CARBOHYDRATE LOADING

Background Information: Usually the muscles store about 275 grams of carbohydrates in the form of glycogen. This glycogen will fuel athletes in events lasting less than 60 minutes. However, athletes who are exercising constantly for 60 minutes or longer will deplets those glycogen stores. When they do, the athletes will become exhausted.

Some sports where this exhaustion may occur and where carbohydrate loading may be beneficial are:

Crew/rowing

Distance swimming

Cross-country skiing

Marathon

Distance cycling

Soccer

Distance running

Tournament tennis

Remember, only those events where athletes are exercising continuously for 60 minutes or longer will benefit from carbohydrate loading.

How Does Carbohydrate Loading Work?

Carbohydrate loading is a training and diet regimen that lasts one week.

The training regiment has three parts:

-A long, hard training session which uses up the glycogen in the muscles.

-Three days of moderate training to keep muscle glycogen levels low.

-Three days of rest immediately before the competition. this allows athletes to store glycogen in their muscles.

The diet regimen has two parts:

-A normal diet on the day of the long, hard training session and during the three moderate training days.

-A high-carbohydrate diet during the three rest days.