Eat to Compete - Why Carbs are King for Performance

Carbohydrates are demonised in modern fitness culture with low carb diets like Keto and Atkins promoting weight loss. For athletes however, carbs are an essential macronutrient for optimal performance.

In this article I discuss:

What are carbohydrates?

Why you need them to fuel for performance

So basics first - what are carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are one of the three main macronutrients (protein, carbs and fats) and contain 4kcal per gram.

Very few foods are comprised of solely one macronutrient and will usually be a combination of the three in varying amounts. As humans, we eat foods not nutrients so understanding how to apply guidelines and recommendations to meals can be confusing. Just to add to the confusion, carbohydrates can come in multiple forms. They are either a sugar, a starch or a fibre. And not all are created equal.

Sugar

Sugar is often found in the form of free sugar. These are easily over-consumed as they are in so many of the foods we eat.

For example, foods like fizzy drink, sweets, ice cream, granola, yoghurts and breakfast cereals often contain high amounts of sugar. Similarly, foods with naturally occurring sugars like honey, syrups, smoothies and unsweetened fruit juices also contain free sugar.

I feel obliged to tell people that sugar is not "bad" for you. No single food is inherently bad. I once had a client tell me they'd cut out fruit from their diet because it contains sugar and sugar would cause them to gain weight.

Now, amongst the many problems with this statement, there is one truth. Fruit contains sugar. Yes it does, but it also contains many other nutrients that will benefit your health more than the sugar will do you harm. People will cut out fruit no problem but cannot live without their Caramel caffe latte from Starbucks each morning (the large version of which has 42g of sugar - that's 10 teaspoons!!).

So sugar is not bad for us. It is the amount of sugary foods that we consume that influences our overall diet.

Starch

Starchy foods come from mainly plant-based sources. Foods like potatoes, pasta, rice, oats etc. These are an awesome source of fuel, especially in the morning as they release their energy slowly throughout the day.

Fibre

Quite similar to starch in that these foods are mainly plant-based sources. This is because the fibre comes from the cell wall of the plant. Good sources of fibre will aid digestion and can help with making you feel full. Getting enough vegetables, fruit, beans and pulses are all useful for increasing your fibre intake.

Why do you need carbohydrates for performance?

Before an event

Carbs are our bodies main fuel source. This is not only for our muscles but our brain too. Firstly, it is vital to identify the goal of your session or workout is before carbohydrate amounts and types can be recommended. However,

during high-intensity exercise, carbs are essential for optimal performance.

Now we don't use carbohydrates in their original form. The body stores carbohydrates as glycogen primarily in the liver (between 80-100g) and in muscle (300-900g). How full these stores are is dependent on your diet and exercise in the previous days. If you don't fuel adequately, low glycogen levels will contribute to muscle fatigue and reduced force production.

This is where whole foods like pasta, potatoes and rice are great high carbohydrate options. Meals could be be pasta bolognese or maybe homemade chicken and rice dishes. For example, if you have a tough early morning event you can use these kinds of foods to make sure your muscle glycogen is topped up the night before. Then in the morning use meals like porridge with banana and honey (all high carbohydrate) to top up your liver glycogen.

During an event

Depending on the type of event, you may even need to replenish carbohydrates during performance. Asker Jeukendrup has done some brilliant research in this area and his recommendations can be broken down by the duration of the event.

Events < 30 mins - if your event is less than half an hour there is little evidence to suggest a benefit from taking carbohydrate during performances.

Events 45-75 mins - during this length of event, if you are working "all out" then having some carbohydrate may benefit performance. You do not need much and may simply have to use a mouth rinse to see an effect. This could be in the form of a sports drink, a gel or food. It's simply up to you to try it in training and find out what works best for you.

Events 1-2 hours long - 30g per hour is sufficient here. If the duration increases beyond the 2 hour mark, 60g per hour may be more appropriate.

What is 30g? This could be something like a large banana or a sports gel. Again finding out what works for you prior to the race/event is crucial. Don't expect to turn up on the day and for everything to just work out. Our bodies need time to adapt.

Beyond 2.5 hour mark - 90g per hour is recommended here.

Intakes up to 60g per hour will work fine in the form of glucose, sucrose and any kinds of quickly absorbed carbohydrates. This may be bananas or sports drinks. Anything above that you want to start looking at using a combination of carbohydrate sources to make use of multiple transport mechanisms. This means checking packets and ingredients to try and get a combination of glucose and fructose.

Full guidelines can be found here

After an event

Similarly, when recovering you need to ensure you consume enough carbohydrate to replenish these fuel stores otherwise your ability to perform in subsequent matches or training sessions will be negatively impacted.

Timing is key here but remember that everything is context dependent and individual circumstance play a big role in deciding how much carbohydrate should be consumed. In most cases consuming 0.6-1.0g per kg of bodyweight of carbohydrate as soon as possible after finishing exercise, and again every two hours for the next 4-6 hours will be sufficient.

However, if you're doing multiple sessions in one day or if you need full glycogen stores again within four hours, consume 1.2g per kg of bodyweight of carbohydrate per hour until your next session.

Summary

• Carbohydrate is essential for optimal performance, especially in high-intensity events.

• Carbohydrate is stored as glycogen in the muscle and liver

• Low glycogen can lead to muscle fatigue, weakness and reduced force production

• Intakes during the event depend on intensity and duration

• Practice is key to prevent gastro-intestinal issues. You wouldn't go into an event and try this for the first time. This practicing becomes even more important at higher carbohydrate intakes.

• Optimising both pre and post event carbohydrate intake will influence performance and recovery

Got questions or queries? Feel free to email nourishnutritionuk@gmail.com