The Surprising Nutrition Habits of Elite Athletes

G’day Legend,

This week I had the pleasure of training five days with five absolutely incredible hybrid athletes. It was as much a physical challenge as it was a calculated experiment for myself—especially with the London Marathon creeping closer.

The mission was simple: learn from them. How they train, how they recover, how they eat. In return, I helped dial in their applied nutrition. But there was one major takeaway that stuck with me—and I think it'll stick with you too..

In This Newsletter:

📕 One Habit Higher performers all share

🙋🏻‍♂️It is time you Set The Standard

🥦 3 Nutrition Observations (That Might Surprise You)

💪Want to share Legendary with your mates who are also into high performance? Share the link with them HERE

The One Habit These Athletes All Share

Bill Walsh, legendary NFL coach, said it best:

“Champions behave like champions before they’re champions”

Every one of these athletes—different backgrounds, different strengths—shared one thing in common: they set the standard before they achieved the result. They didn’t wait to become the athlete they envisioned. They lived like it already.

It wasn’t just about training hard. It was about waking up with intent. Showing gratitude. Owning their mindset.

And above all…
They backed themselves.

Even in the unknown, even without guarantees, they chose to act like the person they wanted to become. No fluff. No waiting for permission. Just consistent, intentional action.

This hit me deep. How often do we hesitate to make a move until we feel ready? The truth is, readiness comes from action. And the athletes who make the biggest leaps are the ones who choose to show up as if—before the title, before the win.

Set your standard

Before every session at The Athletic Club that I train out of in NYC, the coach’s will do a a walk through of every exercise we are about to perform… they make sure to provide us with the expectation of a rep, but then instill in all of us to represent ourselves and those around us by performing a rep and not doing it half hearted… We Set the standard for ourselves so we can show up for those around us.

Whether you’re training, chasing a new goal, or simply trying to build momentum—this is your nudge. Stop waiting for the moment to feel perfect. Set the standard today. If I look back on the biggest impacts on my life, they all came from this principle. Opening a cafe in NYC was a given not a hesitation. Writing Eat Like a legend, that was a dream project and came from the team showing up. We do always wonder the What if? but I fear more the idea of never knowing…

3 Nutrition Observations (That Might Surprise You)

We’ll go deeper on these in upcoming newsletters, but here’s a little sneak peek of what I noticed from this elite crew:

1. Fiber was often overlooked. Despite how clean most of their eating was, fiber seemed to be a missing link. Their meals were full of lean proteins, quality carbs, and good fats—but veggies, legumes, and whole grains weren’t always hitting the plate in a meaningful way.

   Why does this matter? Fiber isn’t just about digestion. It helps regulate blood sugar, supports hormonal balance, and is foundational for gut health—your body’s second brain. If your gut’s off, your performance suffers. Period.

   So here’s the move: if you’re training hard and dialed into macros, don’t forget to zoom out and check in with your micros. Aim for rule #8 of Eating like a legend, aim for 34g of dietary fiber every day

2. They ate by feel, not by numbers. Two newsletters ago we talked about “Think vs Feel” when it comes do your daily decision eating habits. This was actually super refreshing to witness. None of these athletes were glued to tracking apps or obsessed with hitting exact macro targets. They’d built enough awareness over time to tune into their hunger cues, energy levels, and recovery needs.

   They trusted their bodies. That doesn’t mean they were guessing—it means they’d done the work to understand what their bodies needed on hard days, easy days, and in between. It’s intuitive eating, but backed by experience and performance feedback.

   Takeaway? If you're still learning what your body responds to, tracking can help—but eventually, the goal is to move from thinking to feeling. Use data to build awareness, not dependence.

3. Some of them Intermittent Fast… whilst I can support the idea of resetting your gut. Being an athlete and consistently intermittent fasting can have a detrimental effect on simply being in a routine calorie deficit state. This is not all the time, but Ill explain in upcoming newsletters my suggestion for doing this.

Got questions about this? hit me up by replying to this email :)

Quick Notes:

🍳 California law makers are looking to phase out ultra process foods in school lunch programs… this one got me really excited, watch this space

💪 If you saw my recovery on WHOOP this week you will note how intentional i was with getting my sleep despite how much training I did. This is why I use it and if you need that accountability partners click the link HERE and sign up to WHOOP now

🎥 Feel like you get a lot of value from Legendary? Share it with a mate use THIS LINK to earn prizes

Cheers,

DC

#EatGoodFeelGood