The 80/20 Nutrition Guide
by Matt Fitzgerald
The 80/20 method of endurance training is based on the simple idea that the best way for any endurance athlete to train is the way the best endurance athletes train. Research by Stephen Seiler and others has shown that elite competitors in every endurance discipline from running to rowing consistently spend about 80 percent of their total training time at low intensity. Additionally, prospective studies have demonstrated that recreational athletes improve more when they emulate this approach than they do when they spend more time at higher intensities.
We believe that athletes should bring the same principle to bear in shaping their dietary habits and fueling practices, copying what the majority of pros do with both their everyday nutrition (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and their performance nutrition (fueling in workouts and races).
Everyday Nutrition
Underneath superficial, largely cultural differences in food choices, world-class endurance athletes around the world eat pretty much the same way. Following are six implicit “rules” that are practiced almost universally by the highest-achieving endurance athletes and that we suggest you implement in your own life. To learn more about the eating habits of top endurance athletes, check out Matt Fitzgerald’s book The Endurance Diet.
Eat everything
Most popular diets, including the Paleo Diet and plant-based diets, forbid or strictly limit consumption of particular food types. Very few world-class endurance athletes adopt such restrictions, choosing instead to include all of the major food types in their diet and often going out of their way to check every box daily (for example by combining lots of different foods in a bowl, wrap, or blended drink). The advantage of eating “everything” is that each food type contributes to health and performance in a different way. Although it is possible to achieve optimal health and performance on a restrictive diet, it’s harder and riskier, like fighting with one arm tied behind your back.
Eat naturally. When we say that elite athletes eat (and drink) everything, we mean everything, including sweets, fried foods, and alcohol. They do so because, like the rest of us, they find such foods and drinks are enjoyable, and also because they aren’t uptight about their eating. People who try to eat “perfectly” tend to be plagued with feelings of stress and guilt surrounding food, and ironically they also tend not to eat as healthily as those who maintain slightly more relaxed standards because dietetic perfection by any definition is unsustainable.
This does not mean that elite endurance athletes practice an “anything goes” approach to diet, however. Whereas they do eat everything, the pros get the vast majority of their daily calories from natural, unprocessed foods of the following types: vegetables; fruit; nuts, seeds, and healthy oils; whole grains; whole, unsweetened dairy; and unprocessed meat and seafood. You should do the same. Coach Matt’s DQS for Diet Quality Score) is an easy-to-use tool that will allow you to assess the overall quality (i.e., naturalness) of your diet, raise it to elite standards, and monitor it to ensure it stays there.
Eat enough
Elite endurance athletes do not consciously restrict the amount of food they eat by enforcing strict calorie counts or portion-size limits or by eating less than is needed to satisfy their hunger, as many recreational athletes and dieters do. Nor do they mindlessly overeat as a majority of people in affluent societies do today. Instead, they pay mindful attention to internal signals of hunger and satiety and allow these signals to determine when and how much they eat. This is the only reliable way to eat sufficiently but not excessively—that is, to eat enough to meet the energy demands of heavy training but not so much as to gain or hold onto excess body fat.
The popular notion that one’s appetite can’t be trusted is a myth. You just have to listen to it! All animals in the wild rely on their built-in appetite regulatory mechanisms to eat the right amount of food and human infants do it too—until they are socialized to habitually ignore their internal signals of hunger and satiety and overeat. But these signals are far more reliable as indicators of true calorie needs than calorie calculators. Again, it’s a matter of not tuning them out.
Don’t micromanage
It’s not only calories that elite endurance athletes don’t count. They also don’t bother to count carbohydrate grams, protein percentages, or anything else in their diet. Instead of micromanaging their nutrition, fussing over the details, they keep their attention focused on broader patterns such as eating on a regular schedule and balancing food types. The success of these athletes is proof positive that nutritional micromanagement is not necessary. In fact, fussing over the details of your diet can even be counterproductive, a symptom of a neurotic relationship with food that infuses unhealthy stress into eating and often leads to erratic eating behaviors. It’s important to understand that, no matter what you eat, you will be healthier and fitter if you are happy with what you eat.
Eat your way
Many popular diets are one-size-fits-all. They require every follower of the diet to eat the same way despite their culture, preferences, and metabolic individuality. By contrast, elite endurance athletes customize their diet to fit their lifestyle, tastes, and needs. In seeking to improve your diet, you should not feel obligated to start from scratch. Instead, think in terms of evolving your existing diet. If you’re Italian and you love pasta, don’t stop eating it, but do substitute whole-grain pasta for the regular stuff (except on special occasions). If you’re one of those people who claims to hate all vegetables, don’t force yourself to eat brussels sprouts, but do make a short list of vegetables you actually enjoy and start with those. If wheat and certain other grains don’t agree with you, don’t make the mistake of assuming that carbs in general don’t agree with you and go on a self-sabotaging low-carb diet, but do get most of your grains from alternatives like starchy vegetables and fruit.
