Carbohydrate Loading

Consumption of carbohydrates before exercise improves carbohydrate stores and reduces the chance for premature fatigue, regardless of whether the sport is high endurance and low intensity, intermittent (as in many team sports), or high intensity and low endurance.

Carbohydrate loading is a strategy commonly followed by many athletes before an endurance competition to increase muscle glycogen storage. The general technique is to gradually increas carbohydrate and fluid intake each day, beginning the week before competition, while exercise is tapered downward. This reasonable, safe strategy maximizes glycogen storage.

An older strategy for carbohydrate loading involved depleting carbohydrates by exercising intensely while consuming low-carbohydrate foods. This was followed by the technique described in the previous paragraph. This older carbohydrate-loading technique is dangerous (depletion of glycogen stores may cause a sudden and dangerous drop in blood pressure), and there is no evidence that it better optimizes glycogen stores.

Seven-Day Taper