Viewing 17 posts - 1 through 17 (of 17 total)
  • tell me about carboloading
  • I_did_dab
    Free Member

    So then, carboloading? When should I start for an enduro this Sunday morning? When does carboloading stop and pigging out start? 8)
    Top tips please…

    simonfbarnes
    Free Member

    they are the same thing 🙂

    I_did_dab
    Free Member

    Is it really that scientific?

    Second helpings of everything for me!!

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...
    Latest Singletrack Videos
    hels
    Free Member

    ABout 4 days before. Swap all the proteins for carbs, but keep the fibre, fresh veg and water up, for obvious reasons, don’t want to be carrying 4 days of carbs in your insides.

    Carbo loading helps. Cake loading helps too I find.

    But you can only hold so much in your liver etc etc loads of literature on it.

    What you really need to do is hydrate. Drink 3 litres of water a day the week leading up.

    Loads of carb drink the day before.

    And sleep loading the week before a long race is good too.

    Have fun….

    Keva
    Free Member

    mmm eating and sleeping…. my favourite.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Drink 3 litres of water a day the week leading up

    That’s well excessive I reckon.

    Couple of extra litres the last couple of days I’d say. 3l a day for a week is almost impossible.

    woffle
    Free Member

    3l a day for a week is almost impossible.

    I disagree – 2.5 to 3.5 litres was the amount recommended by the nutritionist we had at work (not a quack, a proper doctor and everything – unlike McKeith 🙂 – he’s also the sports nutritionist for a number of international sports teams)

    BigJohn
    Full Member

    Read the article in last month’s mag. It tells you everything.

    Gary_M
    Free Member

    3l a day for a week is almost impossible.

    Nah thats easy – I drink half a litre on the ride to work, half a litre on the way home, at least half a litre at dinner plus lots of water throughout the day. I tried reading the mag article but got bored half way through. Anyway eating loads of carbs from 3 days before the event works for me.

    I_did_dab
    Free Member

    3 L of fluids sounds acheivable: tea, milk on cereal, regular drinks (non-caffeinated) during the day and at mealtimes, evening drink etc. It doesn’t have to be just water.
    I use the ‘what colour is my wee?’ test to check that I’m hydrated. It is scientifically proven apparently. Clear or pale straw is OK, darker isn’t.
    I did read the article – hence the question…

    molgrips
    Free Member

    If I drink even half that I’m pissing clear all day anyway. Can’t see what the advantage is in drinking more.

    The old “2l per day” thing was a misunderstanding. The original researchers said you needed 2l of water per day in your diet and then went on to say you get a great deal of that from food.

    simonfbarnes
    Free Member

    If you drink too much water you can get hyponatremia and croak 🙁

    zaskar
    Free Member

    OMG, just buy cycling weekly this week or read a book just for the basics.

    SFB is right you could overload your water handling and sodium capacity.

    Basics is that consuming more carbs increases stores of glycogen and atp in the muscles and liver-these short reserves give the explosive energy you need.

    (Personally I’d be training the lactate threshold and recycling for long events of over an hr but it depends on your metabolism/genes.)

    As glycogen attracts water, hence if lots of glycogen storage/carb loading is stored it will also have water with it hence check your weight before carbo loading and during and before the event to see if it is successful (you should gain 2-3 lbs).

    Your muscles might look toned too.

    I wouldn’t cut down on my proteins though or drink more than 2 litres of water. It varies from person to person and activity. I think you use 1.5 litres a day but if you study sports science and apply it just don’t over do it.

    Just carry on as usual but eat the correct food for extra carbs.

    It can stress the body so don’t blame me if you kill yourself.

    Even with all the nutrition, training, exercise and diet you can’t beat natural ability – sorry!

    But done right could give you the edge over yourself.

    Hope you do well and enjoy the race.

    hels
    Free Member

    Prolly differs from person to person. I have been drinking two litres a day of water for many years, plus coffee. I up that to 3 the week before a long race. Works for me ! (although I guess the water just makes up for the coffee) and probably not a good tactic if you spend all day in a car rather than a cosy office.

    If it is hot you might need to take in extra salt as you sweat it out, vegemite or marmite sandwiches have saved me during many long race. I got around 10 Under the Ben last year on sausage rolls..

    I_did_dab
    Free Member

    done right could give you the edge over yourself.

    That’s it exactly – the last enduro I did I felt lousy from the start and barely made it round. Looking back I was over tired, hadn’t ridden my bike enough, hadn’t eaten enough on the run in and was probably dehydrated from a long hot train journey a few days before. Not a great combination.
    This time I’m hoping to feel better and enjoy it more. 😀

    Keva
    Free Member

    how far is it and how long do you reckon you’ll be riding for ?

    MTB-Idle
    Free Member
Viewing 17 posts - 1 through 17 (of 17 total)

The topic ‘tell me about carboloading’ is closed to new replies.