Supplement selectively (if at all)
A tremendous variety of purportedly performance-enhancing nutritional supplements are marketed to endurance athletes—everything from resveratrol (an antioxidant found in red wine) to coenzyme Q10 (a natural cellular compound involved in aerobic metabolism). Interestingly, very few elite endurance athletes use any of these products, and the reason is simply that they don’t actually work.
The supplements that elite endurance athletes do take, by and large, are not for performance enhancement but for basic health support. A select few nutritional supplements are conditionally necessary to address deficiencies that are common in endurance athletes and difficult to correct through diet alone. Specifically, we’re talking about iron, omega-3 fats, and vitamin D. We recommend that you have your physician check your iron and vitamin D levels regularly to determine whether supplementation is necessary for you, and unless you consume omega-3-rich fish at least twice a week, we encourage daily omega-3 supplementation as well. Just about any other supplement you might take in addition to these is a waste of money, assuming your diet is as it should be.
Performance Nutrition
Few topics in sports science have been as heavily researched as the effects of various fueling practices on endurance performance. By this point, scientists have pretty well figured out what works best, although you wouldn’t necessarily know it from some of the alternative methods you see peddled by outside-the-mainstream influencers. As with your daily eating habits, we strongly encourage you to fuel like the elites before and during races and key workouts. What follows is a summary of these methods.
Be sure to carbo-load before longer events (2 hours plus). Either get 70 percent of your total calories from carbs for the final three days before race day or consume 10 grams of carbs for every kilogram you weigh the day before race day.
Eat a big breakfast two to three hours before the event. This meal should consist of familiar foods that are easy to consume and digest on a nervous stomach, high in carbohydrate, and low in just about everything else. Avoid protein and fiber in particular on race morning. These nutrients significantly increase the risk for GI issues during events.
Don’t eat anything in the last hour before the race. Not only do you not want to be actively digesting food when your event starts, but eating too close to intense exercise so can also trigger something called exercise-induced hypoglycemia—a blood-sugar crash at the worst possible time. It is okay, and even beneficial, however, to consume a small dose of carbs (say, a gel packet) right before you start. These calories essentially count as your first dose of within-race fueling.
During the race, drink only when you’re thirsty and as much as you are comfortable taking in. Don’t set a target for fluid intake or force yourself to drink more than your body wants. Doing so will not improve your performance and it may even harm it by causing GI distress.
The only calorie source that will give you any performance benefit during a race is carbohydrate—specifically simple sugars and a select few complex carbs such as maltodextrin that the body metabolizes like simple sugars. Typically there is no need to consume any carbs in a race lasting less than one hour. In events lasting between 1 and 2.5 hours, aim to consume carbs at a rate of 30 to 60 grams per hour. And in events lasting longer than 2.5 hours, try to take in at least 60 and up to 90 grams of carbs per hour, if you can tolerate it.
When you’re aiming for higher carbohydrate intakes, it is unlikely that you will be able to get the job done with fluids (i.e., sports drinks) alone. A typical sports drink contains about 30 grams per 16 ounces. To exceed a carbohydrate intake rate of 60 grams per hour with this source alone, you would need to drink more than 30 ounces per hour, which may exceed the amount that your thirst dictates. In these cases, you’ll need to supplement your liquid carb source with a solid (e.g., energy bar) and/or semisolid source (e.g., energy gel), or you may choose to drink water or an electrolyte solution and get all of your carbs from solid and/or semisolid sources.
Note that your tolerances for both fluid and carbohydrate intake will be lower during running than they are on the bike. Also, individual tolerances in both disciplines vary widely. For these reasons it is important that you experiment with different fueling rates in training, and especially during those workouts that most closely approximate racing. Don’t give up too easily, though, if, for example, consuming 60 grams of carbs per hour during a single long bike ride leaves you fighting nausea. It may just be the particular product you chose that didn’t agree with you.
There is a habituation effect to consider, as well. What is uncomfortable for you in the beginning may become more comfortable with practice. Think like a pro. These athletes understand that they simply must find a way to get the optimal amount of carbs during races or they won’t be able to compete against the best in the world. And they almost always do find a way, sooner or later. Follow their example and don’t settle, figure out what works best for you, and then replicate this formula on race day.
