ACleaver

Last updated 01:00, Thursday, 07 June 2007

CARBOYHYDRATES have long been seen as the misunderstood macronutrient of nutrition. Not many people who train understand fully the concept of when to utilise it in their diet. It’s for this reason that most people don’t fully benefit from the training they do.

If you have ever felt a lack of energy, lacked that endurance and struggled to recover from a workout then a lack of carbohydrate intake could be the reason

Carbohydrates are stored in your liver and muscles and are stored within these areas as glycogen. In order for glycogen to be broken down there are two pathways that are used: catabolic and anabolic. Catabolic breaks down complex material into simple molecules to release energy. Anabolic builds simple molecules into complex materials of living tissue.

When you perform any exercise an enzyme gets produced which activates the breakdown of glycogen. So basically if you eat enough food that gives you energy then you should be able to perform for longer. ATP is the sole driver of energy through the body and it’s ATP that is produced from the carbohydrate we consume. I will not bore you with the concept of ATP but please have another read of my Creatine article as it gives you an idea of the process.

Researchers and nutritionists have spent years trying to look at how carbohydrates can improve the way we train. It is safe to say that in the 80s and 90s carbohydrates was seen as plentiful in the food we eat without people actually understanding its importance. Nowadays a new concept is taking nutrition by storm and it comes in the form of the Glycaemic Index.

GI foods are now being marked in many of the top supermarkets for easy reference. In terms of training this enables you to understand what foods are best to eat pre and post training. In some cases during, but this will only apply to the endurance athletes out there. GI differentiates between the two types of carbohydrates, that being complex and simple carbs. Complex carbs means you will stay fuller for longer and the rise in blood sugar is slower. Simple carbs causes a faster rise in blood sugar which can obviously give you that quick burst of energy needed. GI foods are a comparison of blood sugar response to certain foods it then ranks this against a reference food which is white bread or glucose.

Three magic rules of GI consumption:

Before exercise eat a low GI carbohydrate rich meal, this will keep energy levels at a good level through exercise.

During exercise have a carbohydrate type drink which will replace the energy being lost.

After exercise take a high GI food which will quickly restore the energy lost from exercise but more importantly enhance muscle glycogen storage.

How much carbohydrate should I consume daily?

It’s very important to consider what your calorie needs are. In order for you to work this out you must first produce how many calories you burn a day. From this you can work your calorie intake around this, obviously if you want to lose weight then you consume fewer calories than you expend. If you have a daily intake of 3000 calories then 60-70 per cent of this should be carbohydrate. The other way to consider it is you must ensure you have between 6-10g per kg of bodyweight.

When is the best time to eat carbohydrate enriched foods before I train?

Research has found that eating 200-300g of carbohydrate four hours before exercise would enhance prolonged moderate activity. In another example 1g of carbohydrate per kg bodyweight was consumed an hour before training and it was said to have prolonged work capacity. My advice would be to determine how intense your training is but always try to consume low GI foods 1-2 hours before exercise.

Should I drink water or have a glucose-based drink during my training?

If I’m being honest, I always use water during my training, however research has proved that having a carbohydrate-based drink does give you the edge you need during training.

Try and consume a little of both during training, many carbohydrate based drinks don’t actually quench your thirst after 20 minutes on the treadmill so ensure you have both to hand.