Fueling Workouts: The Role of Carbohydrates in Fitness
Carbohydrates, Glycogen, and the Engine of Effort
Your muscles and liver store glycogen, a rapidly accessible form of carbohydrate that drives hard efforts. When levels drop, pace fades, coordination slips, and effort feels inexplicably heavy—classic signs of the dreaded bonk.
Carbohydrates, Glycogen, and the Engine of Effort
High-intensity work relies heavily on glycolysis, a pathway that burns glucose fast to produce quick ATP. Carbs keep that pathway humming, sustaining sprints, heavy sets, and brisk surges that fat alone cannot efficiently support.
Carbohydrates, Glycogen, and the Engine of Effort
Simple staples like oatmeal, rice, potatoes, bananas, sourdough, and tortillas can quietly refill glycogen. Combine them with protein, mind your fiber before key sessions, and notice how predictably your energy stabilizes through focused training blocks.
Timing That Transforms Training
Aim for 1–4 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight, 1–4 hours before training, adjusting for session length. Choose low-fiber, familiar foods so your stomach stays calm while your legs and lungs do the hard work.
Timing That Transforms Training
For sessions over sixty minutes, take in 30–60 grams of carbohydrate per hour. In very long or intense efforts, increase toward 90 grams using mixed sources, maintaining steady energy without dramatic peaks or uncomfortable crashes.
Low-glycemic meals support steady energy for daily life and easy training. Before and during high-intensity or long efforts, higher-glycemic choices deliver glucose faster, helping maintain pace, technique, and a confident, repeatable rhythm.
Quality Counts: Simple, Complex, and Glycemic Index
Fiber supports gut health and fullness, but too much right before fast work can cause discomfort. Dial it back in pre-workout meals, then restore your usual fiber afterward to keep both performance and digestion happy.
Quality Counts: Simple, Complex, and Glycemic Index
Carb Periodization Without the Confusion
Fuel for the Work Required
Match intake to session goals: more carbs for intervals, races, or heavy lifting; fewer for easy recovery days. This approach preserves freshness, supports adaptation, and reduces the mental friction of overthinking every meal.
Sleep Low, Train Low: Tools, Not Dogma
Occasional low-glycogen sessions can nudge endurance adaptations, but they are stressful and not for key workouts. Use sparingly, monitor mood and quality, and tell us what balance helped you progress without burning out.
Taper Week and Carb Availability
Reduce training volume while nudging carbs upward to top off glycogen. Favor familiar, lower-fiber staples to avoid bloat, sip electrolytes, and trust that feeling sharp, not stuffed, sets the stage for peak performances.
Endurance vs. Strength: Different Sessions, Same Fuel
Endurance: Drip Feeding the Fire
For long runs or rides, steady intake prevents the late-session fade that ruins pacing. Mix gels, chews, and drinks, and align your fueling with terrain changes so nutrition supports, rather than disrupts, your rhythm.
Strength and HIIT: Carbs for Explosive Repeats
Carbs improve total volume, bar speed, and sprint power by sustaining quick ATP production. Even a small pre-session snack or a carbohydrate mouth rinse can boost neural drive and focus when seconds truly matter.
Common Myths, Smart Fixes, and Your Next Experiment
Strategic carbohydrates sharpen rather than dull performance. Sluggishness usually reflects poor timing, unfamiliar foods, or excessive portions. Calibrate amounts, pick comfortable staples, and notice how deliberate fueling elevates focus and consistency.
Common Myths, Smart Fixes, and Your Next Experiment
Fasted sessions can build resilience, but they compromise intensity and recovery when overused. Protect key workouts with carbohydrates, track sleep and mood, and adjust frequency based on objective progress, not trends.