Athletes generally need a balanced intake of carbohydrates for energy, protein for recovery, and healthy fats for overall health, adjusted to their sport, training volume, and goals.
Duration of the online course: 8 hours and 30 minutes
4.9
(8)
Boost performance and recovery with a free online sports nutrition course. Learn fueling, hydration, supplements, and smart meal timing—earn a certificate-ready skillset.
Training hard is only half the equation. The way you fuel, hydrate, and recover can determine whether your workouts translate into speed, strength, endurance, and consistency. This free online course in Sports Nutrition helps you connect everyday food choices to real athletic outcomes, using practical, evidence-based guidance you can apply whether you compete, coach, or simply want to feel better while exercising.
You will learn how to estimate energy needs more confidently, understand why many athletes under-fuel, and build a balanced approach to macronutrients that supports both performance and body composition. Instead of chasing trends, you will develop a framework for choosing carbohydrates, fats, and proteins based on your sport demands, training phase, and personal goals. You will also become more comfortable using tools and labels to make quick decisions at the grocery store and when planning meals around practices, games, and long training sessions.
The course also tackles topics athletes often struggle to get clear answers on: hydration strategy, electrolyte losses, cramps, and the reality behind common myths such as coffee and dehydration. You will explore micronutrients linked to energy, immunity, and fatigue, along with considerations that matter for specific populations, including female athletes, vegan athletes, young athletes, masters athletes, and those dealing with low iron or being underweight. Mental and physical health are treated as part of performance too, with attention to body image, RED-S, and sustainable habits.
As you progress, you will strengthen your decision-making around supplements and ergogenic aids, learning how to weigh safety, effectiveness, and timing for options such as caffeine, creatine, beta-alanine, bicarbonate, beet juice, fish oil, and more. Recovery nutrition, nutrition during illness or injury, and strategies to reduce gastrointestinal distress help you stay consistent when training stress is high. The course closes by showing how modern tools, including AI, can support personalized planning while keeping your choices grounded in sound principles.
By the end, you will have a clearer, more actionable sports nutrition strategy to support performance, health, and long-term progress—without relying on gimmicks or extreme rules.
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8 hours and 30 minutes of online video course
Digital certificate of course completion (Free)
Exercises to train your knowledge
100% free, from content to certificate
What macronutrient ranges should athletes use to support training and performance?
Athletes generally need a balanced intake of carbohydrates for energy, protein for recovery, and healthy fats for overall health, adjusted to their sport, training volume, and goals.
Why can BMI be inaccurate for athletes?
BMI does not distinguish muscle from body fat, so muscular athletes may be classified as overweight despite having healthy body composition.
What energy system powers exercise lasting less than 10 seconds?
The ATP-PC, or phosphagen, system provides immediate energy for short, explosive efforts such as sprints, jumps, and heavy lifts.
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Course comments: Sports Nutrition
Samuel Mkandawire
A very eye opening course on sports nutrition, I would recommend professionals in the field of sports to take this course.