"The 80/20 plan was a joy and a relief. I now enjoy running more, run more with friends, and am creeping up to faster and faster speeds without injuries."
Ben Graham
"I honestly can't rate these plans high enough. Being able to wake up knowing what I've got planned for the day is comforting, but knowing it is working and making a difference is priceless."
Scott Bass
"I swear by 80/20 and always talk it up during tri conversations. Thank you!"
Christopher Barry
"The results were amazing. I shed 27 minutes out of my 70.3 personal best and felt so strong and confident during the race that at times I thought the pace and time my watch was showing me was wrong!"
Carlos Salgado
"Thank you 80/20 Endurance! I followed the plan and ran a half marathon as a "feeler." I ran a 1:26, won my age group and was amazed that I could run that pace. Using 80/20, I went back to a marathon course where I ran a 3:23 on and ended up running a 3:13! I'm now qualified for the Boston Marathon!"
Andy Jones
"At 46, I broke my 5K record from when I was 33 and qualified for Boston using the 80/20 method."
Jennifer Hickman
"I went into my race knowing I was fitter and healthier than I have ever been."
Richard Sudworth
"I’ve never felt more energized in a training cycle. I’m really able to balance my training load and my workload without burning out."
Troy Bedik
"My mom lost about 40 pounds, learned how to eat and exercise, and completed her first tri. I did my first Ironman on the 80/20 system. She continues to run and swim 4-5 days a week and honestly lives an entirely different life."
Skylar Clark
"By following the principles of the 80/20 programming I was able to finish my first ever Half Ironman. Leading up to the Half Ironman, I also ran my first ever half marathon. The 80/20 programming also helped me to get through my full racing season injury free as well as feeling well trained and ready for all of my races."
Steve Messenger
"I like 80/20 because it gives me permission to take it easy on some day. I don’t need to go out and hammer every day to get a new PR like I did in the beginning. The easy days are enjoyable and give me the power to nail (most of) my harder workouts. I don’t dread my sprint and hill work anymore, and at 54 I’m still setting PRs and I’ve been injury free."
Karin Peters
"The injuries all but disappeared!"
Mike McPharlin
"I'm making a lot of progress due to the increased volume I'm able to do by just slowing down. I'm also feeling more rested for the tough workouts and really appreciating the recovery workouts in between."
Pete Babins
"Using an 80/20 plan I not only set a PB in 70.3 but then 2 weeks later set a PB in a full Ironman and qualified for Kona!"
Colin Lewis
"There’s no way I could have accomplished what I have without adhering to the 80/20 plan."
Scott Bleazard
"Heart rate training can definitely feel like defeat when you focus on how slow your training paces are, but the victory comes on race day. I am so glad I found 80/20 Running!"
Sarah Pirolli
"Training towards sustainable functionality is more important than pushing to the limit. By using the 80/20 system you have the luxury of both worlds!"
Meaux Redhead
"The 80/20 principles allowed me to improve my times for 5K and 10K cross country races. Staying injury-free paves the way to get personal bests because you can finish the plan with no surprises and no steps back."
Marco la Spina
"After deciding to pursue the goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon, I purchased an 80/20 training plan. The results were dramatic. After one training cycle, I dropped over 31 minutes in my marathon time!"
Mitch Atkinson
"Kudos and appreciation to your training programs as I set a new 1/2 marathon PB at 1:28:20 (6:13 off my previous best). My cycling FTP is now just short of 300W (from 230W) after starting training with your programs around 8 months ago. I also took 30 minutes off my 70.3 personal best time with a 4:56, while balancing a large family and professional commitments."
Jeremy Biggelaar
"I am satisfied with your 80/20 training plan. Thank you very much for your help in attaining my goals."
Julia Ponce
"I have travelled with 80/20 plans within my country, to Boston in 2018, and soon to Berlin. I am now a wholly better person than I was before."
Mark Conway
"After reading 80/20 Running and focusing on slowing down, I am absolutely amazed at the results. I just completed a PB of 2:52:48. By slowing down my recovery has been excellent."
Daniel Velardo
"80/20 is a huge underlying principle of what I do week-in, week-out."
Bronwyn Tagg
"The best year ever! After a few years of sporadic training efforts and competing in triathlons from Sprint distance to full Ironman I decided to look into a more structured approach to training. After looking into the plethora of plans available, I selected a 80/20 Endurance plans. I completed 2 Sprints, 1 Olympic, 3 halves and 1 full Ironman, and setting personal bests at all distances, slicing 2 hours 20 from the full Ironman."
