One of the factors that can ensure athletes' success in training and competition is diet. Today we will talk about the technique of carbohydrate loading - unloading. The content of the article:
- The energetic role of carbohydrates
- Carbohydrate unloading
- Carbohydrate loading
The energetic role of carbohydrates
According to the method of carbohydrate loading, the body is deprived of food containing carbohydrates for a while. After that, the carbohydrate food is again included in the athlete's diet. This happens at a time when the body is already accustomed to do without this type of macroelements, which contributes to a significant increase in strength indicators and accelerated muscle growth. This is important in all strength sports and bodybuilding is no exception.
It is known that energy is mainly obtained by the body from carbohydrates, which are oxidized in the cellular mitochondria. This reaction is accompanied by the release of energy stored in the form of ATP. The main mechanism that the body uses to adapt to changing conditions is glucose synthesis called gluconeogenesis. It is on the speed of this synthesis that the body's endurance before physical exertion depends. This indicator is directly influenced by the experience of the athlete.
1st phase: carbohydrate discharge
This stage implies the exclusion of any carbohydrates from the diet. Thus, during this period, plant foods should not be eaten. The entire diet at this moment is filled exclusively with foods with a high content of protein compounds of animal origin. Moreover, it is desirable that they contain rapidly digestible proteins.
As you know, the leader in this group is egg white, and it should be the priority. This product is very diverse in its composition. Almost all the necessary amino acid compounds are present in it. In this regard, the World Health Organization even adopted a decree according to which egg white is the standard in determining the amino acid balance of all products.
It is also important that the egg white is one large cell, and has no tissue, which means that there is no need to digest the cell membranes. Eggs should be eaten exclusively boiled. In this form, the product is absorbed as quickly as possible by the body, in contrast to the raw one. At the same time, the yolks are processed by the body much longer, and thus, at the time of carbohydrate discharge, only egg white should be eaten. Of course, athletes are no stranger to the different diets they experience in different courses, such as drying.
Fermented milk products are the next in the rate of assimilation. A very valuable property of this type of food is the ability to release special antibiotics that prevent the processes of putrefaction in the intestines. All these facts have been proven in clinical studies, and there is no point in doubting their reliability.
In third place in terms of amino acid value and absorption rate are seafood, including fish. It is worth noting that the proteins of these products are processed worse than egg or milk proteins. However, seafood contains a very valuable amino acid compound - methionine. Well, everyone has heard about the value of fish oil.
Of the three macronutrients, it remains to resolve the issue with fats. It all depends on the goal of the athlete. If you need to lose weight, then, of course, we cannot talk about any fatty food. It is important to remember that the body cannot begin to lack fat. Any product contains a certain amount of these substances.
Of course, many people have weaknesses that are very difficult to give up - for example, sweets. However, modern sugar substitutes can help here. So, saccharin is a derivative of benzoic acid, and this substance is almost 500 times more sweet than sugar. It has no side effects, only with a large amount it starts to taste bitter. But you can quickly get used to the dosage of saccharin, find the optimal one for yourself.
2nd phase: carbohydrate loading
This stage of the program is no less important than the previous one. Carbohydrates have the ability to bind water molecules. So 1 gram of this microelement is able to keep about 4 grams of water in the body. Thus, a sharp supply of carbohydrates to the body is excluded. Otherwise, the body may be overloaded with water. This, in turn, will cause headaches, swelling, and insomnia.
The first days should be very careful to take carbohydrate food, and do it in small portions, gradually increasing them. The duration of the second phase directly depends on the duration of the first. Or the unloading lasted for a month, then the same amount of time will be required for the loading. Unfortunately, it is difficult to tell about the exact intake of carbohydrates during the loading period. It all depends on the characteristics of the organism, and in each case, this should be approached individually. It is much easier to give a general recommendation.
There are some simple calculations to be done. Every athlete knows how much, on average, he consumes carbohydrates daily. The content of this macronutrient in various products has also been established. If the second stage lasts, for example, 30 days, then the daily limit of carbohydrate intake should be divided by 30. Thus, on the first day of loading it is necessary to provide the body with 1/30 of the daily intake of carbohydrates, on the second - 2/30, and so on. By the last day of the loading period, the body will begin to receive its usual portion of the macronutrient.
During this period, special attention should be paid to the quality of the products, more precisely, the quality of the carbohydrates they contain. So, glucose is well absorbed by the body, but fructose tends to be deposited in the body in the form of glycogen. For this reason, it is better to use honey instead of regular sugar. It is also worth paying attention to dried fruits, which are not only a storehouse of carbohydrates, but also a source of vitamins and minerals. Moreover, some fruits in dried form are more valuable than raw.
If we talk about how often this technique should be used, then it is worth turning to practice for an answer. Previously, it was used once a year, and its duration was two weeks. Gradually, they began to resort to carbohydrate loading and unloading more and more often. As a result, many professional athletes now use it throughout the year, not just before competition. Each cycle and break duration is one month. It will also be interesting to note that the development of protein unloading-loading is underway. Experts predict in the future the merger of the two methods into one.
Pre-Competition Carbo Load Video:
