Olympic triathlete Jonny Brownlee shares his nutritious tips

Want to get to the top of your game in your chosen sport?

Training plans and nutrition are vital components to the success of how you perform.

Olympic triathlete Jonny Brownlee  trains up to 35 hours a week, with ten hours of running, more than 15 hours of riding and around seven hours of swimming.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

For breakfast on a training day, Jonny has porridge with red berries, banana and honey or Greek yogurt before snacking on a hot cross bun or toast. For lunch, it’s a ham and pepper omelette followed by Greek yogurt and muesli for pudding. Dinner is usually fajitas and salad, or meatballs and pasta and if he’s had a long day of training, he’ll tuck into apple crumble and custard.

The night before a race, Jonny will eat chicken and rice. On race day it will be porridge and toast for breakfast and post-race, he’ll treat himself to burger and chips!

Jonny said: “There may be days where you don’t eat so well – and if so, don’t beat yourself up and try to overcompensate the next day. Just go back to your plan and eat consistently well.”

Light meals

Retired American Football legend Jason Bell starts with a light breakfast such as oats mixed with berries, followed by a light lunch which is usually a plant-based salad with grains.  For dinner he enjoys lean chicken and vegetables particularly sweet potato.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Jason said: “Our bodies are different and the way they respond to things is different, so you have to listen to your body. It will tell you what is and isn’t good for you.”

David Jackson was a professional rugby player for 14 years before he was forced to retire due to a head injury.

He advises that a plate full of food should have as many colours of the rainbow as possible which come from fruit and vegetables. Choose foods such as sweet potato, avocado, olive oil and lean cuts of meat or fish.

David said: “Our body will only be able to perform optimally if you’re healthy and have all the nutrition to allow it to function.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

People looking to make their mark in cricket should start their day with breakfast of porridge and fruit juice. For lunch, choose a large mackerel fillet, 100g of nuts and seeds, a mixed salad and a low-fat, low-sugar yogurt. For dinner, steak, dry roasted potatoes and vegetables are recommended.

Tennis players can ramp up their performance with this menu. Choose porridge with low fat milk and berries for breakfast, pasta and light sauce for lunch and tuck into fish, rice, beans and pulses for dinner.

Golfers should start their day with an onion, green pepper and courgette omelette, eat grilled chicken, salad and vegetables for lunch then fish and vegetables for dinner.

The report was compiled by William Hill. For the full findings, plus recipes for aspiring athletes and top tips on nutrition, go to https://news.williamhill.com/diet-of-a-pro/ website.

Related topics: