The carb load
I go 8 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight. My job as an athlete is to show up with a full tank.
What I actually do
I eat 700 to 1,000 g of carbs the day before a race, fat and fiber low, nothing new on race week. Maple syrup, applesauce, bagels.
Carb loading has a reputation as a week-long pasta ritual. The science says it is one good day. In the Bussau protocol, trained athletes eating 10 grams per kilo of high-glycemic carbs while resting nearly doubled their muscle glycogen in 24 hours, and two more days of loading added nothing on top.
So that is what I run. The day before a race I take in 8 grams per kilo, which at my size lands between 700 and 1,000 grams of carbs. That sounds heroic until you see the menu. Maple syrup, applesauce, bagels, white rice. Simple sugars, low fat, low fiber, nothing that sits heavy or surprises the gut.
The two rules that matter more than the total. Nothing new on race week, and drop the fiber. A full tank does you no good if half of it is still arguing with you at the start line.
Loading is not eating your feelings the night before. It is a job with a number attached. Show up with the tank full and the race gets to be about fitness instead of rationing.
The evidence
Carbohydrate loading in human muscle: an improved 1 day protocol →Bussau et al., European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2002
Trained athletes eating 10 g/kg of high-glycemic carbs while resting nearly doubled muscle glycogen in a single day, and it did not climb further over two more days of loading. One good day is enough.
Train like it's programmed. Because it is.
Everything on this page is already built into the training I write. Bring the goal, I bring the system.
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