Sports and Exercise Nutrition

The science-based certification designed to teach you how to work with highly competitive athletes and active clients, and help with their endurance, power, strength, and fitness.

9.5/10

Rated 9.4/10 based on 23,600+ reviews

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More than 82% of young athletes use sports supplements
Athletes tend to eat 5 to 9 times a day
Up to 80% of competitively trained male endurance athletes may not be reaching their energy needs
The global sports nutrition market is expected to reach $81.8 billion by 2030, an increase of 7.4% from 2023
Nearly half of student athletes may have regrets about their diet quality and inadequate fuelling

Full Curriculum

9.5/10

Rated 9.4/10 based on 23,600+ reviews

  • Learn the latest science-based strategies in sports nutrition – from elite performance and endurance to power, strength, muscle building, and fat loss.

  • Graduation Bonus (post-course completion): A to Z Guide Supplements, Performance Enhancers and Engineered Sports Foods

  • Certificate and online badge provided upon completion

  • Includes over 50 practical tools to assess diets, estimate macronutrient needs, and plan meals for pre-workout, during training, and post-exercise recovery.

  • No deadline to complete - you can start, pause and continue at your own pace

  • Lifetime access to course materials

  • Click here for the FAQs

Testimonials

5/5
The worksheets helped me to get hands-on experience in developing personalised programs for regular exercisers and athletes.
- Mukong Peter Zhung, Cameroon
5/5
This course has helped me understand more regarding nutritional requirements, and enhance my own personal training regime.
- James Streatfield, UK
5/5
“I enjoyed learning the science about performance nutrition after having just made it up for over a decade! It’s great to have practical examples; makes it easier to put into practice. I started utilising my new knowledge and found my energy is maintained for longer during training sessions. I’m looking forward to implementing pre-competition strategies soon. I’m also planning to use my knowledge and qualifications to assist young, less-experienced athletes as part of a mentoring program.”
- Lizzie Simmonds, Advanced Sports and Exercise Nutritional Advisor
5/5
“First of all, I want to tell you that the information is very, very cool. It is actually great because it is based on current trends in nutrition and gives you basic knowledge on how to apply the information that you have received into practice. Customer service is great also. They were very perfect with the couple of issues we had, but we got it resolved with no problem. I just want to assure you that you won't feel any bad that you have enrolled, because every day you learn something new. And it's just a great program. I want to thank everybody who has created this amazing program. The science reports that come out every week are just great. I love reading them. It's just one of them, and I'm very proud of The Health Sciences Academy”
- Olga Svyrydova, US Pro Swimmer and 5x US Fitness Model Champion

Who is this for?

  • Sports coaches and personal trainers
  • From beginner to elite athletes
  • Team sports athletes – tennis, football, rugby, hockey
  • Those preparing for marathons, triathlons, cycling, rowing, martial arts events
  • Powerlifters and bodybuilders
  • Anyone interested in cutting-edge scientific methods
Learn to answer these questions and engineer a personalised nutritional programme:
  • Endurance
  • Power and strength
  • Weight (fat) loss
  • Weight (muscle) gain
  • Competition
  • Fuelling muscles before, during and after exercise
  • Building / repairing muscles
  • Replacing sweat losses
Can I lose weight without losing muscle? Are sports drinks necessary? Whey protein or casein? What and when should I eat on the competition day? Can I carb-load without fat gain? Supplements… or food?

