Louise Burke, John Hawley, and the Evidence for Eating to Match Your Training Phase
Nutrition periodisation — the deliberate adjustment of macronutrient intake and meal timing to match the physiological demands of different training phases — has moved from theoretical framework to standard practice at elite level over the past decade, driven primarily by research from Louise Burke's group at the Australian Institute of Sport and John Hawley's group at RMIT University in Melbourne. The theoretical basis: aerobic base-building phases benefit from lower carbohydrate availability, which upregulates fat oxidation capacity through increased mitochondrial enzyme expression; high-intensity speed phases require high carbohydrate availability for adequate glycolytic fuel; strength phases require elevated protein intake and positive energy balance; competition periods require maximum glycogen storage and minimal gastrointestinal risk.
The Train Low, Compete High protocol — conducting certain training sessions with low muscle glycogen availability to enhance metabolic adaptation, then maximising carbohydrate intake for competition — is the most studied nutritional periodisation strategy. Burke's 2017 review found consistent improvements in fat oxidation rates following train-low protocols. The 2021 Sleep Low protocol tested by Lars Podlogar at the University of Exeter involves completing an evening high-intensity session followed by fasted overnight sleep and a pre-breakfast low-intensity session, extending the low-glycogen exposure to approximately 12 hours while concentrating high-quality training in well-fuelled states.
The Protein Timing Evidence
Stuart Phillips's 2020 review summarised the current consensus: total daily protein intake of 1.6-2.2g per kg bodyweight for strength athletes and 1.2-1.6g per kg for endurance athletes matters more than precise timing, with the caveat that post-exercise consumption within two hours provides a meaningful advantage over equivalent protein consumed at other times for sessions in a fasted or low-protein state. The anabolic window is real but approximately four hours wide, not thirty minutes as 2000s-era research implied. Prioritise reaching daily protein targets consistently before optimising timing within the day — the ceiling on protein timing benefit is far lower than supplement marketing suggests.