The Nutrition Model Pros ACTUALLY Use (It’s Not Calories In/Out) | Mike Postumus | Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast 581
Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast - Presented by TrainerRoad
TrainerRoad
4.9 • 4.6K Ratings
🗓️ 16 April 2026
⏱️ 46 minutes
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Summary
🍝 Free Cycling Nutrition Calculator! 👉 https://trainerroad.cc/cyclingnutritioncalculator
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// TOPICS COVERED
(00:00:00) Welcome
(00:01:02) Why Calories In vs Calories Out Is Too Simple for Athletes
(00:01:56) Listener Question: High Training Load but Low Energy & Fatigue
(00:04:47) What Is Energy Availability & Why It Matters (RED-S Explained)
(00:05:51) How to Calculate Your Energy Availability Step-by-Step
(00:09:37) Why Athletes Underfuel Without Realizing It
(00:10:16) “Fuel the Work”: Why Your Calorie Needs Are Higher Than You Think
(00:11:04) Rethinking Fat vs Carbs for Performance
(00:12:16) Glycogen Replenishment Timing & Recovery Insights
(00:14:18) Will Eating More Make You Gain Weight?
(00:17:23) Finding Your Optimal Energy Availability Range
(00:19:40) Periodizing Nutrition Across Training & Race Season
(00:20:33) Fueling for Hard vs Easy Days (Daily Nutrition Strategy)
(00:22:26) Carb Timing: How to Fuel Before Key Workouts
(00:24:21) When to Focus on Weight Loss vs Performance
(00:26:44) How to Safely Improve Body Composition Without Hurting Performance
(00:28:11) Practical Ways to Increase Calories Without Feeling Overfull
(00:31:34) Foods That Make High-Carb Fueling Easier (and What to Avoid)
(00:33:10) Are Sugary Foods OK for Athletes?
(00:36:00) Inside Elite Performance: What Top Pros Do Differently
(00:41:29) Managing Athlete Slumps, Injury, and Comebacks
In this episode, Coach Jonathan and the team sit down with performance director Mike Postumus to break down one of the most misunderstood topics in endurance sports nutrition: energy availability and why “calories in vs. calories out” isn’t the full picture. They walk through how to properly calculate energy availability relative to fat-free mass, why chronically low intake can lead to RED-S and suppressed performance, and how many athletes unknowingly underfuel despite structured training. The conversation dives into practical strategies like periodizing nutrition across hard and easy days, prioritizing high-carbohydrate fueling for key sessions, and adjusting fat and fiber intake to support glycogen replenishment and recovery. They also address common fears around weight gain, explaining how proper fueling improves performance, recovery, and long-term body composition when applied correctly. The episode wraps with insights into elite athlete performance, highlighting how trust, consistency, and individualized fueling strategies contribute to success at the highest level.
// RESOURCES MENTIONED
- Free Cycling Nutrition Calculator: https://trainerroad.cc/cyclingnutritioncalculator
- Mike Posthumus’ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mike_posthumus
- Mike's company: https://www.sciencetosport.com
- Specialized Factory Racing’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/specialized_factoryxc
- Specialized Off-Road’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/specialized_offroadracing
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Ask a Cycling Coach podcast, presented by Trainer Road today. |
| 0:02.8 | We are going to talk about perhaps one of the best ways to manage your nutrition |
| 0:06.9 | and maybe give you the sort of fuel you need to finally get past that FTP plateau. |
| 0:11.2 | And we have with us Mike Posthumus to discuss this. |
| 0:14.0 | Mike Postomis is an associate professor at the University of Cape Town. |
| 0:17.7 | He has his PhD and exercise science from there. |
| 0:19.5 | He's also the performance director for the specialized factory team, manages that of the factory XC team, but also |
| 0:26.0 | the off-road team as well. Frequent guests on this podcast, Keegan Sophia, Matt, the crew there. |
| 0:32.8 | Mike, it's really good to have you on. I don't know if you know, but we raised Cape Epic together |
| 0:36.4 | back in the COVID edition of Cape Epic. Way back |
| 0:39.2 | when? Oh, wow. I didn't know that. |
| 0:43.5 | You race with Sophia. That's right. |
| 0:45.7 | Sophia was with our CEO, and then I was with our |
| 0:49.2 | C-O-O-O, Brandon, a good friend of mine. And we |
| 0:52.7 | went through the whole way. Our CEO crashed out on |
| 0:55.3 | stage one. And Sophia went solo from the rest of the race. It's good time. Yeah, absolutely. |
| 1:04.3 | Yeah, absolutely. Happy to have you on here. I wanted to bring you on specifically because |
| 1:09.1 | months, even over now, it's been years ago, |
| 1:13.3 | I described the energy availability model. |
| 1:16.6 | It's a way to be able to manage your nutrition, and I did a really poor job of explaining it. |
| 1:21.2 | And as a result, a lot of athletes just said, what is Jonathan on about? |
| 1:24.3 | This is silly. |
... |
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