Hear me out, though.  I have no doubt that my rationale is sound and that, if applied, you will experience noticeably higher quality in your training leading up to the ride/race, as well as better performance in the rides/races themselves.  Oh yes, while you’re at it in the “carbo loading” aspect, you’ll also be doing something equally if not more important: recovering optimally between all of your workouts leading up to your races.

 

In my opinion, the right way—no, make that the only way—to truly “carbo load” is to do it g-r-a-d-u-a-l-l-y.  Think of it this way:  When you start your training season, you don’t bust out with hill repeats and high-intensity speed work from the get-go, do you?  No, you do base miles, and then gradually increase the duration and intensity of your training so that your body becomes more accustomed to the stress you put on it, thus becoming fitter as the weeks go by.  Additionally, you don’t wait until the week before your important ride/race to start training, do you?  Of course not!

 

These examples can be applied to “carbo loading” as well, which is more appropriately defined as maximizing muscle glycogen stores.

 

Muscle glycogen? What’s that?

When you begin a workout or a ride/race, the primary fuel your body uses for the first 60-90 minutes or so is known as muscle glycogen, a glucose polymer (complex carbohydrate) that contains tens of thousands of glucose units arranged in branched chains.  As your stores of muscle glycogen become depleted, your body switches over to burning fat reserves along with carbohydrates and protein consumed during exercise.  You’ve only got a finite amount of this premium fuel, muscle glycogen, but its importance is hard to overstate.  In fact, several studies have shown that the pre-exercise muscle glycogen level is the most important energy determinant for exercise performance.  Bottom line: If you want to have the best ride possible, you want to start it with as much muscle glycogen “on board” and ready to serve you.

 

Maximizing glycogen stores is so easy! Here’s all you need to do!

 

• You train intelligently and consistently.
• You “refill the tank” with high-quality carbohydrates and protein ASAP after all of your workouts (even those “cross-training” or weight training workouts).

 

That’s it! That’s what “carbo loading” is all about.  It is NOT what you eat (or how much) in the week before your important ride/race, and it’s NOT what you eat (or how much) the night before the ride/race.  It is the replenishment of carbohydrates and protein in the first 60 minutes after ALL of your workouts in the weeks and months leading up to the race.

 

Recall what I said earlier about training: you don’t try to gain all of your fitness all at once; it’s a gradual process. Additionally, you don’t wait until the week before your big ride or race to accrue the fitness you need.  The exact same is true about maximizing muscle glycogen stores (“carbo loading).  It is a gradual process, one that takes several weeks to happen, and it’s a process that cannot be truly achieved in the week leading up to the race.

 

How it all works

Along with insulin, which regulates blood sugar levels of ingested carbohydrates, an enzyme known as glycogen synthase converts carbohydrates from food into glycogen and stores it in muscle cells.  This also drives the muscle repair and rebuilding process. However, to maximize the recovery process, you need to take advantage of glycogen synthase when it’s most active.  Carbohydrate replenishment as soon as possible after exercise, when the body is most receptive to carbohydrate uptake, maximizes both glycogen synthesis and storage.

 

The oft-used phrase, “striking while the iron is hot” absolutely applies to many aspects of recovery, especially in regard to muscle glycogen synthesis and storage.  So before you get out of your sweaty cycling kit or workout clothes, before you hit the shower, and before you get horizontal to kick back and rest, put some fuel back into your body.  Do that, taking advantage of the glycogen synthase enzyme when it’s most active, and you will enjoy a HUGE advantage over those riders who either blew off post-workout refueling or waited too long to “refill the tank.”

 

Summary

Training causes physical stress and depletion. Recovery is when adaptation to that stress occurs; it involves improvements in muscle tissue rebuilding, glycogen storage, and immune system functioning.  After a hard training session, your body is basically saying, “If there’s another workout like this tomorrow, I better be prepared.”

 

You can really give yourself a major advantage in all of your training sessions, and especially on the day of your major ride or race, if you’ll take the time to put some quality nutrition into your body as soon as possible after all of your workouts.

 

Hammer Nutrition’s post-workout fuel Recoverite, or Hammer Whey + a quality carbohydrate source, will help you “refill the tank,” effectively replenishing and maximizing muscle glycogen stores.  That, in my opinion, is the true definition of “carbo loading” and the time to begin the process is now… trust me, your body will thank you and the quality of your workouts and how well you perform in your key rides and races will be your proof.

 

For more information about all aspects of optimal recovery, please read the article “Recovery – A crucial component for Success,” in The Endurance Athlete’s GUIDE to SUCCESS. You can download a FREE copy of this science-based, time-tested knowledge resource at: http://www.hammernutrition.com/downloads/fuelinghandbook.pdf

 

About the Author: Steve Born is a technical advisor for Hammer Nutrition with over 20 years of involvement in the health food industry. He has worked with hundreds of athletes—ranging from the recreational athlete to world-class professional—regarding their supplement/fueling program. Steve is a three-time RAAM finisher, the 1994 Furnace Creek 508 Champion, 1999 runner-up, the only cyclist in history to complete a double Furnace Creek 508, and is the holder of two Ultra Marathon Cycling records. In February 2003 Steve was inducted into the Ultra Marathon Cycling Hall of Fame. © 2011, Endurance Marketing Group. This information is copyright protected. Please feel free to distribute this information as long as this copyright notice and EMG’s phone number and/or URL are included. Content must remain unchanged and original authorship acknowledged.