The Critical Reload Podcast

How much protein does your teen athlete actually need—and does it all have to come from chicken breasts and protein shakes? In Episode 5 of The Critical Reload Podcast, Mike Bewley breaks down protein without turning dinner into a math problem. You’ll learn what protein does, a practical range for active teenagers, why distribution across the day matters, how to use the palm as a simple portion guide, why protein works best alongside carbohydrates, and when supplements may—or may not—be useful.Fueling Champions for ParentsIf you want to go deeper, Critical Reload's Fueling Champions for Parents takes the ideas we talk about here and puts them into a complete system you can use at home.Learn more here:https://criticalreload.com/courses/critical-reload-fueling-champions-for-parents/Free School-to-Home ToolkitWant to take this episode beyond the listen? Use the Critical Reload School-to-Home Toolkit to help teach the concept at school and reinforce it at home.Access the Toolkit here:https://tinyurl.com/yuhdar7nTeach it at school. Reinforce it at home.

Lunch was at 11:30. Practice starts at 3:30. What happens in between? In this episode of The Critical Reload Podcast, Mike Bewley tackles one of the most common fueling gaps for developing athletes: the after-school window. You’ll learn why the problem is often access and timing—not discipline—what makes a practical pre-practice snack, how food choices should change when practice is only minutes away, and how to build a simple 3:00 PM fueling system your athlete can actually follow.Fueling Champions for ParentsIf you want to go deeper, Critical Reload's Fueling Champions for Parents takes the ideas we cover here and turns them into a complete system you can use at home. Learn more here:https://criticalreload.com/courses/critical-reload-fueling-champions-for-parents/Free School-to-Home ToolkitWant to take this episode beyond the listen? Use the Critical Reload School-to-Home Toolkit to help teach the concept at school and reinforce it at home.Access the Toolkit here:https://tinyurl.com/yuhdar7nTeach it at school. Reinforce it at home.

Carbohydrates have gotten a bad reputation—but for athletes who train hard, they’re an important source of fuel. In Episode 3 of The Critical Reload Podcast, Mike Bewley explains what carbs actually do, how the body stores them as glycogen, why timing and food choice matter, and why cutting carbohydrates can work against an athlete’s performance goals. You’ll also learn a simple way to spot carbohydrate gaps in your athlete’s training day without counting calories or tracking macros.Fueling Champions for ParentsIf you want to go deeper, Critical Reload's Fueling Champions for Parents takes the ideas we talk about here and puts them into a complete system you can use at home. Learn more here:https://criticalreload.com/courses/critical-reload-fueling-champions-for-parents/Free School-to-Home ToolkitWant to take this episode beyond the listen? Use the Critical Reload School-to-Home Toolkit to help teach the concept at school and reinforce it at home.Access the Toolkit here:https://tinyurl.com/yuhdar7nTeach it at school. Reinforce it at home.

Is your athlete really eating enough to support school, growth, training, and recovery? In Episode 2 of The Critical Reload Podcast, Mike Bewley explains how under-fueling can hide inside an otherwise “normal” day—and why a huge dinner doesn’t necessarily make up for long stretches without fuel. You’ll learn how to spot the gaps in your athlete’s schedule, why eating “healthy” isn’t always the same as eating enough, and one simple way to evaluate a training day without counting calories or tracking macros.Fueling Champions for ParentsIf you want to go deeper, Critical Reload's Fueling Champions for Parents takes the ideas we talk about here and puts them into a complete system you can use at home. Learn more here:https://criticalreload.com/courses/critical-reload-fueling-champions-for-parents/Free School-to-Home ToolkitWant to take this episode beyond the listen? Use the Critical Reload School-to-Home Toolkit to help teach the concept at school and reinforce it at home.Access the Toolkit here:https://tinyurl.com/yuhdar7nTeach it at school. Reinforce it at home.

Your athlete doesn’t need a perfect diet—they need repeatable habits that support training, growth, recovery, and real life. In this first episode of The Critical Reload Podcast, Mike Bewley explains why sports nutrition should focus less on “good” and “bad” foods and more on patterns, fueling gaps, the home environment, and small changes parents can actually sustain. You’ll leave with one simple place to start: identify the biggest gap in your athlete’s day before trying to fix everything else.Fueling Champions for ParentsIf you want to go deeper, Critical Reload's Fueling Champions for Parents takes the ideas we talk about here and puts them into a complete system you can use at home. Learn more here:https://criticalreload.com/courses/critical-reload-fueling-champions-for-parents/Free School-to-Home ToolkitWant to take this episode beyond the listen? Use the Critical Reload School-to-Home Toolkit to help teach the concept at school and reinforce it at home.Access the Toolkit here:https://tinyurl.com/yuhdar7nTeach it at school. Reinforce it at home.