Comp Day Nutrition

Comp day is a huge mix of nerves, excitement, and adrenaline.

But here’s the thing - your nutrition on comp day isn’t just about staying fed. It’s about fuelling well and avoiding anything that could slow you down, upset your stomach, or leave you flat when you need to perform your best.

This post will walk you through exactly what to eat, drink, pack, and plan for, so you can walk into the warm-up room feeling confident and prepared.

The Goal of Comp Day Nutrition

Your comp day nutrition has two key jobs:

1. Fuel your performance.

2. Minimise GI discomfort.

That’s it. You don’t want to feel bloated, sluggish, or stuffed during squats, nor do you want to run out of energy halfway through deadlifts.
This is why comp day foods look very different from your normal day-to-day nutrition. Everything is chosen based on digestion, energy availability, and how well it sits in your stomach.

Weigh-Ins: 2-Hour vs 24-Hour

Whether you’re weighing in 2 hours or 24 hours before lifting changes how much time you have to rehydrate and refuel.

Depending on whether you’ve done a weight cut, or not, will impact your nutrition protocols and needs.

Without going into rehydration and refuelling strategies post acute weight cuts, know that once you start competing, the foods you pick are going to be fairly similar to someone who hasn’t done a weight cut once you start warming up + lifting.

*For most novice lifters, I don’t recommend weight cutting — it’s unnecessary stress, and often costs you more than it helps.

• 2-hour weigh-in: Limited time to rehydrate + refuel. .

• 24-hour weigh-in: More flexibility, longer recovery window.
  

But the same rule applies no matter what: the sooner you start refueling after weigh-ins, the better.

Types of Foods to Pack.

Your comp day nutrition should be made up of foods that are:

• Low–moderate fat
  Low fibre

• High carb

• Low–moderate protein

• Easily digestible

• Foods you’ve trialled before
  

This means your comp day foods should be primarily made up of easily-digestable carbohydrates (aka, simple carbohydrates), and a few more substantial sources of food so that you’re not just running on sugar all day. 

Why?

• High-fat foods digest slowly → can make you feel uncomfortably full.
  High-fibre foods → can increase gas, bloating, and GI upset.

• Carbs → your fastest energy source.

• Moderate protein → enough to keep you feeling okay without weighing you down.

Examples of comp day foods: 

Snacks: 

• White bread + honey

• Pikelets + jam

• Crumpets + honey

• Pancakes + maple syrup 

• Lollies

• Fruit Juice

• Full sugar sports drinks 

• Salted pretzels

• White rice

• Bananas

Savoury meals: 

• Sandwich with ham + cheese

• White rice + extra lean beef mince

• Pasta + tomato sauce + extra lean beef mince

• Wrap + tuna + light salad veg
  

Whilst I’ll discuss how much to bring of each type of food in the next section, as a general rule, over-packing is always recommended.

You want to give yourself plenty of options, knowing that your appetite and digestion might fluctuate on comp day based on how you’re feeling and external variables such as heat/weather.

Food Timing.

The length of the comp matters — some run 9am–4pm, some finish earlier, some go longer. Always over-pack instead of under-packing. There is nothing worse than being hungry, or not having food you want, at a comp.

Here’s an example meal-timing strategy for comp day:

• Breakfast (~ 7am): A “normal” breakfast you know sits well
  – e.g., egg muffin, smoothie, oats with low fibre options

• Arrival at venue: White bread sandwich, with peanut butter + honey

• 30–60 mins pre-squats: Fruit + lollies (+ optional caffeine)
  Throughout squats: Gatorade, juice, lollies

• Post-squats: Main meal
  – e.g., white rice + lean beef

• 30–60 mins pre-bench: Fruit + lollies
  During bench: Gatorade / juice / lollies

• 30–60 mins pre-deadlifts: Fruit + lollies (+ caffeine if you respond well)

If you have a longer comp day, you’re going to want to bring more food and have more options. 

As a general rule of thumb, pack: 

• Lots of different textured snack-based carb sources 

• 2-3 more savoury and substantial meals 

• Liquid carb sources (e.g. - juice / full sugar sports drinks)
  

Hydration.

Even a 2% loss in bodyweight from dehydration can negatively affect performance — and on comp day, when you’re maxing out, that matters.

General rule of thumb:

•  0.033L per kg of bodyweight

 Example: 75kg lifter → ~2.48L minimum.

Aim for pale-straw urine, sip throughout the day, and don’t chug (nobody wants cramps, bloating, or an urgent toilet situation).

Sports drinks that contain electrolytes also give you carbs + fluid at the same time. Win-win.

Electrolytes.

Sodium is the main electrolyte you lose through sweat — and losing too much can result in cramps, headaches, fatigue, or feeling flat.

On comp day, having salted or high-sodium foods can be beneficial - especially if you’re competing in a warm or humid environment, or are prone to sweating lots.

You can maintain sodium balance through:

• Sports drinks (Gatorade, Maximus, Powerade, Hydralyte)

• Adding salt to meals

• Salty snacks if tolerated

• Salt tablets
  

Again, sip throughout the day, don’t slam it all at once. Trial any sports drinks before comp day during training.

Caffeine.

Caffeine is one of the most researched ergogenic aids - meaning it works, but only if you respond well to it.

Forms of caffeine to consider:

• Coffee/energy drinks

• Caffeine tablets (most consistent dosing)

• Pre-workout
  Caffeine gum/chews (fastest onset — ~10–20 mins)

Personally, opting for forms of caffeine like tablets (e.g. - no-doz) tends to be the most efficient form of ingesting caffeine, and tends to cause the least amount of discomfort.

Recommended dose: 3–6mg/kg bodyweight
But start at the lower end and only use what you’ve tested in training.

Timing: 30–45 mins before you want the peak effect.

Some lifters dose twice - before squats & before deadlifts -but again, trial this beforehand.

GI sensitivity varies hugely person to person, and when you throw comp day nerves into the mix, it can create an unfavourable situation.

Consider how you respond to caffeine and the symptoms you experience.

More caffeine does not equal a greater effect, sometimes, it just exacerbates symptoms and side effects, hence why testing it in training and considering how you feel on the day is important.

Your Comp Day Checklist

A well-packed comp bag = less stress.
Here’s a streamlined version of what you’ll need:

Clothes

• Soft suit

• T-shirt 

• Deadlift socks

• Deadlift slippers

• Squat shoes

• Spare socks

• Federation-approved underwear

• Spare underwear
  

Equipment

• Belt

• Wrist wraps

• Knee sleeves

• Chalk

• Baby powder

• Warm-up/rehab tools
  

Food

• 3-3 main meals

• Food

• Liquid Carbs

• Water

• Cutlery

• Salt tablets

• Caffeine sources

Other

• Headphones

• Charger

• Federation membership

• Smelling salts

• Personal medications

• Deep heat / rapi-gel

Bringing too much is better than not enough. Always.

Final Thoughts

Comp day won’t always go perfectly - and that’s okay.
But by controlling the things you can control (nutrition, hydration, timing, packing, caffeine), you give yourself every chance to perform well and actually enjoy the day.

Whether it’s your first comp or your hundredth, remember why you started - and remember that you get to do this.
Go in prepared, fuel well, and have fun.