Carb loading for the marathon: why upping your carbohydrate intake is so important for long distance running – cosmopolitan.com (UK)
Carb loading for the marathon: why upping your carbohydrate intake is so important for long distance running cosmopolitan.com (UK)
If like most of us, you treat filling up on bread, Dominos and pasta like some kind of calorific religion, then you’re in luck. Because there are some occasions …
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If like most of us, you treat filling up on bread, Dominos and pasta like some kind of calorific religion, then you’re in luck. Because there are some occasions where this obsession could come in handy (and be deemed healthy).
But before you go steaming ahead and, ahem, ‘accidentally’ fall into a pizza coma, you should probably hear exactly how it works. We hit up registered associate nutritionist and MyProtein.com ambassador Jennifer Blow to find out the dos, the don’ts and the details on carb loading.
What is carb loading?
“Carbohydrate loading [essentially, eating lots of carbs] is a tactic mostly used by endurance athletes. The strategy maximises the amount of glycogen available in the muscles and liver, which is a stored carbohydrate used by the body for energy,” says Jennifer. “This increases time to fatigue [aka how long before you get tired] and enhances exercise performance.”
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When should I be carb loading and what types of activities might benefit from it?
“Typically, carb loading is meant for endurance activities that last more than 90 minutes, most often used by runners, cyclists and elite sports players like footballers or rugby players,” explains Jennifer.
Sadly that means your quick sprint to Greggs at lunch time isn’t quite as valid, but don’t let that stop you eating carbs at all – you need carbs for energy! – just maybe not as many as a marathon runner.
When should I avoid carb loading?
“Carb loading isn’t necessary for exercise that lasts much less than 90 minutes, especially for activities like weightlifting, sprints, and other short-term exercise,” the expert says. But that doesn’t mean you should cut out carbs altogether if you exercise for less than 90 minutes at a time, remember. You just have to eat them in moderation.
How can I calculate how many carbs I should be eating?
“There are a number of carb-loading regimens, but the most current guidelines recommend consuming 10-12 grams of carbs per kg of your bodyweight in the 36-48 hours prior to workouts or events lasting longer than 90 minutes,” explains Jennifer. “In any regimen, for the 24 hours leading up to endurance exercise, carbohydrates should always be the main component of each meal, making up 60-70% of your total calories,” she adds.
“Within the final 1-4 hours before exercise, you should aim to eat 1-4 grams of complex carbohydrates and carbohydrate-rich protein sources per kg of bodyweight. This is mainly to prevent hunger before a race, as muscle and liver stores will already be at their peak.”
What sorts of carbs should I be eating?
“When carb loading, most people choose low-glycaemic index foods for their minimal impact on blood sugar levels. Complex carbohydrates and starchy carbs like pasta, bread, rice and potatoes are ideal. Foods such as fruit and other high-fructose foods like sugary drinks and snacks are much less effective at increasing muscle glycogen levels specifically, so should be avoided for carb loading,” the nutritionist advises.
“A good source of protein should also be eaten alongside carbohydrates when carb loading, as amino acids are important during endurance exercise, too.”
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Will carb loading make me gain weight?
“If you’re carb loading unnecessarily [i.e. you’re not taking part in endurance exercise], you’re less likely to burn off the extra calories consumed during carbohydrate loading, and are therefore likely to gain weight,” warns Jennifer.
“Temporary water weight gain is known to occur sometimes during carb loading, as muscles store 3 grams of water for every 1 gram of carbohydrate, which can lead to a bloated feeling during exercise. To combat this, a high-carbohydrate diet can be consumed (55-70% of total calories) daily, rather than just in the lead up to a race, so that muscles are constantly ‘topped up’.”