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Carbohydrate-Loading

Carbohydrates are also known as starches and sugars. They are your bodies main energy source, while complex carbohydrates are legumes, grains and starchy vegetables. When your body digests foods that fall into these categories, it converts these carbohydrates into sugars that are transferred to your blood stream then delivered to your cells individually. Your liver and muscles then store these sugars as energy, also called glycogen. loading, commonly referred to as carb-loading or carbo-loading, is a strategy used by endurance athletes, such as marathon runners, to maximize the storage of glycogen (7). By Optimizing The Consumption of carbohydrates, athletes can improve their ability to delay fatigue. Carbohydrate loading is especially important for triathletes who typically participate in events that last longer then 90 minutes. Maximizing carbohydrate intake can begin as early as seven days or as little as 24 hours before the event. Triathletes should aim to consume between 3.5 to 5.5 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight. This amount provides sufficient energy to prevent glycogen depletion (8).

Common Carbohydrate Loading Mistakes

Carbohydrate loading requires an excursive taper. Athletes can find it difficult to back off training for 2-4 days before competition. Failing to rest will compromise carbohydrate loading. Many athletes fail to eat enough carbohydrates during a loading phase. Athletes need to have a good understanding of the amount of food required to carbohydrate load. Working with a sports dietitian or using a carb counter will greatly increase your chances of loading correctly. In order to consume the necessary amount of carbohydrates, it is necessary to cut back on fiber and make use of compact sources of carbohydrates such as sugar, soft drinks, sports drinks, jam, honey, jelly, and fruit. Athletes who include too many high fiber foods in their carbohydrate loading menu may find stomach pains or the food too bulky to consume comfortably. Carbohydrate Loading will most likely cause an athletes body mass to increase by approximately 4 to 5 pounds. This extra weight is due to an excess muscle glycogen and water. For some athletes, a fear of gaining weight may prevent them from carbohydrate loading correctly. Athletes commonly use carbohydrate loading as an excuse to eat everything and anything in sight. Consuming too many high fat foods will make it difficult to con sue the sufficient amount of carbs, as well as result in gaining body fat. It is important to stick to high carbohydrate, low-fat foods while carbohydrate loading in order to successfully store enough energy for athletic events (9).

References 7. Mayo Clinic, Staff. "Carbohydrate-Loading Diet. "Mayo Clinic (2013) : Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Web. 14 Apr 2014. 8. Hutmacher, Ryan. "Before the Big Event: Carbohydrate Loading." USATriathlon.org.(2014). Web. 14 Apr 2014 9. AIS Sports Nutrition, Australia. Australian Sports Commission. AIS Nutrition:Carbohydrate Loading. 2009. Web.