There are a few different types of carb loading, but all strategies involve increasing the number of carbs you eat and temporarily decreasing the amount you exercise.Įach of these programs is designed to be completed in the days immediately prior to an athletic event or competition. It may be effective in events lasting more than 90 minutes, but it’s probably unnecessary for shorter durations. Carb loading is a strategy to increase your glycogen stores and improve exercise performance. Summary Your body stores carbs in the form of glycogen. However, it is probably not effective for shorter durations of exercise or types of exercise that involve short bursts of activity, including weight training ( 7, 8, 9). Research has shown that carb loading may reduce fatigue and improve performance by 2–3% for exercise lasting more than 90 minutes ( 7). In these types of exercise, fatigue can occur when glycogen levels get too low ( 7). Specifically, it may be appropriate for exercise that leads to large decreases in the amount of glycogen in your muscles, such as prolonged biking or running ( 5, 6). However, it only improves performance for certain types and durations of exercise. People often use carb loading before certain athletic events or competitions because of the importance of carbs as a fuel source during exercise ( 4). If you weighed 154 pounds (70 kg), that would work out to 350–840 grams of carbs per day ( 3). The number of carbs you can eat ranges from 2.3–5.5 grams per pound (5–12 grams per kg) of body weight per day. This typically involves several days of eating more carbs than usual while also decreasing exercise to reduce the amount of carbs you are using. This glycogen is mostly found in two places: your liver and muscles ( 2).Ĭarb loading is simply a nutritional strategy to increase the glycogen stored in your body above its normal amount ( 3). In the body, carbohydrate stores are called glycogen. Carbohydrates are a very important source of fuel for your body.ĭuring many types of exercise, your body uses stored carbs to provide you with energy ( 1).
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