Carb Loading

I have never experimented with carb loading. From what I read, carb loading is mostly a myth and will often do more harm than good. I don't have any general philosophy on the matter, since I've never experimented with it myself. The upside is that it is supposed to work. The downside is that traditional carb loading procedures are brutal and Draconian. The good news is that you don't need to use the classical approach. The bad news is that if you do it wrong, you may just end up feeling fat & bloated by the end of the week.

If your event is less than 90 minutes, don't waste your time. Here are the 2 approaches that I would give some weight to:

One
In the week before your event, structure your exercise volume and carb intake accordingly:

• 7: 90 min (50% carbs)
• 6: 40-60 min (50% carbs)
• 5: 40-60 min (50% carbs)
• 4: 20-45 min (70% carbs)
• 3: 20-45 min (70% carbs)
• 2: 0-30 min (70% carbs)
• 1: Race (70% carbs)

Personally I don't think you should exercise every day leading up to a race. I also don't think you should take the day before off.

Two

• Workout the day before the event
• Moderate total time, ~60 min
• Do a short 2-3 min burst of ultra hard effort
• Rest as much as you can for the remainder of the day
• Eat a diet of 90% carbs

Good luck!