This strategy, however, may not be optimal for all athletes and unnecessarily increases the risk of injury while training in a depleted state. Hill followed a classic carbohydrate-loading regimen consisting of a glycogen-depleting phase - three days of intense exercise coupled with very-low carbohydrate consumption - followed by three days of tapered physical activity with high-carbohydrate intake. Word of Hill's diet spread and athletes have been attending pasta dinners the night before an event ever since - although, true carbohydrate loading is more involved. British runner Ron Hill, trailing the leader for most of the race, was able to win the gold medal with a strong finish in the final six miles, the point at which many runners experience the phenomenon known as "hitting the wall" - the feeling you get when your glycogen stores are depleted and your physical performance nosedives.
#Carb loading professional#
But, how did this theory hold up in the real world? One of the first recorded instances of a professional athlete using carbohydrate loading in competition was during the marathon event of the 1969 European Athletics Championships. The concept of carbohydrate loading has been studied for decades. More recent evidence suggests that in events lasting longer than 90 minutes, maximized glycogen stores may improve a runner's finish time by 2 - 3%This could translate to a 5- to 7-minute improvement for a 4-hour marathoner. This energy can fuel about 90 to 120 minutes of vigorous activity.
For example, an athlete can store 1,800 to 2,000 calories of fuel as glycogen in the muscles and liver.
It makes sense that eating carbohydrate-rich foods to maximize our glycogen stores - a strategy known as carbohydrate loading - provides athletes with the energy necessary to sustain an increased level of physical activity for a longer duration. Ask an endurance athlete what is the most important food to eat before a race and they will likely respond, "Carbs!" Carbohydrates are the primary fuel source burned for energy during physical activity, and our bodies are able to store some of the carbohydrates we eat in our liver and muscles as glycogen.
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