Hoying, The Ohio State University, Expected Graduation May 2027, future Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.