Climbing into Adventure

If there’s one nutrient that can seriously boost your performance it’s carbohydrate. Getting your carb levels right can seriously help you reach your sporting potential. This is because carbohydrate can be broken down to produce energy very rapidly when needed.

So what does it mean when someone says you need to ‘Carbo-load’
Carbohydrate loading is about maximising your body’s intake of dietary carbohydrate so it can be broken down and converted into muscle carbohydrate. When you exercise vigorously, some of the energy comes from fat and protein and some comes from blood sugar, however most of the energy comes from stored muscle carbohydrate – glycogen. Fat and protein are not readily converted to energy and therefore are unable to fuel the body through high-intensity workouts. That’s where muscle glycogen storage comes in. Fully loaded muscles can store around 400g of glycogen – enough to supply around two hours’ of intense exercise. After this point, energy levels lower and perceived effort increases.

How can carbohydrate improve my recovery?
As exercise reduces your muscle glycogen, post-exercise nutrition is extremely important to speed up your recovery. During the first two hours after exercise, your muscles behave like a sponge, soaking up what they need to recover and power you through your next workout. Therefore, it is recommended that you consume a ready-mixed carbohydrate drink immediately after training. To aid in further recovery, glycogen replenishment should continue over the next 24-48 hours and should be followed up with a carbohydrate-rich meal as soon as you get home.

How much carbohydrate should I have?
For optimum post-exercise glycogen replenishment, consume 1.2g of carbohydrate per kilo of your bodyweight per hour for the first four hours post-exercise.