31 units • 90 CPD hours • video • worksheets

Course overview
  • Introduction to nutrition for physical activity
  • Nutritional recommendations for your client
  • Building a personalised diet plan for your client
  • Analysing your client's food diary and fluid intake
  • Planning a training diet
  • How the body stores energy
  • Carbohydrates: Fuel for exercise
  • Protein and amino acids: Muscle repair and growth
  • Body fat and essential fatty acids for performance
  • Introduction of hydration strategies
  • Micro-nutrients: Vitamins, minerals and antioxidants
  • Good carbs, bad carbs, and the glycaemic index of foods
  • Calculating and fine-tuning your client’s carbohydrate requirements
  • Carb loading methods for endurance events
  • Fuelling muscles before exercise: How to plan a pre-exercise diet
  • Fuelling muscles during exercise: How to plan a training diet
  • Fuelling muscles between workouts: How to plan workout meals
  • Fuel after exercise and recovery: How to plan a post-exercise diet
  • Building and repairing muscles: Role of protein and amino acids
  • Protein for muscle strength, recovery and performance
  • Calculating your client’s protein requirements
  • Planning a Weight Control Diet: Weight (fat) loss, weight (muscle) gain, and weight maintenance
  • Replacing sweat losses: Effects of hydration on performance
  • Hydrating before, during and after exercise
  • The science of sports drinks
  • Pre-competition nutrition: Optimum nutrition for peak performance
  • Nutrition strategies on the competition day
  • Planning a competition eating programme
  • Dos, don'ts and must dos as a Sports and Exercise Nutritional Advisor
  • Legal, Insurance, Tax and Professional Considerations
  • The science of supplements, performance enhancers and engineered sports foods A to Z: Effectiveness, side effects, who should take them, scientific research. Includes anabolic steroids and prohibited stimulants (bonus worth £59)

Grab your FREE Graduation Bonus!

Only for students who complete the Sports and Exercise Nutritional Advisor course. A special bonus pack with the science of supplements, performance enhancers and engineered sports foods (worth £59!)

Business in a box

Tools to personalise programmes
Templates for immediate use with clients

Earn while you learn

A complete coaching blueprint
Planning materials to equip your practice

A complete blueprint for you

  • Engineered sports products (from lite waters to protein shakes)
  • Food diary analyses and recommendations
  • Competition diets for peak performance (from short to prolonged events)
  • Hydration strategies used by elite athletes and world-class champions
  • Science-based nutritional plans: per training volume, gender, weight, metabolism, athletic goals
  • Covers team sports, endurance, strength and power, bodybuilding, weight control
  • Advice from the International Olympic Committee and world-leading scientists
9.5/10

Rated 9.4/10 based on 23,600+ reviews

When you join, you'll also get:

  • Unlimited access to your course lessons, worksheets and planning tools, including all future updates
  • PDF files for all key materials – you can open, save or print these at your convenience
  • Printable templates to use with clients right away: Questionnaires, programme planners, intake assessments, client workbooks, progress trackers, scripts, session handouts, shopping lists, recipes, health checks, and legal forms
  • Interactive, automatically graded online quizzes which you need to complete before moving onto your next module
  • A fully automatically graded final exam (Score > 80% and you have passed…. No retake fees!)
  • Interactive questionnaires and polls – add your voice and see what your fellow students say
  • SKILLS LAB™ – guided tasks, learning tasks, worksheets, idea banks creation, and games. Instantly apply what you learn and stay motivated by comparing how your classmates are doing!
  • Video training in key modules, with guided learning tasks and practical workbooks
  • Glossary, conversions guide and additional resources with examples, science or reference research
  • Instant PDF certificate upon completion in your name, signed and dated by your certification director
  • Achievement badge to display on your website, business card and marketing materials
  • 24/7 access to the Learner Services portal
  • Graduation BONUS (post-course completion): A to Z Guide Supplements, Performance Enhancers and Engineered Sports Foods
  • And none of it expires!

