Carb Loading Mistakes

Most endurance athletes aren’t strangers to the concept of a big pasta dinner before a race, but is this the right approach to performing well on race day? Whether athletes choose pasta, rice, or potatoes as their pre-race fuel, there are some key points many athletes miss when carb-ing up for a race. So, let’s dive into the common carb loading errors athletes make when preparing for a race.

What is Carbohydrate Loading?

Carbs are one of the three primary macronutrients used for energy, and the body’s preferred energy source during moderate to high intensity activity. Because of this, it makes sense to load up with carbs before a big race. Carbohydrates are digested, absorbed, and then circulated around the body as glucose.  Glucose can be stored for future use in the liver and muscles as what’s known as glycogen. When an athlete trains or competes, their body relies on glycogen, fats, and exogenous carbs (i.e., (in-session fueling) for energy. The idea behind carb loading is strategically increasing the amount of stored energy available on race day, allowing athletes to perform better by delaying the onset of fatigue and time to exhaustion. 

Glycogen stored in the liver serves as an energy reserve for the brain and body.  During an overnight sleep, liver glycogen is converted back into glucose and is released into circulation to maintain normal physiological functioning. Muscle glycogen operates differently. Once glycogen enters muscle cells and is stored as muscle glycogen, it can’t re-enter circulation in the bloodstream. It’s destined to be used by working muscles. This is why it’s beneficial to taper off training and eat more carbs in the days leading into a big race to ensure muscle glycogen stores are topped off.

Not Meeting Carbohydrate Targets

So, here’s the deal: loading muscle glycogen stores takes effort. The biggest mistake we see athletes make is not eating enough carbohydrates in the days leading into a race and falling short of loading their muscle glycogen stores. Most athletes should aim to consume 8-12 carb per kilogram bodyweight per day. For a 154lb athlete (70kg), this is, at minimum, 480g of carb, or equivalent to roughly 10 &1/4 cups cooked white rice.  This is a lot of carbs, which is why many athletes inadvertently fall short of the goal. White rice isn’t the only option when it comes to food, although those with sensitive stomachs may want to stick to more rice-based products. The key to carb loading is to choose simple, familiar foods.

Other common carb loading foods include white toast with jam or honey, fruit juice, potatoes (without skin), white pasta, rice noodles, pancakes with syrup, honey, crackers, fruit snacks or pouches, and low-fiber cereals. The key with carb loading is to embrace simple sugars. Athletes should avoid unfamiliar foods, high fiber, and spicy ingredients, all of which tend to wreak havoc on the race course.

Overconsuming Other Nutrients

“Cookies and ice cream have carbs, right? So, I can carb load with ice cream sundaes?”. Well, unfortunately, some things ARE too good to be true. While many foods like ice cream, French fries, or doughnuts supply ample carbohydrates, they also provide high amounts of fat. Fat is not bad, in fact, consuming them in the right amounts contributes to many aspects of good health. However, consuming high amounts of fats can make athletes feel overly stuffed before they can eat enough carbohydrates. In the days leading into a race, carbs are the essential nutrient. Overeating fats or protein can make it difficult to hit high carbohydrate targets. Fats are also very energy-dense, containing nine calories per gram compared to four calories per gram for carbs and proteins. This means that a high-fat carb load may overshoot an athlete’s energy needs but won’t contribute to storing more glycogen.

Another downside of relying on these tasty, high-fat foods is that a high fat intake prior to racing increases the likelihood of GI distress. It's safe to say, leave the ice cream sundae until after the race.

Unpracticed Plan

Carb loading isn’t just for race day. Like everything related to racing, you need to practice before race day. You wouldn’t jump into a triathlon (hopefully!) without doing a few swim sessions. The same goes for all aspects of nutrition. For the best results, athletes must execute their nutrition plan and carb load in training multiple times so their bodies and stomachs know what to expect. At Fuelin, we’ll help you practice this and prepare for your biggest workout sessions with a practiced carb load.

Doing a long Saturday brick effort?

Fuelin capitalizes on the opportunity to have athletes practice carb loading. We make it simple, and lay out macronutrient targets for athlete’s every meal and snack.
For a 70kg athlete, here’s a Friday example plan as well as meals that fit the targets:

Example Carb Load

70kg Athlete:
(1.8g pro/kg, 0.7g fat/kg, 8.3g carb/kg)

Early Snack: 30g Carb

• 6oz low-fat fruit greek yogurt (21g cho, 3 fat, 13 pro)

Breakfast: 100g Carb

• 3 4” Buttermilk Pancakes (36g, 1.5g fat, 4g pro), Tbsp butter (0g carb, 11g fat, 0g pro) ⅓ cup maple syrup (70g, 0g fat, 0g pro), 2 eggs (3g cho, 15g fat, 18g pro) 

Morning Snack: 50g Carb

• 2 slices raisin toast (36g carb, 3g fat, 6g pro) w/ tbsp jam (14g, 0g fat, 0g pro) 

Lunch:100g Carb

• 2.5 cups cooked rice (110g, 1g fat, 11g pro), 4oz chicken breast (0g carb 6g fat 33.5g pro)

Afternoon Snack:100g

• Skratch Super High Carb Drink Mix (100g, 0 fat, 0pro)

Afternoon Snack: 50g Carb

• 2 graham cracker sheets (24g, 3g fat, 2g pro ), 1 large banana (30g 0g fat, 1g pro)

Dinner : 100g Carb

• 2.5 cups cooked Rice (110g 3g fat,11g pro), 3oz chicken breast (0g carb, 4g fat, 25g pro)

Evening Snack: 30g Carb

• 8oz fruit juice (28g carb, 0g fat, 0g pro)

TOTAL:
582g Carb (~8.3g carb/kg)
51g Fat
125g Pro

Fearing Weight Gain

A full gas tank weighs more than an empty one. Athletes need to avoid attempting to lose weight during race week. In reality, they should look for the opposite. Athletes should expect the scale to go up when carb loading. For every gram of glycogen stored in muscle, at least 3 grams of water are stored along with it. A proper carb load will result in a few extra pounds on the scale. This is a good thing! While seeing a higher-than-normal weight may cause some athletes discomfort, this extra energy storage is normal and beneficial to performance. 

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, carb loading can be a game-changer for endurance athletes, helping to enhance performance and endurance. By understanding the science behind carb loading and avoiding common mistakes, athletes can set themselves up for success on the race course. Keep it simple, stick to what’s been practiced, and remember, Fuelin and the team are here to help you every step of the way. We. make it easy to plan out your nutrition every day. removing the guesswork. Eliminating decision paralysis. This allows you to focus on the good things - eating, training and sleeping to have the best possible outcome.
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Happy racing!

Coach Megan