Navigating Ramadan as an Athlete

Ramadan started on February 28, 2025 and will run until March 30, 2025. If you are a Muslim athlete, or if you work with any, this blog will give you insights into how to navigate Ramadan.

Introduction

Ramadan is a sacred month practiced by millions of Muslims worldwide that is marked by fasting from dawn until sunset. For athletes, this period presents unique challenges, as they must balance their physical performance with spiritual commitments. Indeed, previous research has reported declines in performance in professional footballers practicing Ramadan (1).

Maintaining peak performance while fasting is therefore a struggle. However, with strategic planning, proper nutrition, and mindful training adjustments, Muslim athletes can mitigate the challenges of performing during Ramadan. By the end of this article, you’ll know four actionable steps that you can implement into your life to better perform during Ramadan.

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Did you know: approximately two billion people worldwide practice Ramadan.

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Reasons why Muslims fast during Ramadan. Image source: Al Jazeera.

Ramadan Practices

Fasting during Ramadan—the ninth month of the lunar calendar—is one of the five pillars of the Muslim faith which involves going without food and fluids from sunrise to sunset (2). Naturally, this presents a number of challenges to most athletes, whose nutritional needs need to be met through consistent fuelling throughout the day in order to be ready to perform and to recover from training and/or competition.

In addition to fasting, Ramadan may also involve various prayers and feasts throughout the night (2), potentially impacting sleep quantity and quality. Further, because Ramadan moves forward by 11–12 days each year (as it follows the lunar calendar) (2), it is difficult for Muslim athletes to plan for Ramadan, as one year there may be less sporting events to prepare for compared to the next.

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Did you know: the pre-dawn meal during Ramadan is called Suhoor and the meal that breaks the fast is called Iftar.

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Muslim footballer, Noussair Mazraoui, breaking his fast during Manchester United’s FA cup game against Fulham on Sunday, March 2, 2025. Image source: Plaantik.

Challenges for Muslim Athletes During Ramadan

In order to mitigate nutritional challenges during Ramadan, it’s crucial to have a good understanding of the specific challenges this sacred time brings with it. Therefore, Table 1 (below) lists a number of key nutritional factors that could be impacted by Ramadan.

Table 1. Nutritional factors that can produce fatigue or suboptimal performance (particularly in football) that can be exacerbated by Ramadan (2).

Nutritional factor	Description	Potential Ramadan impact
Dehydration	Failure to drink enough fluid to replace sweat losses during a game. May be exacerbated if the player begins a match with a pre-existing fluid deficit.	Lack of fluids throughout the day can reduce endurance and increase the likelihood of cramps and dizziness.
Muscle glycogen depletion	Depletion of important muscle fuel (i.e., glycogen) due to high utilisation in a single match and/or poor recovery of stores from previous activity/match.	Limited eating windows make it challenging to fully replenish muscle glycogen stores between matches, leading to faster fatigue and decreased performance.
Hypoglycaemia	Reduction in blood glucose concentrations due to poor carbohydrate intake.	Fasting/poor carbohydrate intake at Suhoor and Iftar can result in lower blood glucose levels, especially during prolonged exercise, leading to dizziness, fatigue, and reduced concentration.
Gastrointestinal (GI) disturbances	GI disturbances, including vomiting and diarrhoea, may directly reduce performance as well as interfere with nutritional strategies aimed at managing fluid and fuel status.	Changes in meal timing, altered hydration patterns, and consuming large meals after fasting may contribute to digestive issues like bloating, acid reflux, or diarrhea.
Salt depletion	Inadequate replacement of sodium lost in sweat.	Sweating during training or competition leads to sodium loss, and without proper replenishment during fasting hours, athletes may experience muscle cramps, dizziness, and reduced endurance.

Solutions for Muslim Athletes During Ramadan

Now that you are aware of the key issues that Ramadan can pose for athletes, Table 2 (below) discusses ways that you can mitigate these issues to perform your best during Ramadan.

Table 2. General recommendations to optimise the achievement of sports nutrition goals during Ramadan (2).

