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If you need assistance, please contact us directly. Definitions Athletes: for this purpose an athlete is defined as one who participates in sport activity with emphasis on cardio-respiratory endurance training highly aerobic.

Glycogen: a stored form of glucose in the liver and muscle. Why Eat Carbohydrates? Consuming Carbohydrates Before Exercise. The Pre-exercise Meal.

Consuming Carbohydrates During Exercise. Consuming Carbohydrates after Exercise. Why Eat Carbohydrates. Approximate Carbohydrate Content Food Chart. Are Protein Supplements Necessary? Protein: How much do we need?

Quick Facts on Protein. Protein Supplement Questions to ask. Keep the Diet Balanced. Alternatives to Protein Supplements. Disbuting the Claims. For More Information. You might be interested in. Want to improve your grades? Help is available! Career planning We can help with that!

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Multiple train-smart strategies that appear to enhance training adaptations are reported in scientific literature:. When maximal performance of high-intensity exercise is desired, high carbohydrate intake is key, because carbohydrate is the primary energy source for high-intensity exercise.

Contrary to popular belief, one day of carbohydrate loading is just as effective as three days, therefore the day before race day; 8 to 10 grams per kilogram of body mass of primarily high GI carbohydrate such as white bread or energy gels work well.

To maximize performance and carbohydrate loading, training should be tapered leading up to race day.

Multiple train-smart strategies that appear to enhance training adaptations are reported in scientific literature:. When maximal performance of high-intensity exercise is desired, high carbohydrate intake is key, because carbohydrate is the primary energy source for high-intensity exercise.

Contrary to popular belief, one day of carbohydrate loading is just as effective as three days, therefore the day before race day; 8 to 10 grams per kilogram of body mass of primarily high GI carbohydrate such as white bread or energy gels work well. To maximize performance and carbohydrate loading, training should be tapered leading up to race day.

The peer-reviewed science agrees that eating something carb-dense beforehand is basically a sound approach. Image Credit: Unsplash copyright free.

The general recommendation for pre-exercise carb intake to maximise endurance performance is to ingest g of carbohydrate per kilo of body weight in the hours prior to the beginning of exercise i. The mathematically inclined will have immediately figured out that these recommendations cover a broad target area; clearly chowing down 4g per kg around 1 hour before starting exercise is a very different proposition to nibbling just 1g per kg 4 hours before!

Despite their wide range, these guidelines do highlight the rough ballpark within which most athletes should be aiming to fit in their pre-exercise carb consumption, with the details to be refined through a trial and error process over time.

Clearly, for most people it will make sense to consume more i. It also seems logical to assume that a more aggressive approach to pre-fueling is warranted for longer and more intensive efforts, whereas a lighter feed is probably appropriate for shorter or easier events. These will have been more heavily depleted than muscle glycogen stores overnight because, whilst your muscles basically rest at night, your brain still needs fuel and this is ultimately drawn from liver glycogen.

that goes into determining what constitutes the perfect pre-exercise food choices for an individual. With that being said, there are some fairly universal characteristics of suitable pre-exercise foods and these include:. My own go-to choices for a pre-exercise meal include porridge oatmeal with added honey or sugar, flapjack or oat-based energy bars, white bread or toast with honey or jam.

Before longer events I frequently add some nut butter to help achieve a feeling of satisfaction or fullness and to help avoid my blood sugar spiking too much.

The typical carb content of these foods are listed in the table below to give you some sense of the amount of each you need to eat to hit certain carb targets, based on your body weight.

Moving on to race morning, guidelines suggest targeting 2 to 4 grams of carbs per kilogram of body weight two to four hours prior to your race. For example, a pound runner should consume just under grams of carbs. This could look like: a cinnamon raisin bagel with apple butter spread, one medium banana, and 12 ounces of a sports drink three hours prior to your race.

Then, 15 minutes before the start, eat either a couple Medjool dates or a gel. However, if you will be traveling for your race, some extra thought is necessary. For example, consider where in the area of your race you might be dining beforehand, and go ahead and select some options that are similar to what you can practice with in training.

You can even contact the restaurant beforehand to make sure the ingredients of the entrée are all familiar to you. Another option is to simply travel with your own prerace nutrition a practice common among elites.

Carbohydrate sources that travel well include precooked rice or noodles, instant mashed potatoes, instant oatmeal packets, graham crackers, pretzels, bagels, granola, dried fruit , fruit squeezable pouches, and gummies. Once you have a general plan in place for carb loading and your race morning meal, practice, practice, practice!

Doing this weekly would jeopardize other vital nutrients you need to train and recover antioxidants, fiber , healthy fats , protein , etc. However, you can gently practice your prerace routines. Prerace dinner and prerace breakfast are good options to consistently practice throughout training.

Figure out what carbohydrate sources work best for you. Keeping a food journal throughout your training is where the magic happens. Keeping a food journal is one of the best things you can do to make a plan that works best for you.