Research
Energy balance
Post-match carbohydrate intake of ~1g/kg body weight per hour for 4 hours is required to maximize glycogen resynthesis and recovery speed.
After a match, eat carbohydrates at a rate of 1 gram per kilogram of body weight every hour for the next 4 hours. If you aren't hungry, drink your carbs using sports drinks or recovery shakes to ensure your muscles refill their energy stores for the next session.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Post-match meals and snacks should contain carbohydrates at ~1g/kg body weight per hour for 4 hours.
Why this rating
Based on general sports nutrition principles cited in the review.
Source
Nutrition and supplementation in football - practical guidelines based on current literature review
Wiktoria Staśkiewicz‐Bartecka · Journal of Education Health and Sport · 2022
DOI 10.12775/jehs.2022.12.10.012
narrative_reviewCited 2×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Elite football players should consume 6-8g of carbohydrates per kg of body weight on match days and 48-72 hours between matches to maximize muscle and liver glycogen stores and prevent performance-depleting fatigue.Moderate
- Dehydration of 2% body weight loss impairs football performance, and players should aim to prevent this loss by consuming 5-7ml/kg of fluid 2-4 hours before the match.Moderate
- Daily protein intake of 1.6-2.2g/kg body weight, distributed across 3-4 meals of ~0.4g/kg, optimizes muscle protein synthesis and training adaptation in football players.Moderate
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