Recommendation	Details	Special comments
1. Where possible, move the schedule of exercise to a time of day that best provides the appropriate nutrition support	Sessions undertaken in the morning after sunrise Pros: benefit from eating and drinking strategies undertaken during the previous evening and before dawn. Cons: Little opportunity to refuel, rehydrate, and recover after these sessions. Sessions scheduled to finish just before Iftar (breaking fast) Pros: benefit from the ability to eat for recovery at Iftar and during the evening. Cons: are undertaken with minimal pre-exercise nutritional support. Sessions undertaken 2–3 hours after the break of the fast Pros: best opportunities to fuel and hydrate before, during, and after. Cons: must be balanced against the importance of sleep.	As athletes, discuss when is best to train with your coach(es) so that you can create a plan together that works best.
2. Make the most of important meal timings	Breaking of the fast Adapt or supplement meals in quantity/ quality to meet specific needs for fluid, carbohydrate, and protein, especially for recovery after recent exercise sessions. The last meal (Sohoor) Eat as close as possible to sunrise and choose foods that contribute to sports nutrition needs for the day. Food/fluid consumed during or after exercise undertaken in the evening Support needs for performance and recovery. Remember that this food/fluid contributes to the total day’s nutrient needs. Make use of special sports foods (e.g., sports drinks, protein shakes, meal replacement shakes) to reduce GI discomfort from pro-active eating strategies.	By delaying training/competition to the evening, Iftar can be used as the pre-exercise meal, and the main evening meal can be delayed until after the exercise. Players who must train during the day when fasting should maximise refuelling and hydration during the night and at Sohoor, rest after training, and begin replenishing with Iftar.
3. Consider important nutrients	Carbohydrates Consume at break of fast and meal before dawn, and other meals during the evening, especially where these meals represent post-, pre- or during-exercise intake. Set targets according to fuel cost of exercise (for more, check out our articles on daily carbohydrate targets and targets for before, during, and after exercise). Consume small amounts during exercise undertaken after the fast is broken, even if there is little need for additional fuel. Mouth contact with carbohydrates (e.g., swishing Lucozade Sport in your mouth and spitting out) may promote a ‘happier’ brain for better performance, especially if otherwise fatigued. Eat immediately after exercise if possible to enhance refuelling rate. Consume low-glycaemic carbohydrate choices (e.g., beans, lentils, oats, whole grain pasta) at the meal consumed before dawn to allow slow release of glucose into the bloodstream. Protein Consume 20–30 g of ‘fast’ high-quality protein soon after exercise (e.g., protein shake), where possible. Consume protein at each meal opportunity (avoid eating only carbohydrate-rich food choices). Consume ‘slow’ proteins (e.g., casein) at meal consumed before dawn to help with protein balance over the day. Add protein to carbohydrate-rich snacks (e.g., eat yogurt with fruit) to enhance muscle glycogen storage.	Many common foods associated with Iftar are rich in carbohydrate (e.g. figs/dates) and high-quality protein (e.g., milk and laban yoghurt). Arab breads and other varieties provide worthwhile amounts of carbohydrate. Other combinations of carbohydrate and protein include Thareed, starch pudding (milk), and rice porridge. Care should be taken with Ramadan treats, since many are very high in fat. Ma’amoul, dried fruits and nuts are suitable snacks. When eating opportunities are limited, drinks with high energy/nutrient density can be useful to meet high-energy requirements (e.g., meal replacement shakes, smoothies, etc.).
4. Consider practical issues	Athletes Identify culturally significant foods that also meet nutrition goals. Prepare ahead to have suitable foods available at key times so that opportunities for eating aren’t lost. Team support personnel When all athletes are fasting: organise ‘team’ eating opportunities to support goals. When a few athletes are fasting: support special needs of individuals.	Teams should provide an evening meal of traditional dishes after training sessions if athletes are not able to be with families.

Traditional foods eaten during Ramadan. Image source: Kenwood world.

Summary

After reading this article, you should now have a better understanding of how to navigate Ramadan as a Muslim athlete. If you are a coach or someone who works with Muslim athletes, you should now also have a better understanding of the performance challenges these athletes will face and how you can do your best to support them. It’s important to acknowledge that no matter the preparation, challenges will remain—as Lutalo Muhammad (Olympic gold medallist in Taekwondo and Muslim athlete) explains, you must ‘Accept that what you do this month will look different [than usual]’.

For more in-depth resources on how to fuel as a muslim athlete during Ramadan, or how to support muslim athletes that you work with, I encourage you to check out Birmingham City Football Club’s Nutritional Support for Ramadan document and The Nutrition X-Change Ramadan and Sports Performance report. In addition, Martínez-Rodríguez et al. (3) published a case study of how they supported a muslim professional footballer during Ramadan, reporting improvements in muscle mass, reductions in body fat, and improvements in other performance tests—showcasing that it is absolutely possible to perform well during Ramadan!

If you are interested in levelling up your football skills through supplemental football training, contact us at admin@training121.com to book in with our coaches for a session. And remember to sign up to our mailing list to be notified when a new blog article drops.

Thanks so much for reading!

Patrick Elliott, BSc, MPH

Health and Nutrition Science Communication Officer at Training121

Email: patrickelliott@training121.com

Instagram: @just.health.info

Twitter/X: @PatrickElliott0

References

(1) Zerguini Y, Kirkendall D, Junge A, Dvorak J. Impact of Ramadan on physical performance in professional soccer players. Br J Sports Med. 2007;41(6):398–400. Available at: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/41/6/398

(2) Burke LM, King C. Ramadan fasting and the goals of sports nutrition around exercise. J Sports Sci. 2012;30(Suppl 1):S21–31. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02640414.2012.680484

(3) Martínez-Rodríguez A, Miralles-Amorós L, Vicente-Martínez M, Asencio-Mas N, Yáñez-Sepúlveda R, Martínez-Olcina M. Ramadan Nutritional Strategy: Professional Soccer Player Case Study. Nutrients. 2022;14(3):465. Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8838374/

Technical Terms

Glycogen: This is your body's stored form of sugar (glucose). Think of it as your body's energy savings account. When you eat carbohydrates, your body stores some of that sugar as glycogen in your liver and muscles. When you need energy later—like during exercise or between meals—your body converts glycogen back into glucose to keep you going.

Hypoglycaemia: This means low blood sugar. It happens when your blood sugar drops too much, making you feel shaky, dizzy, tired, or even confused. It can occur if you haven't eaten for a while, after intense exercise, or if you live with diabetes and take too much insulin. Eating something with carbohydrates (like fruit or juice) can help bring blood sugar back up.