Frequently Asked Questions

Redeeming your Groupon voucher is straightforward:
1. GO HERE to redeem your coupon
2. Enter your details and apply the voucher code provided
3. You will receive instant access to your course!
This offer is limited to UK residents only. However, please contact us directly via the online chat or via email and we may be able to arrange something for you.
Your voucher is only valid for the certification purchased. However, we offer a range of courses that might interest you for additional learning if you want to upgrade. If you can no longer obtain a refund with Groupon, we may be able to help - please email us.
Yes, this is optional. We can arrange a printed pack for this certification. It will be printed in high colour, on demand, in your name (!), and sent via courier to your home address.
Remember that you do not require the pack to certify. However, it’s a good way to take advantage of your already-made savings. You will be provided with an opportunity to get your custom pack after enrolment.
Yes, this is optional. You can optionally purchase audio lessons for this certification once you've enrolled.
If you have special needs (e.g. visually impaired) please contact us with evidence and we'll arrange the audio lessons free of charge.
Yes, all vouchers must be redeemed by 25 November 2025. Please ensure you register before this date to access your course and avoid losing out.
In the unlikely event that you seek a refund, please note that Groupon allows refunds for unredeemed vouchers within 3 days of purchase. These terms are set by Groupon and they supersede our more flexible refund policy for normal enrolments.
This Groupon offer is intended for new students.
However... existing students can access a matching loyalty offer while the Groupon deal is active. This will be the Groupon Fee + our manual Administration Fee + VAT. Please contact us directly to avail of this.
If your voucher has expired, contact us immediately.
We may still be able to offer you a replacement coupon for the amount you've paid (not the value of the courses), although a manual Administrative Fee will apply. Replacement coupons are entirely at the discretion of The Health Sciences Academy.
NONE! Anyone can join and will benefit from this high-quality certification. There are no prerequisites and you can study this certification without any prior knowledge.
Note: anyone under the age of 16 needs written approval from a parent.
Yes, we can arrange an optional physical certificate after you’ve graduated.
Our certificates are printed on security paper, with unique identifiers. There is a fee for the materials, packaging, handling and postage. Please get in touch with our team to arrange this.
No, there are absolutely no retake fees. You can retake the final multiple-choice exam as many times as needed. Plus, all exams are open-book so there’s no pressure to memorise everything. Your course materials will always be there as a trusted reference whenever you need them.
By the end of this certification you'll be able to:
      • Engineer a personalised nutritional programme for peak performance: from endurance to strength and power, and from short to prolonged events
      • Gain advanced knowledge on sports nutrition and sports drinks, including the right hydration at the right time and how to replace sweat losses
      • Analyse food journals, plan a training diet, and schedule eating times for fuel efficiency, fitness, and recovery
      • Understand how the body stores glycogen and fat, and how to fuel muscles before, during, and after exercise
      • Calculate carbohydrate, protein, and fat requirements for muscle recovery, muscle preservation, weight (fat) loss, and weight (muscle) gain
      • Create competition diets for endurance, power and strength, including planning and rehearsing carb loading strategies for peak performance
Yes, of course. Once you are registered, you get lifetime access to everything, so you can pick a pace that works for you or start, pause, and restart whenever you want to.
Many of our current students are working full-time, part-time, or juggling multiple roles, so your flexibility is always our priority. Plus you have 24/7 access to it all to learn from any device of your choice.
Yes! You get lifetime access to everything so you can revisit your certification, client materials and session handouts, Skills Lab™, research materials, etc whenever you want. You'll even receive future course updates.
We’re here to ensure you get all the support you need! Here are a few ways you can reach out for help: We're here to help make your learning experience as smooth and enjoyable as possible!

Unlimited, lifetime access.

9.5/10

Rated 9.4/10 based on 23,600+ reviews

Training Nutritionists of the Future™
© Copyright The Health Sciences Academy. The content, graphs and charts on this page have been exclusively prepared for The Health Sciences Academy and its prospect students, existing students and graduates. None of the content on this page and website may be reproduced, copied or altered without our explicit permission. Criminal and legal penalties for copyright and other infringement apply. All Terms and Conditions apply.
The Health Sciences Academy® is the world’s largest 100% science-based online educational institution that’s setting the gold standard in professional nutrition practice.
✔ helping health and wellness professionals grow successful client practices
✔ raising industry standards since 2012 through personalised nutrition science
© Copyright The Health Sciences Academy. The content, graphs and charts on this page have been exclusively prepared for The Health Sciences Academy and its prospect students, existing students and graduates. None of the content on this page and website may be reproduced, copied or altered without our explicit permission. Criminal and legal penalties for copyright and other infringement apply. All Terms and Conditions apply.

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