At a tournament an elite archer's day costs between 2,000 and 4,100 calories, and food intake covers them
3 studies · 14 archers measured
Four days of competition: predicted expenditure and what the archers eat
day of the tournament
The numbers in the figure
| Series | day of the tournament | Value (kcal per day) | Interval |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Prix, predicted expenditure | 1 | 4,067 | 3,713–4,421 (mean ± standard deviation) |
| Grand Prix, predicted expenditure | 2 | 2,527 | 2,324–2,730 (mean ± standard deviation) |
| Grand Prix, predicted expenditure | 3 | 3,467 | 3,172–3,762 (mean ± standard deviation) |
| Grand Prix, predicted expenditure | 4 | 2,964 | 2,718–3,210 (mean ± standard deviation) |
| Grand Prix, intake from food diaries | 1 | 3,985 | 3,867–4,103 (mean ± standard deviation) |
| Grand Prix, intake from food diaries | 2 | 2,564 | 2,533–2,595 (mean ± standard deviation) |
| Grand Prix, intake from food diaries | 3 | 3,315 | 3,278–3,352 (mean ± standard deviation) |
| Grand Prix, intake from food diaries | 4 | 2,847 | 2,786–2,908 (mean ± standard deviation) |
| World Cup, men, predicted expenditure | 1 | 3,406 | |
| World Cup, men, predicted expenditure | 2 | 3,218 | |
| World Cup, men, predicted expenditure | 3 | 3,157 | |
| World Cup, men, predicted expenditure | 4 | 2,493 | |
| World Cup, women, predicted expenditure | 1 | 2,856 | |
| World Cup, women, predicted expenditure | 2 | 2,756 | |
| World Cup, women, predicted expenditure | 3 | 2,532 | |
| World Cup, women, predicted expenditure | 4 | 2,031 |
The summary today
Two studies by the same research group, on the Turkish national team, answer yes, with two caveats. In the first, six world-class archers are followed over four days at a European Grand Prix: estimated expenditure runs from 2,527 calories on the lightest day, 38 arrows in 27 minutes, to 4,067 on the busiest, 180 arrows over more than five hours of competition and 4,200 metres walked between the shooting line and the target, and intake follows expenditure day by day, from about 2,560 to 3,985 calories. In the second, eight archers including four women at a World Cup stage, expenditure falls from the first to the last day from 3,406 to 2,493 calories in the men and from 2,856 to 2,031 in the women, and again what they eat covers it. The first caveat is that expenditure is calculated with equations from resting metabolism and type of activity, not measured. The second is that at both tournaments the diet was led by a nutritionist, with a fuelling station at the venue: food covering expenditure holds for athletes supported in this way. A survey of 115 Turkish national athletes from five sports, archers included, recorded on training days, finds an average intake of 30.6 calories per kilo, below the 40 to 70 the authors give for athletes in heavy training. Two studies in favour, but from the same group, on the same national team and with the same estimate: reported.
Also phrased as: "calories at an archery competition"; "how much energy an archer uses"; "tournament nutrition"; "energy expenditure on competition day"; "eating during competition"
In practice
On the range archery is often thought to burn very little, so at competitions people eat whatever comes to hand between ends, or skip lunch so as not to feel heavy.
Evidence
-
2024
For Archers Published later
6 world-class male recurve archers of the Turkish national team, four days of an outdoor European Grand Prix in April 2023, at an average of 14.5 degrees. Daily expenditure predicted with the Harris-Benedict equation and the metabolic cost of competition: 4,067 ± 354 calories on day one (180 arrows, 335 minutes of competition, 4,200 metres walked), 2,527 ± 203 on day two (38 arrows, 27 minutes, 1,260 metres), 3,467 ± 295 on day three (162 arrows) and 2,964 ± 246 on day four (72 arrows). It is an estimate: competition rules did not allow monitoring devices.
Energy intake, hydration status, and sleep of world-class male archers during competition · Ozcan Esen, Ian Walshe, Stuart Goodall
-
2024
For Archers Published later
The same archers, intake from food diaries cross-checked against photographs of meals: from 2,564 ± 31 to 3,985 ± 118 calories a day, that is 38 to 60 calories per kilo, against predicted expenditure of 2,527 to 4,067. On average intake covers expenditure, and it is higher on the days with more arrows, with carbohydrate at about 7.1 grams per kilo on day one. The diet was led by the team nutritionist, with no interference from the researchers.
