Carbohydrate Guide
Carb loading: how athletes maximize glycogen stores
Carb loading isn't just eating a huge plate of pasta the night before a race — done properly, it's a deliberate glycogen-maximizing strategy.
The idea behind it
Since depleted glycogen is a major driver of fatigue during prolonged exercise,[1] endurance athletes sometimes deliberately increase carbohydrate intake in the days before a long event to maximize how much glycogen their muscles and liver can store going in. The modern approach typically involves raising carbohydrate intake to roughly 8–12 g/kg body weight per day for 1–3 days beforehand, while also reducing training volume so the body isn't burning through the extra carbs as fast as they're consumed.
Who actually benefits
- Endurance events lasting 90+ minutes — marathons, long cycling events, triathlons — where glycogen depletion is a realistic limiter
- Not necessary for shorter workouts — a normal daily diet already provides enough glycogen for training sessions under about an hour
- Not a weight-loss strategy — the extra stored glycogen comes with extra stored water, which shows up as temporary weight gain on the scale, not fat
Keep reading: What is glycogen? · How many carbs per day · What carbohydrates actually do