Supercharge your performance with carb loading

By Stuart Marsh|

Is bread the next big thing in sports performance? (image) iStock
It's hugely misunderstood, but carbohydrate loading requires way more thinking than you expect.

In recent times carbs have come under a lot of fire. From Atkins to Paleo, there's a barely a magazine-worthy diet going around that praises the power of a simple potato.

But despite the 'tater haters, carbs could be the key to unlocking your true performance.

Ali Patterson, an accredited dietitian and spokesperson for Sports Dietitians Australia, says a hugely misunderstood practice called "carbohydrate loading" can dramatically improve your performance.

"Carbohydrate loading is a strategy that allows athletes to optimise their muscle and liver fuel stores to optimise performance," Patterson tells ninemsn Coach.

"Carbohydrate loading has been shown to improve performance over a set distance by between two to three percent."

Why do people do it?

Two to three percent sounds so marginal that it's really not worth bingeing on pasta and rice the night before a big race, but Patterson says it plays a critical role in keeping your body performing for long periods of time.

"Your body can only store enough fuel — that is, glycogen, the stored form of carbohydrate — to sustain roughly 90 minutes of moderate to high-intensity exercise," says Patterson.

"Beyond this, without sufficient fuel, performance can be compromised."

Patterson's ideas echo the recommendations by the Australian Institute of Sport, which explains that carbohydrate loading was first developed in the late 1960s as a way for marathon runners to break through the mental "walls" that typically appeared at the 20-30km mark.

Is it just for athletes or can anyone try it?

The level of performance boost you'll feel from carbohydrates depends largely on the intensity and the duration of the sport you’re undertaking. If you're partaking in the office table tennis tournament, you probably shouldn’t spend the week prior hoeing into spaghetti for every meal.

"Carbohydrate loading can be beneficial for anyone completing events that last beyond four to five hours such as a marathon, Ironman or long-distance cycling event," says Patterson.

"It’s not necessary to do a full carbohydrate load for shorter events such as a football match or 10km run but it is useful to have a carbohydrate rich meal the night before and morning of these types of events."

How many carbs do you have to eat?

Traditionally endurance athletes have taken themselves to the buffet the night before an event, gobbling down every morsel of wheat, grain and potato they can lay their hands on. But in reality carbohydrate loading is actually quite a precise process that takes place over multiple days, and requires careful nutrition monitoring.

"Carbohydrate loading usually takes place over the two to three days leading up to race day," advises Patterson.

"Typically, on each day of loading, aiming for around seven to eight grams of carbohydrate per kilogram body weight each day is a good starting point."

That means if this 80kg writer were to "carb load", I would have to eat up to 640 grams of carbohydrates a day, which roughly works out to be 2.5kg of whole wheat pasta, or 5.3kg of rolled oats.

This is of course just a hypothetical equation, and in reality the everyday athlete would attain their 640 grams of carbohydrates from multiple, smaller meals and sources.

"Some people may need a little more or slightly less than this, but an accredited sports dietitian can work with you to determine the right plan," says Patterson.

Is it possible to eat too many carbs and feel bloated?

Although tucking in to pasta, bread and pizza guilt-free sounds like some kind of exercise nirvana, Patterson says many athletes struggle to reach the required amount of carbs to induce the greatest effect.

"Carbohydrate loading typically means eating a fair bit more carbohydrate, and usually more total food, than you would during a training week," recommends Patterson.

"This can make it difficult to meet your carbohydrate goals if you struggle with appetite, pre-race nerves or feeling full."

There's also the chance – particularly for long distance runners – that all of this food can end up coming at exactly the wrong time. It’s a phenomenon known as "runner's gut" and has been known to cause some mid-race embarrassment.

"Choosing foods lower in fibre will help to help minimise risk of gut discomfort on race day," says Patterson.

"Simply switching grain bread to white bread and keeping your fruit, vegetable and juice intake to a minimum will help to avoid excess pre-race fibre."

Although carbohydrate loading is regularly practised by long-distance athletes, Patterson is quick to remind people that it's drastically different from a normal, healthy diet.

"Remember! Carbohydrate loading is a specific plan to meet performance goals and does not represent healthy eating for training."

Wondering what a carbohydrate loading diet looks like? Here's a sample plan from the AIS



1 medium banana
250ml orange juice


toasted muffin with honey
500ml sports drink


2 sandwiches (4 slices of bread) with filling as desired
200g tub of low-fat fruit yoghurt
375ml can of soft drink


banana smoothie made with low-fat milk, banana and honey
cereal bar


1 cup of pasta sauce with 2 cups of cooked pasta
3 slices of garlic bread
2 glasses of cordial

Late Snack

toasted muffin and jam
500ml sports drink

This sample plan provides approximately 14,800 kJ, 630g carbohydrate, 125g protein and 60g fat.
