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The off-season is often viewed as a time for recovery only, but increasingly for footballers it’s becoming one of the most important performance windows of the year.

Without the demands of weekly games, the body becomes more responsive to training, nutrition, and recovery strategies. It’s a rare period where players have full control to build physical foundations that drive performance across the season.

It’s also a chance to understand what the body actually needs. With access to performance data, decisions around fitness and nutrition can become intentional, rather than reactive, and remove any guesswork.

The key shift is this: players who return in better condition aren’t chasing fitness, but refining it. They’re more prepared for the demands ahead, and when they arrive for pre-season, they’re not surviving but sharpening.

Explore how we support players:

👉 Football Off-Season Performance Package

History was made last weekend when Sabastian Sawe ran 1:59:30 at the London Marathon, becoming the first man to break the two hour barrier in competitive race conditions.

When asked how he fuelled beforehand, his answer seemed to raise a few eyebrows: two slices of toast with honey and tea. No oversized bowl of porridge. No elaborate routine. Just something simple.

At first glance, it sounds basic. In reality, it’s exactly right.

Race-day breakfast isn’t where performance is built — it’s where it’s revealed, if done right. The real work happens in the 24–48 hours beforehand, when a well-executed carbohydrate load tops up muscle glycogen stores. By the time race morning arrives, the tank is largely already full.

Overnight, liver glycogen stores do decline as they help regulate blood glucose while you sleep. So the goal that morning isn’t to “fuel up” from scratch — it’s simply to top things back up, without causing digestive stress.

That’s why Sawe’s choice was spot on. Toast and honey provide quick, easily digestible carbohydrates. Tea offers a small caffeine lift. Light, efficient, and exactly what’s needed.

The sports nutrition brand, Maurten, then revealed that he layered this with a final carb top-up closer to the start — this included sipping on their Drink Mix 320 on the bus ride over and a Gel 100 just minutes before the gun. Again, simple carbs, timed well.

Dan leads our nutrition strategy, research, and innovation, supporting athletes to optimise their fuelling for peak performance and recovery.

• Specialism: Endurance fuelling, exercise metabolism & vitamin D
• Go-to tip: if you want to make changes to your diet or exercise routine, start small. Complete overhauls rarely stick.
• Favourite session: A classic Stephen Seiler: 4x8 minutes at ~90% heart rate max.
• Fuel of choice: Bagel with peanut butter and banana
• Outside the lab: Coffee enthusiast and trail runner

Choosing the right cooking oil: For sautéing, roasting, or everyday cooking, choose oils with higher smoke points that stay stable under heat. Good choices are avocado and sesame, plus extra virgin olive oil for moderate heats.