Why you Suck at Carbohydrate Loading

Why you Suck at Carbohydrate Loading

I haven't seen one athlete that knows how to carbohydrate load until I've taught them to do it. Let me tell you, it is not just eating a bowl of spag bol the night before the race.

When it comes to the fourth leg of triathlon - nutrition, many try to wing it, which often ends in sub-optimal results on race day. One aspect of this is carbohydrate loading, when done right, can have a huge boost on your performance.

Here's some information on what carbohydrate loading is, what events it's appropriate for, why what you’re doing now may not be an effective strategy, and where you can find a plan that’s right for you.

To know what carbohydrate loading is, we must first understand…

What is muscle glycogen?

• It is our storage form of glucose
• There is a 3:1 ratio of water to glycogen
  e.g. for every 1g of glycogen stored, there is about 3ml water
• Glycogen is stored in our muscles and liver
• It is used as energy for exercise, and your brain
• Think of muscle glycogen like the fuel tank in your car. The more you have in the tank, the further you can go
  
  

What is carbohydrate loading?

• It's a super-compensation of our muscle glycogen stores above the normal levels
• When you’re carb-loading, you are trying to fill up your tank beyond the point when you hear the 'click' (there's always more you can fit in!)
• Essentially you are filling up your muscle glycogen above normal levels and beyond what is normal for your daily storage
  
  

What influences muscle glycogen levels?

• The amount glycogen of stored: The more you have, the faster it is used
• Exercise intensity: The higher the intensity, the more is used
• Fitness levels: If you are highly trained, it will be used up slower
  
  

Why should you carbohydrate load?

• Carb loading won’t make you faster, however, it will delay the onset of fatigue 
  i.e. we’re delaying the time we run out of fuel during exercise
• Carbohydrate loading improves performance by about 1-3%
  
  

How long does it take to fatigue?

• With a regular day to day diet, it takes roughly 90 minutes of exercise before fatigue sets in. This varies depending on the intensity
  
  

What events should I carbohydrate load for?

• Carbohydrate loading is most appropriate for events lasting >90 minute i.e. Olympic distance events and longer, not sprint distance triathlon
• The more competitive you are, the more important it is
  
  

How much carbohydrates do we need to carbohydrate load?

• It depends! It’s individualised to you based on a number of factors:
  - How much lean tissue do you have i.e. lean muscle mass
  - Your regular intake of carbohydrate
  - Gender
  - Competitiveness e.g. the extent of carbohydrate loading will look different for an athlete trying to win a 10-hour ironman vs a smaller female just happy to finish a race
• These are general guidelines, however, these need to be tailored to you, and then tweaked and evolved over time
  
  

When should I carbohydrate load?

• This needs to be practised well before race day!
• Make sure you practice it a few times in training as it's not as easy or fun as it sounds!
  
  

How can I find the right carbohydrate loading plan for me?

• Work with a Sports Dietitian to assess what will be appropriate for you
  - This will be based on your muscle mass, hormones, regular carbohydrate storage and many more factors
  - They will prescribe the most appropriate sources of carbohydrates, as not all sources will work as efficiently!
• Generally high carb, low fat and fibre, and moderate protein
• At Dietitian Approved, we have a few secret strategies we like to implement to find the right plan that will work for you on race day
• We also take into consideration that you may not be at your own home the night before a race. So any plan s perfected for the logistics of your race
  
  

How can you get help at Dietitian Approved?

Option 1:

• At the Triathlon Nutrition Academy, we teach you how to carbohydrate load through phase 2 and 3 of the program
  - Phase 2 focuses on short course race nutrition for Sprint and Olympic distance racing
  - Phase 3 focuses on long course racing (for 70.3 and Ironman), as the carbohydrate loading will look different for these longer distance events

Option 2:

• You can also get a carbohydrate loading plan working one on one with Taryn
• We write you a personalised plan written specifically for you
• We offer two packages for private clients that include Carbohydrate Loading Plans: 1: Performance Package or 2: Endurance Package
• Head to Our Services if this sounds like something you'd be interested in, and for all the types of services that are offered
  
  

If you're looking for a community of likeminded athletes, come and join the Dietitian Approved Crew Facebook Group

To go deeper, listen to the Triathlon Nutrition Podcast Episode 28: Why you Suck at Carb-Loading

If you’re interested in joining the Triathlon Nutrition Academy, pop your name on the waitlist NOW | Join the TNA Waitlist

If you are looking for a Sports Dietitian and want to learn more about working with me, click HERE to see what I offer for private, 1 on 1 consultation.