THE SHORT ANSWER
Dunne is the nutritionist behind Hexis, and his big idea is the one that finally kills the low-carb-versus-high-carb argument: it's not low-carb, it's right-carb. Carbohydrate periodisation means matching what you eat to what the day demands — big fuel for the big sessions, less on the easy days. He's clear that fuelling around training matters more than hitting a daily macro total, because the timing is what changes the adaptation. And he frames the whole thing as a behaviour problem as much as a physiology one: a perfect plan that doesn't get used loses to a good plan that does. Match the fuel to the work and you stop swinging between under-fuelled and overfed.
WHO IS DAVID DUNNE?
David Dunne is the performance nutritionist behind Hexis, the personalised sports-nutrition platform used by World Tour cyclists, Premier League clubs, NBA franchises, Super League sides, and Ryder Cup Team Europe. With a PhD in behaviour change, design thinking, and technology innovation in sports nutrition, and IOC alumnus credentials, he sits at the intersection of academic research and practical application. His work matters because he turned periodised nutrition — matching carb intake to training load day by day — from a coaching idea into a measurable system used by hundreds of elite athletes and tens of thousands of amateurs.
DUNNE ON CARB PERIODISATION
Dunne’s key positions on carbohydrate periodisation.
- Carbohydrate periodisation matches daily intake to training load — it is not low-carb, it is right-carb.
- Energy availability is the unsung lever for body-composition change and long-term training durability.
IN DUNNE’S OWN WORDS
Verbatim from David Dunne’s appearances on the podcast.
“Some people are doing 5 hours at an average power of over 300 watts. That amount of power, if we look at that from a kilojoule perspective and then we start to convert that into what the energy cost from a calorie perspective is for individual riders is just so different to what a rider at home can sustain where that absolute energy expenditure is just going to be less.”
“Female athletes will experience it, you know, very often by losing their menstrual cycle. Body will go, I don't have enough energy, this is one of the processes that I can conserve energy on. And again, that's a really unfortunate situation that a lot of female athletes find themselves in, often through misinformation online, maybe bad advice from a coach or trying to adhere to something that they see on social media.”
“Today, you could go out for a 4-hour ride. Your on bike energy expenditure could be 2,000 calories. Tomorrow, you could be at a day of complete rest. So you need to start to understand that your fueling should adjust and your overall nutrition plan and structure should adjust day by day and meal by meal in line with the demands of your activity.”
HEAR IT ON THE PODCAST
Episodes where David Dunne covers carbohydrate periodisation and related ground.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
What does David Dunne say about carbohydrate periodisation?
Dunne is the nutritionist behind Hexis, and his big idea is the one that finally kills the low-carb-versus-high-carb argument: it's not low-carb, it's right-carb. Carbohydrate periodisation means matching what you eat to what the day demands — big fuel for the big sessions, less on the easy days. He's clear that fuelling around training matters more than hitting a daily macro total, because the timing is what changes the adaptation. And he frames the whole thing as a behaviour problem as much as a physiology one: a perfect plan that doesn't get used loses to a good plan that does. Match the fuel to the work and you stop swinging between under-fuelled and overfed.
What is Dunne's main point on carb periodisation?
Carbohydrate periodisation matches daily intake to training load — it is not low-carb, it is right-carb.
Which Roadman Cycling Podcast episodes cover David Dunne on carb periodisation?
Dunne discusses carbohydrate periodisation in this episode: "World Tour Nutritionist - “We Got Weight Loss Wrong”".
MORE FROM DUNNE
EXPLORE THE TOPIC
Cycling Nutrition— The Complete Guide →OTHER EXPERTS ON CARB PERIODISATION