Predict Energy Dips
Before Training—Using Real Meals and Real Schedules.
Vertical is a predictive fueling and energy readiness platform that models short-term energy availability from meal timing and decay. No hype. No performance promises.
See readiness before practice—not after performance drops.
The Performance Gap
Energy Drops Mid-Training
Athletes start strong but fade by halftime or the third quarter. Energy and focus drop when they're needed most.
Coaches React Too Late
By the time you notice performance drops, it's too late. You're managing symptoms, not preventing them.
Existing Tools Show What Was Eaten
Most nutrition tools log intake, but don't translate meal timing into short-horizon readiness for today's training.
How Vertical Actually Works
Clear modeling. Clear outputs. No black boxes.
Athletes Log Meals
Athletes log meals with timing. Photo recognition, barcode scanning, or manual entry—whatever works fastest.
Vertical Models Energy Availability
Vertical models short-term energy availability from meal timing and decay. It updates dynamically as time passes and new meals are logged.
The model accounts for digestion time, carbohydrate availability, and activity-related depletion. It's conservative and short-horizon—hours, not days.
Readiness States, Not Prescriptions
Vertical outputs readiness states: "Ready", "Eat Soon", or "Eat Now". These are decision-support signals, not meal prescriptions.
Coaches see team-wide readiness at a glance. Athletes see their own timeline tied to training sessions. Everyone knows when energy is likely to be available—or not.
Minimum Data Needed (So Vertical Is Useful)
Vertical is most useful when athletes log 1–2 meals per day, most days.
If data is missing, Vertical shows "Needs Data" instead of guessing.
Coaches can still see who is under-fueled vs. who is missing data.
In practice: athletes log meals → readiness updates automatically → coaches see flags before sessions → weekly summaries highlight patterns.
Product Proof
Real screenshots from the Vertical app. Each enables a specific decision.
Readiness States
Dashboard shows "Not Ready - Eat Now" with energy timeline graph. See readiness before practice—not after performance drops. Enables immediate fueling decisions.
Timeline Tied to Training
Daily timeline integrates meal logging with practice schedules. Primary fuel windows and meal timing show how fueling aligns with upcoming sessions.
Team Readiness / Coach Visibility
Coaches see roster-wide readiness at a glance. "Needs Data" and "Not Ready" categories with time-since-last-fuel enable proactive coaching decisions.
The Glycogen Readiness Index (GRI)
A short-horizon, conservative estimate of acute energy availability.
What GRI Is
GRI estimates acute fueling readiness—how ready an athlete is for quality training based on recent meals and timing.
It's conservative and short-horizon—focused on hours, not days. It models energy availability from meal timing and decay.
It supports when to eat decisions, not how much to diet. It's a decision-support signal for training-time fueling.
GRI is intended to guide fueling timing around training sessions—not to judge discipline, effort, or body composition.
Scientific Basis (For Context)
The science below grounds GRI in established research. It is included for trust and context, not as a requirement for interpreting results. This section intentionally limits itself to what supports short-horizon fueling decisions.
Scientific Basis of the Glycogen Readiness Index
The Glycogen Readiness Index applies decades of established sports-nutrition research to short-term fueling decisions. GRI models acute energy availability from meal timing and decay, accounting for carbohydrate metabolism, digestion time, and activity-related depletion patterns documented in peer-reviewed literature. Vertical does not claim to have invented or extended this science—we have applied it to create a practical, short-horizon decision-support tool for coaches and athletes.
Research Foundations
- •Carbohydrate availability and training quality: Louise M. Burke, Asker E. Jeukendrup, John A. Hawley, Trent Stellingwerff
- •Muscle glycogen and training capacity: Bengt Saltin, Eric Hultman, David L. Costill
- •Protein as a secondary energy contributor: Stuart M. Phillips, Kevin D. Tipton, Luc J.C. van Loon
- •Energy expenditure and exercise intensity: Edward F. Coyle, Barbara E. Ainsworth
Vertical provides credible off-ramps to the peer-reviewed literature rather than summarizing or over-interpreting individual studies. Coaches and sports scientists can access the underlying research through standard academic databases using the author names and research themes listed above.
This level of scientific grounding is intentionally limited to what is necessary for practical, in-training fueling decisions.
Who Vertical Is For
Intentional brand narrowing. Built for competitive teams and serious athletes.
Built For
- Competitive teams managing athlete readiness
- Serious athletes optimizing fueling for training
- Coaches managing readiness across a roster
- Teams seeking short-horizon decision support
- Teams where a coach or performance lead needs readiness visibility without micromanagement.
Not Built For
- Casual calorie tracking or general wellness
- Weight-loss apps or diet coaching tools
- Macro-perfection tools or long-term nutrition planning
- Consumer wellness or general fitness tracking
- A replacement for a sports dietitian's full nutrition program.
Pilot Roadmap
Low-risk trial. Clear decision point. No long-term commitment.
Pilot Timeline
Week 0–1: Onboarding & Baseline
- Team setup and roster import
- Athlete onboarding and meal logging setup
- Baseline readiness patterns established
Weeks 2–5: Live Usage
- Athletes log meals and view readiness states
- Coaches monitor team-level readiness trends
- Weekly coach summary (readiness trends, missed-fuel flags)
Weeks 6–7: Validation & Feedback
- Review before/after readiness stability
- Athlete and coach feedback on usability and decision impact
End of Pilot: Decision Point
- Results summary
- Decision on seasonal or annual rollout
Pilot deliverables: onboarding checklist, weekly coach summaries, end-of-pilot results recap.
See readiness before practice—not after performance drops.
Clear Expectations
No surprises. Here's exactly what GRI is—and what it isn't—so you can make an informed decision.
What You Should Know
Not a glycogen measurement. GRI is an estimate based on fueling patterns, not a direct physiological measurement.
Not a performance predictor. GRI estimates energy availability, not performance outcomes. It doesn't promise wins or PRs.
Not a medical or diagnostic metric. GRI is a coaching tool for fueling decisions, not a health assessment or diagnostic tool.
Not a long-range prediction tool. GRI intentionally avoids long-range prediction. It is conservative and short-horizon—focused on hours, not days or weeks.
GRI is intended to guide fueling timing around training sessions—not to judge discipline, effort, or body composition.