The Critical Reload Podcast

Your athlete doesn't stop training when practice ends. In Episode 10 of The Critical Reload Podcast, Mike Bewley explains why sleep belongs in the training and recovery process—not as whatever time is left after everything else. You'll learn how much sleep teenagers generally need, why simply adding more training isn't always the answer, how school, practice, homework, and evening routines can squeeze sleep opportunity, and one simple way to identify where your athlete's night is breaking down.

Critical Reload Shakes for Parents
Critical Reload is an athlete recovery shake with carbs + protein to help refuel after training and bridge the gap until the next meal.

Get it here:
https://criticalreload.com/critical-reload-for-parents-2/

Fueling Champions for Parents
If 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 Toolkit
Want 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/yuhdar7n

Teach it at school. Reinforce it at home.

What should your athlete actually eat after practice? In Episode 9 of Fueling Champions, Mike Bewley simplifies recovery nutrition into three jobs: refuel, rebuild, and rehydrate. You’ll learn why carbohydrate, protein, and fluid all matter, how recovery changes depending on how soon dinner is coming, when a snack or shake makes sense, and why your athlete doesn’t need a perfectly timed post-workout meal to recover well.

Critical Reload Shakes for Parents
Critical Reload is an athlete recovery shake with carbs + protein to help refuel after training and bridge the gap until the next meal.

Get it here:
https://criticalreload.com/critical-reload-for-parents-2/

Fueling Champions for Parents
If 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 Toolkit
Want 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/yuhdar7n

Teach it at school. Reinforce it at home.

The biggest hydration mistake may happen hours before practice begins. In Episode 8 of Fueling Champions, Mike Bewley explains why athletes should arrive at practice hydrated rather than trying to catch up after the first whistle. You’ll learn how the school day can quietly create a hydration deficit, why carrying a water bottle isn’t the same as drinking from it, how simple hydration anchors can make the habit easier, and what urine color, thirst, and other everyday clues can—and can’t—tell you.

Fueling Champions for Parents
If 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 Toolkit
Want 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/yuhdar7n

Teach it at school. Reinforce it at home.

Does every athlete need a sports drink just because they’re practicing? No—but sometimes a sports drink is exactly the right tool. In Episode 7 of Fueling Champions, Mike Bewley explains when water is enough, when electrolytes become more useful, when carbohydrate in a sports drink can help, and why duration, intensity, heat, sweat loss, and the athlete themselves all matter. You’ll also learn the important difference between sports drinks, electrolyte drinks, and energy drinks—and one simple question to ask before choosing what goes in the bottle.

Fueling Champions for Parents
If 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 Toolkit
Want 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/yuhdar7n

Teach it at school. Reinforce it at home.

A protein-heavy dinner still counts—but it can’t go backward and recreate the opportunities your athlete missed earlier in the day. In Episode 6 of Fueling Champions, Mike Bewley explains why the pattern of protein intake matters, where teen athletes commonly fall short, and how parents can improve breakfast, lunch, and the training window without counting every gram. The goal isn’t perfect distribution. It’s making protein a consistent part of the day instead of a nightly rescue mission.

Fueling Champions for Parents
If 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 Toolkit
Want 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/yuhdar7n

Teach it at school. Reinforce it at home.

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 Parents
If 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 Toolkit
Want 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/yuhdar7n

Teach 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 Parents
If 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 Toolkit
Want 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/yuhdar7n

Teach 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 Parents
If 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 Toolkit
Want 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/yuhdar7n

Teach 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 Parents
If 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 Toolkit
Want 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/yuhdar7n

Teach 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 Parents
If 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 Toolkit
Want 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/yuhdar7n

Teach it at school. Reinforce it at home.