Carbohydrate loading (glycogen supercompensation) involves consuming a high-carbohydrate diet (8-12g/kg bodyweight/day) for 2-3 days before an endurance event to maximise muscle and liver glycogen stores. Effective for events lasting more than 90 minutes (marathon, 70.3, cycling gran fondo). A 70kg athlete carb-loading at 10g/kg needs 700g carbohydrates per day. Modern protocols combine a depletion run 2-3 days before the event with 2-3 days of high-carb intake. Not beneficial for events under 60-75 minutes.
Key points
- 8-12g carbohydrate per kg bodyweight per day
- 2-3 days before event
- Effective for 90+ minute events
- Not beneficial for short events under 60-75 min
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