Mark White
"Matt created a customized training plan for me that not only allowed me to balance triathlon training with marathon training, but to have PR's in all my repeat races!"
Mackenzie Howard
"Absolutely loved the plan. It has allowed me to cut almost 8 1/2 minutes off my half marathon PB. The workouts were varied and fun (well sometimes fun in a brutal way haha) and I got great support from David when I had any questions about the plan. Would recommend unreservedly."
Mark Sun
"With this style of training, you can feel your gains throughout the season and you don't feel completely gassed every day."
Kevin Pogacar
"Over the past 16 weeks on an 80/20 plan I have improved my fastest kilometer by almost a minute, my 5k went from 38:50 to 30:28, and I ran 10 km, 21 km and 30 km for the first time ever. Oh, and I lost 22 kg in the process!"
Franziska Kühne
"The 80/20 program made my first Olympic Triathlon not only attainable, but something that left me hungry and ready for more the moment I crossed the finish line."
John Hodges
"This is my 8th or 9th year of triathlon. I'm 10 weeks into the 80/20 training and I don't think I have ever been so strong."
Peter Richmond
"I could not be happier. Finally, the work paid off and it was enjoyable!"
Jacques Van Wyk
"The 80/20 plan allowed me to train every day without getting stressed or fatigued and to show up on the day and perform fresh and uninjured."
Helen Hayward
"Used an 80/20 plan for Ironman 70.3 Bintan in Indonesia and it went perfectly. Sometimes I had doubts that the training was too light or intense, but I kept repeating to myself "Trust the plan" and I ended up having an amazing race--much faster than expected!"
Sergio Real
"A training system which led me to achieve my ambitious goals. I am so glad that I trusted 80/20 and the plan. "
Marcin Bury
"I really felt my endurance build consistently throughout the training with my Level 3 80/20 Ironman 70.3 Plan. I was fatigued at times but never felt overtrained, and I went into my A race feeling more prepared then the three years prior."
Shawn Craig
"I searched for answers and discovered the 80/20 way. Trust the process and stick to the plan!"
Mauricio Hernandez
"In my first triathlon after switching to 80/20 I had my fastest swim pace at any distance and my fastest Olympic bike and run splits. Even my transitions were faster!"
Curtis Repen
"I used the 80/20 plan for the first time this year. I absolutely loved it. Well Balanced and effective. I can't wait till my preparation for next year starts."
Dennis Ruts
"I tell everyone about your plans. I’ve recently PR’d my 5k, half, full marathon, and 70.3."
A.J. Moser
"During my first 12-week base period on an 80/20 plan I cut more time off more disciplines than I did in a year of Ironman training with one-on-one coaching. I’ve also boosted my bike FTP by 20 watts. It’s unreal."
Chris DiRienzo
"I don't think I would have considered training for a marathon without the success I had with 80/20 training."
Kristi Smith
"80/20 helped me go from running 3kms to 21kms and bike from 40kms to 90+kms without any injuries. I am a believer of 80/20 and have referred many of my friends. Thank you!"
Winston Bryn
"With 80/20 training, I improved my 70.3 result by almost half an hour."
Mikhail Tinovitckii
"Using the 80/20 system, I ran a half marathon in 1:25, and followed up the performance with a Boston-qualifying 3:08 marathon at age 45!"
Dean Murley
"After following the 80/20 plan I was able to break a personal best record. I not only finished within the goal I had set but did negative splits the entire race, which was a first for me."
Marco de Tavira
"This past weekend I completed Ironman Wisconsin on the Run/Bike Power version of the Level 2 80/20 plan. While the volume was drastically higher than any I had done in past years, I had no injuries and I felt confident in the specificity of the purpose for each workout. On race day I was able to hit my power and pace targets and finish strong with a smile on my face!"
Roger Hipwell
"80/20 Endurance dropped my threshold pace by 2 minutes per mile!"
Michael Metz
"The results so far have been an increase in fitness and performance. I can run much farther at a constant pace than I have ever been able to before I also know so much more about my body and limits."
Ben Wyld
"The almost-daily runs and training consistently with the established intensity were key. I had no injuries while training!"
Ashish Gupta
"I trained with the 80/20 half marathon plan, and did a personal best! I felt good after! It made me think about what it could do for me for a marathon or beyond. It taught me so much about how to pace myself and be more in tune with my body when I ran. I cannot recommend this training enough. It made me believe that Matt Fitzgerald and David Warden truly know how to train us to be better athletes."
