Pickleball then tennis

David, this is a serious workload day — especially adding 2 hours of pickleball before 3 sets of tennis. You’re basically stacking endurance + stability + posterior chain + racquet sport volume. Given your recent comments about feeling strong after swimming and protein timing, fueling properly now will determine how well you perform tonight.

You need three things before 6pm:

1. Glycogen refill (carbs)

2. Moderate protein

3. Low fat / low fiber so digestion is easy

⏱ Timing Strategy

If tennis is at 6pm:

🕒 2–3 hours before (ideal main meal around 3–4pm)

Focus on:

• 60–90g carbohydrates

• 20–30g protein

• Minimal fat

Good options:

• Rice + grilled chicken + small vegetables

• Pasta with light tomato sauce + turkey

• Baked potato + Greek yogurt + fruit

• Oatmeal + banana + whey protein

Because you already did 16g protein, aim for another ~20g here.

🕔 30–45 minutes before tennis (optional top-off)

Especially since you already did 2 hours pickleball:

• Banana

• Small granola bar

• Half bagel with honey

• Few dates

• Electrolytes + water

This keeps blood glucose stable entering set 2–3.

💧 Hydration

Given:

• Strength work

• Core work

• 2 hrs pickleball

• Now tennis

You are at real risk of performance drop in set 3 if underhydrated.

Drink:

• 16–24 oz water between now and 6pm

• Add electrolytes if possible (even a pinch of salt in water works)

⚖️ What NOT to Do

Avoid:

• Heavy fats (burgers, fried food)

• Big salads (fiber = GI distress)

• Protein shakes alone (not enough carbs)

• Large dairy if sensitive

🔥 Performance Insight

You’ve been stacking:

• Swim recovery

• Aggressive strength blocks

• High racquet volume

Your nervous system is being taxed more than your muscles.

If you feel:

• Slightly flat or heavy legs tonight → that’s glycogen.

• Mentally sharp but legs slow → fuel issue.

• Whole body sluggish → cumulative fatigue.

After Tennis

You’ll need:

• 25–35g protein

• 60–80g carbs

• Salt + fluids

Given your recent positive response to swimming as recovery, tomorrow may be better as:

• Light swim

• Or walk + mobility

  
  

  instead of another aggressive lift.

If you want, tell me:

• Your bodyweight

• Whether tonight is competitive intensity or casual

• What food you have available right now

And I’ll dial this in precisely for you.