Strategic carb timing vs consistent consumption

Triathlon Forum
1

I’ve seen two sides

  1. those who consume carbohydrates before, during, and after sessions and then eat “lower carb” other times. Very similar to The Core Diet
  2. those who eat carbohydrates consistent with every meal/snack regardless of the time of day in relation to training

When it comes to optimizing body composition and/or performance, what say the masses?

2

Always best to eat balanced meals. One gets the most from their nutrition that way. Fad diets (e.g.; weight loss) can stress the bio system - and more stress is exactly what one doesn’t need when training.

3

Outside of workouts I go with clean carbs consistently - lots of fibre. Whole grains (Oats, quinoa, brown rice etc) potatoes/sweet potatoes, fruit and veggies.
On the bike I eat more sugary stuff but you can work out what works for you.

4

Reckon you’ll get loads of variance in responses on this one.

My ideal approach is to optimise for micronutrient consumption, eating only foods where the ingredients are clear (that said I did demolish a large bag of swedish fish on Sunday evening so don’t follow it as well as I should!). From my n=1 experience both 1 and 2 can be successful. You can also be successful on low carb approaches.

I have two VERY fast friends, one who is always banging on about metabolic efficiency, the other who eats carbs all the time. Both are fast and toned. Prob best to do spend 3 months on each approach and decide what works for you best

5

#1 describes me perfectly. I’m not “no carb” person, but I do eat more rice/bread/potatoes before/during/after workouts. Meals not around workouts mostly consist of meat and veggies.

6

I fasted training in the morning will do you for metabolic adaptation but low carb diets are generally bs it doesn’t really matter cause even though you’re utilizing fat oxidation more you’re glycogen capacity is also lowered
.

7

I try to eat more carbs before and after a workout.

The rest of the time I try to limit the carbs or get them from veggies, sweet potatoes etc. I do believe there is something to “carb spillage.”

8

I fasted training in the morning will do you for metabolic adaptation but low carb diets are generally bs it doesn’t really matter cause even though you’re utilizing fat oxidation more you’re glycogen capacity is also lowered

Better let Team Sky in on that. They seem to think it works. Sky appears to follow the train low race high theory.

9

Better let Team Sky in on that. They seem to think it works. Sky appears to follow the train low race high theory.

I believe it is more periodizing nutrition to match their schedules (racing or training).

10

I had a consultation with the folks at Core Diet about 2 years ago and try to follow it as closely as I can. I’ve seen a performance increase but it’s impossible to know how much the improved nutrition has contributed to that. I can tell you that I generally feel better since I don’t eat as much crap as I used to.

I think if you only think about two things, let them be 1) refuel immediately following intense/long workouts with a 4:1 carb/protein blend (choc milk is good), and 2) try to limit carbs outside of your “workout windows” which are immediately before and up to 1-2 hours following a workout. I’m addicted to kind bars and almonds as mid-afternoon snacks and they satisfy most of my hunger pangs without spiking blood sugar.

11

I fasted training in the morning will do you for metabolic adaptation but low carb diets are generally bs it doesn’t really matter cause even though you’re utilizing fat oxidation more you’re glycogen capacity is also lowered

Better let Team Sky in on that. They seem to think it works. Sky appears to follow the train low race high theory.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11103848
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11090597
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12218744
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16141377