Today on the podcast:
Evan Regan is a highly accomplished registered nutritionist and personal trainer with extensive experience working with high-performance athletes across multiple sporting disciplines, including rugby, Gaelic football, mixed martial arts (UFC), boxing, basketball (NBA), Australian football (AFL), American football (NFL), and soccer.
As the Lead Academy Performance Nutritionist at Munster Rugby and Lead Performance Nutritionist & Dietician for Mayo GAA & Mayo LGFA, Evan has developed a reputation as a top-tier nutrition expert in the world of sports performance.
With his wealth of knowledge and experience, Evan offers a range of specialized nutrition packages that cater to the unique needs of athletes at all levels of competition.
He also shares his expertise through his bestselling eBook, which offers practical guidance on topics such as optimal macronutrient intake, pre-and post-workout nutrition, and hydration strategies for athletes.
Here are some of the things we talked about in today’s podcast.
Episode Outline
- 04:00 What got Evan into sports performance
- 06:41 Universal nutrition principles for every athlete and common mistakes
- 11:49 Optimizing pre and post-workout nutrition
- 17:32 What male athletes need nutritionally versus female athletes
- 21:43 The role supplements play
- 25:25 Sleep and underrated performance tools
- 30:02 What separates elite athletes from everyone else
- 33:16 Alcohol and the athlete (gym or sport)
- 39:15 Underrated performance tools
- 41:21 Why too much recovery can harm performance
Key Points
- Different athletes require different approaches to nutrition. However, certain universal principles apply: Ensure you hit your daily protein target, get enough hydration, eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, and manage your daily carbohydrates around your training sessions. Also, the amount of food a GAA player needs compared to a rugby player is obviously going to be different. Finally, sticking to universal principles means avoiding the temptation of short-term fixes. A sustainable diet is always going to be the most beneficial option for you as an athlete.
- There is a time and place for supplementation, especially when it comes to elite-level sports where even a 1% edge can mean the difference between winning and losing. But even then, supplementation is just a small part of the equation when it comes to ensuring maximum performance. Exercise, nutrition, and sleep should be the priority in equal measure before considering supplementation.
- Indulging in something that isn’t “healthy”, such as alcohol, isn’t necessarily a bad thing as long as you’re intentional about it. Evan doesn’t believe in banning alcohol just because it offers no nutritional value, nor does he think it’s much good to encourage people to drink low/no-alcohol options in lieu of the real thing. To him, having a pint or two after winning a game is perfectly alright. The real decision is the one that you’ll be faced with the next day when it’s time to get back into a routine. Again, sustainability is the cornerstone of good nutrition.
Powerful Quotes by Evan
- You don’t have to be an elite-level athlete to understand the value of a good night’s sleep.
- I don’t think we should have bans on alcohol. It’s more about having a better relationship with it overall and understanding when the right time is to drink.
