To preface this as a 'sort of disclaimer', it's assumed basic considerations like sleep, sufficient protein, stress management, plant intake and the overall healthfulness of the diet are already in place.
With most strength and power sports, relative strength and power to weight ratio is an important consideration to success. Even in sports like powerlifting where there is truth behind the idea of 'weight moves weight', weight class considerations and 'simply not just being heavy & strong' are important. So you want to be 'jacked and lean', & not just jacked if you want to be your/ the best.
With that in mind, power to weight ratio is largely predicated on accruing muscle mass gains and minimising body fat gain whilst practicing the skill of the specific sport. As a result, you'll find that during training phases or 'the off-season', strength & power athletes train more like bodybuilders seeking more muscle with nutrition to support this. For example in the off-season powerlifters and sprinters will dedicate a large portion of their training toward doing high volume resistance training to put on muscle mass. As training performance, optimises training stimulus, which drives adaptations to training (muscle growth), optimising sports (training) performance matters to bodybuilders just as it does to strength athletes.
So considering the aforementioned, most of the same nutrition 'stuff' that applies to bodybuilders trying to put on muscle without getting overly fat also applies to strength athletes. Without going into much more depth mutual considerations include.
Sufficient energy availability - slight Calorie surplus to promote anabolism (growing)
Sufficient protein - to support training adaptations.
Protein timing - to promote positive protein turnover across the day.
Glucose/carbohydrate availability to optimise training performance.
Hydration for training performance & recovery.
Caffeine for training performance.
Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) adequacy for recovery, performance, and adaptations.
Gastrointestinal comfort - training performance.
Structured dedicated periods of Calorie surplus to gain muscle, and periods of Calorie deficit to drop body fat. Both with the goal of maximising power to weight ratio over time.
The point where things start to differ is when the activities performed begin to lean more towards 'doing the actual sport' and getting the benefits from building the muscle in the offseason through having moire muscle mass to handle more load, and 'be more powerful'.
Bodybuilding style training is lower in intensity, (further away from the maximal single effort), and longer in duration (more reps at one time) compared to the action of a single max 'all-in' effort. Due to this, bodybuilding style training is more glycolytic meaning it relies more heavily on glucose availability to fuel muscle contractions. Whereas a single max effort is more reliant on available ATP and creatine phosphate stores. So with that in mind, point number 4 'Glucose/carbohydrate availability' could arguably, in theory, be dropped from the aforementioned list as glucose/carbohydrate availability isn't as relevant as a direct fuel for strength & power sports.
However, while glucose 'isn't the primary fuel' for 'a 10-second sprint', or a '1-rep-max deadlift', having glucose around is a great idea and being in a state of 'low blood sugar' certainly isn't. Glucose fuels the brain which is important for central nervous system activation and therefore the ability to contract muscle fibre's. Even for the reason of 'how you feel' being so impactful on your ability to perform, the notion of avoiding 'low blood sugar', and the fact that carbs won't hinder performance adds more reason to ensure glucose is present come competition day.
As mentioned before high-intensity max efforts heavily involve the PCr energy system. Which is largely predicated on creatine available. Creatine supplementation is needed to maximise creatine storage, with creatine monohydrate being the preferred form. It's got robust evidence to support it's use, its cheap and convenient. Don't bother with any other form of creatine. Monohydrate ticks the boxes. 3-5 grams per day, taken at any time for several weeks will cover you off.
To conclude, training for strength is largely about maximising muscle and limiting body fat to promote a better power to weight ratio. This is achieved largely by training and nutrition protocols not overly dissimilar to that of a bodybuilder, which includes separate phases of gaining muscle and losing body fat whilst doing everything possible to maintain sports abilities.
When the volume of work drops and intensity increases towards single maximal efforts closer to a competition, the provision of adequate fuelling still applies even if there is a lower reliance on glucose.
Make sure you're hydrated, sprinkle some caffeine on top, continue to supplement with creatine monohydrate, make sure you don't eat/drink anything that will upset your guts, and you're good to go.
To learn more about sports specific nutrition by working with a sports nutritionist, contact us today so we can help you become the best athlete you can be in your chosen sport.
General nutrition for sports performance blog post linked below.
https://www.fortitudenutritioncoaching.com.au/blog/fuellingforexercise101