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From dancers to skiers, surfers to cyclists, every athlete needs a good breakfast. Our experts’ orders will help you level up your game.
If you’re one of those people who can smash out PBs on a black coffee alone, congratulations. The rest of us probably need to fuel up on something more substantial before doing anything physical.
The evidence backs a hearty breakfast. A 2015 study in the journal Nutrients found that when it comes to sport, it’s the best thing since sliced bread. The authors noted that: “higher energy intake at breakfast was associated with lower fatigue and higher overall mood and alertness post-exercise.”
So, all in all, pretty good.
The thing is, endless overnight oats can get pretty boring.
No one knows this better than professional athletes. Over decades long careers, across a wide range of sports, the athletes here have perfected their breakfast order through trial and error, leading to bespoke nutrition that powers them through their chosen sport.
Not all of the options below will work for you. But they might inspire you to mix things up, and maybe even unlock your true potential – proving that breakfast really is the most important meal of the day.
Chemmy Alcott is Britain’s most successful female alpine ski racer and now runs CDC Performance. No matter how busy she is, she always makes time to fuel with a hot breakfast.
“Breakfast is the meal for me,” Alcott says. “It’s my favourite meal and the one that I physically and mentally can't live without. My go-to is seed bread with chorizo and chestnut mushrooms, plus scrambled eggs and spinach. Even my kids have a cooked breakfast. I do like protein porridge with carrots and raisins, but find I always get hungry again a few hours later.
“I’ve been training professionally since before my first Olympics in 1999, but I probably eat more protein for breakfast now than I did then. It gives me the focus, clarity, strength, and endurance I need to perform.
“In the winter, if we’re staying in hotels for Ski Sunday filming it’s harder to get eggs and protein, so I just eat what’s on offer – Alpen cereal or something low sugar. A treat is a croissant or weekend protein pancakes but they can sometimes taste like cardboard.”
Ultrarunner Ben Harrison has completed all four races in the Global Race Series, including the Jungle Ultra, a five day multi-stager event which he won this year. For him, recovery post-workout is just as important as his pre-race carbs.
“As an ultra marathon runner, having endurance and quick recovery is essential,” says Harrison. “Porridge with banana is simple and quick to make before a long run. Cruciially, it’s easy to digest and high in good quality carbs.
“Post workout is just as important. I try to get in a good range of fruits and vegetables with anti-oxidants, phytonutrients and essential fats are high in my list. Whole foods like berries, nuts, seeds and legumes help aid recovery and are also high in protein.
“Obviously, life does get in the way sometimes and you don’t have time to prepare, so the chocolate Huel Ready-to-drink is my go to post workout. I find other options don’t consider micronutrients and focus too much on artificial ingredients.
“It works: I recover very quickly on this diet and rarely get run down or lack energy. Even after long events like five-day ultras, I’m fine within a week, and have been lucky not to get any serious injuries.”
Professional surfer Stan Norman needs to load up to withstand the waves.
“Breakfast depends on my training schedule,” Norman explains. “Pre-surf, I’ll go for bacon, garlic mushrooms, toast with real butter, and some sort of fruit smoothie. Plus one or two strong black coffees. Pre-gym, I’ll for yogurt and granola or overnight oats to feel lighter and fresher.
“With surfing, I like the feeling of being nicely full for warmth in the cold water. Surf sessions don’t provide as many opportunities to refuel. It’s usually pretty intense, especially on camps. We’re in the water for 6am and can be in the water for up to eight hours.
“Three sessions a day means I need sustained energy. Without a good breakfast, I have noticed I become tired quickly, which can be quite dangerous. Surfing is a sport where you are completely at one with nature and during a big swell when the waves are pumping you need to be on your game physically to cope.”
As the founder of Girl Skate UK and a wild food expert, Danielle Gallacher knows that when it comes to breakfast, natural is the way to go.
“Every morning I’ll make a smoothie with frozen homegrown fruit, water or fresh juice and some sort of mushroom powder,” she says. “I notice a huge difference when I supplement my smoothies. I’ll add cordyceps if I need some energy or stamina, lion’s mane if I need to clear my head and focus, and chaga or reishi if I’m feeling under the weather or in need of some immune support. Nettle seeds are also awesome for boosting energy and are a massively underused food source.”
“After my shake I’ll have a bowl of kefir with oats, nettle seed and whatever berries are in season – at the moment it’s bilberries and blackberries. I do have a sweet tooth, and pancakes or waffles with hazelnut butter, roasted plums or applesauce, topped with loads of nuts and seeds is a treat.”
John Dewey is the director of cycling experts Epic Road Rides. With long roads ahead, he needs to fuel up early, giving his body time to hit peak energy, and performance.
“I always eat breakfast before a workout,” Dewey says. “It’s always an easily digestible mix of complex carbohydrates and protein. My favourites include wholegrain toast and peanut butter or homemade bircher muesli. The key is to eat two hours before training or racing so my energy is there when it needs to be.
“Performance improvement requires completing your planned training, whether it’s a five-hour mountain trail run or several four-minute, high intensity cycling intervals. Getting enough protein (1.5-2g per kg of body weight, daily) is important and easily overlooked, for both strength and endurance athletes. Gains build incrementally through consistency, so avoiding illness and staying injury free are key. You only get the full training benefit through good recovery and sleep. All of these are dependent on optimal nutrition.
“I’ve tried almost everything over several decades, from fasted training to full English breakfast! Variety is the spice of life, but before an important event or training session, I minimise risks and stick with what I know works well for me.”
Eloise Skinner is a fitness, dance, and yoga instructor. Her schedule varies depending on whether she’s teaching early classes, but her breakfast preference is always something sweeter.
“I prefer something sweeter in the morning,” Skinner says. “I might go for a mix of granola and yoghurt, or oats with honey. I normally drink orange juice, and tea with milk. I never exercise without eating. I swam competitively when I was at school and always had to have a decent breakfast. Now, if I’m on the go or teaching early, I might grab a bagel or protein bar. If it’s super early, I might go for a protein shake and probably have a second
breakfast later in the morning!
“Being properly fuelled makes me feel safer to push into more intense physical movements, especially things like inversions (for yoga) or deep stretching sequences (for dance or Pilates). If I'm on equipment – like the Pilates reformer – it also makes me feel more stable and secure on my feet.
“The mental benefits are also really important; if I'm teaching early in the morning, I need to be able to articulate properly, project my voice, and be alert to the class and members. Having a good breakfast helps me stay focused and attentive.”
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