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Do climbers eat enough?

In every diet study we found, many climbers ate less than the benchmarks those studies used for their training. · 3 min read · Updated October 1, 2026

In short: Diet studies of climbers, from teenagers to elite adults, keep finding the same pattern: a large share eat less energy and fewer carbs than general sports-nutrition guidance suggests for their training, while protein is usually fine. Here’s what the studies found and the carb ranges to compare against.

How we made this guide: we built it from the research below and checked every number against it: Monedero et al., advanced and elite climbers (2023); Mora-Fernandez et al., sport climbers (2024); Gibson-Smith et al., experienced and elite climbers (2020); Michael et al., adolescent climbers’ diets (2019); Joubert et al., review of climbing nutrition studies (2026); IOC consensus statement on REDs (2023); ACSM, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics & Dietitians of Canada joint position stand (2016); Quarmby et al., overuse injury systematic review (2023); Nigicser et al., Swedish climbers (2024).

Climbing has a long “lighter climbs harder” culture. The diet research on climbers points to a different problem: many aren’t eating enough to cover their training.

What the studies found

StudyWhoFinding
Monedero et al., 202325 advanced and elite climbers88% had energy availability below 45 kcal/kg FFM a day; 28% below 30
Mora-Fernandez et al., 202446 Spanish sport climbers56% suboptimal energy availability; 36% low
Gibson-Smith et al., 202040 experienced and elite climbers78% ate less than estimated for a moderate training load
Michael et al., 201922 adolescent climbers82% below their energy target, 86% below their carb target; protein mostly met

“Energy availability” is the energy left for the body after training, per kg of fat-free mass. FFM = fat-free mass. The studies define their cut-offs differently, so the rows are not directly comparable.

The same pattern shows up across them: average carbohydrate intake was about 3.4–4.3 g per kg of body weight a day in the studies that reported it, which Monedero and Michael judged below the targets they set for those climbers’ training. Protein was usually adequate, though the women in the Monedero study ate low protein. In the Gibson-Smith study, climbers who trained more didn’t report eating more.

Why it matters

The International Olympic Committee’s 2023 consensus statement (Mountjoy et al.) describes Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs): when intake doesn’t cover training, health and performance can suffer. It also flags low carbohydrate availability as part of the problem. The often-quoted 30 and 45 kcal/kg thresholds come from short lab studies, so the statement treats them as rough guides, not hard lines. They came from small studies in women; for men the statement says problems appear to start at lower values.

On the “lighter is better” idea: a 2023 systematic review of overuse injuries in adult climbers (Quarmby et al., 2023, 34 studies) found body weight and BMI were not associated with overuse injury risk. The factors that were associated included higher climbing intensity, bouldering, crimping, lower finger strength and previous injury. This says nothing about climbing performance either way; it is about injury risk.

A carb range to compare against

There are no climbing-specific nutrition guidelines yet. A 2026 review of 16 climbing diet studies (Joubert et al.) points out that no trial has tested a diet in climbers. Until one does, the general sports-nutrition ranges (ACSM joint position stand, 2016) are a common benchmark. Which row fits depends on how long and hard you train; matching climbing sessions to these rows is our reading, not a climbing study. Longer or harder days fall in the higher ACSM bands (6–10 g/kg).

Body weightLight or skill-based day (3–5 g/kg)About 1 hour a day, moderate (5–7 g/kg)
110 lb (50 kg)150–250 g250–350 g
130 lb (59 kg)180–290 g290–410 g
150 lb (68 kg)200–340 g340–480 g
170 lb (77 kg)230–390 g390–540 g
190 lb (86 kg)260–430 g430–600 g

Calculated from the ACSM ranges and rounded to the nearest 10 g. The same stand suggests 1.2–2.0 g of protein per kg a day.

A balanced note

These are small, self-reported studies, and food diaries tend to under-count. Not all the evidence is worrying either: a Swedish study (Nigicser et al., 2024) found advanced climbers had no more eating-disorder symptoms than non-climbers (symptoms were more common in the women climbers, 26%, than the men, 5.8%). The consistent finding is simpler: many climbers eat less, and especially fewer carbs, than the benchmarks those studies used for their training.

Check your own numbers

You can’t compare yourself to these ranges without knowing what you eat on climbing days and rest days. We built My Track Record so logging a meal or a session is one spoken sentence, so a week of honest numbers takes almost no effort.

General information for healthy adult climbers, not medical advice. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant, have missed periods, or have a history of disordered eating, talk to a doctor or registered dietitian before changing how you eat.

Log climbing days and meals by voice, and see the real picture.
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Andrew, founder of My Track RecordBy Andrew, founder of My Track Record. Andrew has been active all of his life across a variety of sports and continues to stay active through climbing, swimming, weight training, golfing, snowboarding, and more. He built My Track Record so logging food and training takes one spoken sentence and can support any activity. He puts these guides together from published sports science research cited on each page. About Andrew

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