Energy intake, hydration status, and sleep of world-class male archers during competition · Ozcan Esen, Ian Walshe, Stuart Goodall
-
2024
Context Archers Published later
On the lightest day, 38 arrows, the share of fat in the diet rises to 36.3 ± 0.4 per cent of calories, against 28.4, 24.4 and 24.6 per cent on the other days (p < 0.001): just above the 20 to 35 per cent recommended for athletes, a difference the authors still regard as in line.
Energy intake, hydration status, and sleep of world-class male archers during competition · Ozcan Esen, Ian Walshe, Stuart Goodall
-
2024
Context Archers Published later
Hydration holds up: urine specific gravity over 24 hours stays below the 1.020 threshold on all four days, but it is higher on day three than on day one (p = 0.037), and on waking the archers are minimally hypohydrated. Urine colour does not distinguish the days (p = 0.058), while it does distinguish the times of day (p = 0.016).
Energy intake, hydration status, and sleep of world-class male archers during competition · Ozcan Esen, Ian Walshe, Stuart Goodall
-
2024
Context Other sport Published later
115 Turkish national-level athletes from five sports, 17 of them archers, nearly all in the competitive season, 24-hour dietary recall on a weekday training day: 2,063.56 ± 1,003.70 calories, that is 30.59 ± 15.05 per kilo, against the 40 to 70 the authors give for high-volume training; 41 per cent of calories from fat and 39 from carbohydrate. The archers are not analysed separately, the journal is regional and it is not a competition day: it suggests that without a guided diet intake can stay low.
The Relationship Between Dietary Nutrients and Sleep in Elite Athletes: a Pilot Study · Melike Nur Eroğlu, Beril Köse, Büşra Sabur Öztürk
-
2025
For Archers Published later
8 elite archers of the Turkish national team, 4 men and 4 women, four days at a World Cup stage in May 2023, at an average of 23.7 degrees. Predicted expenditure: men from 3,406 ± 82 calories on day one to 2,493 ± 105 on day four, women from 2,856 ± 128 to 2,031 ± 57, overall from 3,131 to 2,262. Average intake 2,889 calories in the men and 2,353 in the women (p = 0.007), and for both sexes intake matches predicted expenditure; the diet was led by the nutritionist, with a fuelling station at the venue.
Sex differences in energy intake, sweat rate, and electrolyte loss among world-class archers during competition · Ozcan Esen, Stuart Goodall
Status history
- 2024 Reported The first estimate arrives: six world-class male archers, followed over four days at a European Grand Prix, spend between 2,527 and 4,067 calories a day according to the equations, and eat within the same range, day by day. The load varies enormously from one day to the next, from 38 to 180 arrows, and the diet follows it because a nutritionist leads it. In the same year, by contrast, a survey of national athletes from five sports, archers included, finds intake below recommendations, though on training days and without separating the archers. Six athletes, one tournament and an estimated expenditure: reported.
- 2025 Reported The same group repeats the measurement on eight archers of the Turkish national team, four men and four women, at a World Cup stage. Estimated expenditure falls day by day, from 3,406 to 2,493 calories in the men and from 2,856 to 2,031 in the women, and here too intake covers it: on average 2,889 calories a day in the men and 2,353 in the women. With the women the range widens downwards. There are two studies in favour, but from the same group, on the same team, both with a nutritionist-led diet and expenditure calculated rather than measured: the status remains reported.
Related
Related articles
- How many calories does archery burn, from one arrow to a competition dayWhat one arrow costs at different draw weights, what a tournament day costs, and what the studies say about the intensity of shooting and body weight.
- Hydration and nutrition on competition day in archery: a practical guideHow much to drink and what to eat on competition day in archery: what the day costs, what dehydration changes and what studies on archers have measured.
- What happens in the body on competition day: saliva, blood, urine, food and fluidsCortisol, salivary IgA, blood glucose, urinary lactate, food and fluids: what changes in an archer's body on competition day, according to the measurements.
Research lines
Studies describe groups of archers, and your own numbers show how far the finding applies to your shooting.
See the programmeCite
Campagna, M. (2026). At a tournament an elite archer's day costs between 2,000 and 4,100 calories, and food intake covers them (Version 1). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/competition/calories-tournament-day
@misc{campagna2026_caricoenergeticotorneo,
author = {Campagna, Matteo},
title = {At a tournament an elite archer's day costs between 2,000 and 4,100 calories, and food intake covers them},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/competition/calories-tournament-day},
note = {Version 1; accessed 2026-10-16}
}
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