Lai Flushing
"The best thing is that, throughout the training plan, I always felt great. I was never injured and enjoyed the experience."
Juan Carlos Diaz Arelle
"Trust it. This program relies on the time-tested methods of consistency and incremental gain. I am looking forward new PBs, even at 50 years old!"
Randy Kinsey
"This year I decided to use an 80/20 plan. For the first time, I felt that my training had structure; each unit was part of a whole and it made sense. I was very satisfied with the results."
Jose Fraile
"I PB'd every race I did this year and then topped it off with my first 70.3 thanks to the 80/20 plan I used! PB'd the Olympic distance at nationals!
The 80/20 method really changed my approach to training and got me fitter than I've ever been without a single injury."
Claire Colbert
"I used the 80/20 plan to prepare for my first triathlon, which was also an Ironman 70.3. I was worried about injuries, available time, and being in shape to go the distance. All this worry for no reason, as the plan worked me up to the correct endurance levels without too many stresses on my aging body, and my plan did not overtake my life."
Pat Donohue
"My expectations were exceeded. My fitness level is higher than it has been in two years, and has come at no cost to my body in regards of injury."
Grace Coller
"I was in that "every workout should be hard" mentality until I trusted the 80/20 plan. My hard workouts were tough, but having fresh legs going into them was key."
Alicia Phillips
"By following the 80/20 program I transformed from a 222-lb nonrunner to a 175-lb marathoner in the 10 months."
Brett Hoyer
"Only in my dreams did I dare to aim for 10:45 but the result was so much better: 10:34! No injuries were recorded during the whole preparation period."
Hanan Drobinar
"The training is less demanding and less tiring, and the result exceeds my expectations."
Thomas Løvholt
"I have started to run after few years off and the 80/20 plan allowed me to get fit and achieve my first half marathon in Verona in no time! What I love most is that following a clear and defined plan boosts my motivation because I can see the progress I am making."
Marco Saraceno
"After three surgeries in three years I realized my way of training was wrong. After reading the book 80/20 Triathlon I decided to give it a try. It was fun and easy to follow and I ended up with my a PR in all three disciplines!"
Edson Vassoler
"I loved the Olympic plan I used about a year ago. Now I'm ready to do a half-Ironman."
Mark Burdeshaw
"Having 8020 provide the structure took the anxiety out of my training and knowing whether I was doing the right things!"
Matthew Neale
"When I made the switch to 80/20 I quickly realized that after 10 years of hard training, this new method felt very doable and was a comfortable fit. Thanks for making it available to us in the age-group triathlon world."
Jim Moore
"David and 8020 helped me set a new half marathon PR of 1:46 from 2:35 in 15 weeks. Thank you David for your hands-on coaching. I love the data-driven, balanced approach. I'll never overtrain again."
Tiara Womack
"IUsing your Level 3 Ironman 70.3 Plan I have gone from the bottom third to the top third in my age group at the half-Ironman distance."
Michael Shulman
"I honestly believe that there is no way I could've completed my first Ironman 70.3 were it not for the 80/20 training plan."
Shawn Platt
"I used 80/20 for all of my raining this year and got my highest age-group finishes at any event in my nine years of racing triathlons."
Bob Ford
"I purchased the 80/20 70.3 plan and it completely changed my game. Knowing what workouts you have to do and when to do them removed the hardest part of training for an event, in my opinion. All I had to do was show up when I said I was going to."
Rachel Whitehead
"Using an 80/20 plan, we both came in 7th place in our AG at 70.3 New Zealand! We were fresh all the time and the fatigue we had become accustomed to all those years was not there."
Jose and Isobel Uribe
"I never thought I could beat my personal best Marathon time of 3:09, but with the 80/20 I ran a 2:57! My last kilometer was my fastest and I could have gone another 10K at that pace!"
Lindt de la Port
"I've successfully lowered my Ironman 70.3 time by nearly 40 minutes through 80/20. Don’t be afraid to go slow when you’re supposed to!"
Damon Lebeouf
"80/20 provided a method and training plan that made me excel beyond my wildest imagination in my ever first triathlon."
Erik Enqvist
"Before I started your program I predicted a 14-hour finish in my first Ironman. After sticking to the program and training for six months my conference grew tremendously. I crushed my goal by three hours!"
Greg Pawlisa
"Thank you for the role 80/20 played in getting to the finish line of Ironman Arizona. Going top 10% for my age group feels really great. Thanks for helping me conquer this life goal!"
