Optimizing Athletic Performance with Carbohydrate Periodization

You might have heard periodized training; this typically pertains to the organization of your training regimen, breaking it down into smaller cycles with distinct focuses to optimize training adaptations. Interestingly, the concept of periodization extends to nutrition as well! This entails adjusting your energy intake, particularly your consumption of carbohydrates, based on your training goals and intensity. There are various approaches to manipulate carbohydrate intake and recent theories have introduced new perspectives.

Carbohydrates around your "Key/Quality" Sessions

Carbohydrates play a crucial role as the primary energy source for the body, fuelling our working muscles during exercise. The breakdown of carbohydrates into basic sugars, such as glucose, occurs within the body and these sugars are stored as glycogen in the muscles. This glycogen serves as an essential energy source during high-intensity exercise. Elevating carbohydrate intake around key training sessions enhances the availability of carbohydrates for use as fuel, extending the duration of exercise before encountering muscular fatigue. Boosting carbohydrate consumption to support high-quality training can be achieved through a few different strategies, these include increasing carbohydrate intake in pre-training meals and snacks, strategically incorporating carbohydrates during the training session, and promptly replenishing carbohydrates post-training to restore muscle glycogen levels.

How to Approach Carb Periodization (Step by Step) Carbohydrate periodization operates on a nuanced scale, resembling a sliding mechanism. The concept involves determining your standard carbohydrate intake for a low-intensity training day or a rest day and adjusting the carbohydrate consumption up or down during the week based on the training intensity. The amount of carbohydrates needed is contingent on the fuel requirements of your muscles – refer to the table I put together below for a helpful reference guide.

Here are some key tips for supporting your training utilizing carbohydrates.

1.  Organize your training week by outlining your sessions, both in the morning and evening, using the template provided below. Identify and emphasize quality sessions, categorizing each as high-intensity, medium, low-intensity, or a designated rest day.
   

2.  Highlight those quality sessions where you aim to augment your carbohydrate intake. Develop a clear plan on how to implement this increase effectively.
   

3.  Take note of the lighter training session days. During these days, consider reducing your carbohydrate intake.
   

4.  Experiment with the plan! Finding the most effective strategy and allowing your body to adapt to increased carbohydrate intake around training may require some trial and error.
   

Ways to increase carbohydrate intake around quality sessions:

3-4 Hours Before:

• Strive for half a plate of high-quality complex carbohydrates in your meal.

• Opt for foods like pasta, rice, noodles, wholegrain breads and cereals, lentils, starchy vegetables, rice cakes & rice crackers.
  

Early Morning Quality Session:

• If unable to have a meal before, ensure a carbohydrate-rich dinner the night before.

• Include a carbohydrate-based supper snack.
  

Pre-Training Snack:

• Top up muscle glycogen stores with a snack of simple carbohydrates.

• Choose from fresh or dried fruit, fruit juice, flavoured milks, yogurts, high GI toppings like jam or honey on white bread/wraps/rice cakes.
  

During Training Session:

• Have simple, high GI carbohydrates readily available.

• Options include sports drinks, gels, bananas, etc..
  

Post-Session Refueling:

• Refuel promptly after completing the session, particularly if a carbohydrate-rich meal is some time away.

• Include some protein in your post-training snack or meal.

• Choose from flavoured milks, yogurt, cereal & milk, meat & cheese sandwich, low-fat fruit muffin, fruit smoothies.