This is a common goal for many footballers and athletes, at different times of the season, to optimise their physique - and make their movement more efficient on-pitch.
However, the goal requires careful planning, on the training and nutrition side, to ensure you aren’t compromising health or performance.
An excessively large and/or prolonged energy (calorie) deficit can have many negative consequences, such as impairing endurance, strength, concentration and increasing the risk of illness and injury.
As the energy demands of football are high on matchdays / heavy training days, large and/or prolonged energy deficits can often occur unintentionally (under fuelling when preparing / recovering from matches).
When deliberately targeting reduced body fat, protein intakes should also be increased to ~2.0-2.4g protein per kg of body mass each day, to preserve lean mass when losing weight.
Off-season and pre-season are the best windows for significant changes (rather than during heavy match volume). Realistic targets should be set, and body composition and weight should be regularly tracked.
About us
INTRA Performance Group is a global consultancy with a rich heritage of providing performance nutrition services within elite sport, entertainment and business - maintaining a portfolio of Europe's top performers and organisations.
INTRA Performance Group is the leading organisation in elite football nutrition. We have worked with more than 30 different nationalities across elite football, with significant Champions League and World Cup experience, through to Championship and Division 1.
To have a remote consultation with INTRA Performance Group, and learn more about personalised performance nutrition for elite football, please get in touch with us at team@intraperformancegroup.com