CARB LOADING CAN BE UNSAFE WEIGHT TRAINING FOR RUNNERS

November 19, 2009 by  
Filed under Fitness

Most marathon and triathlon runners will consume pre-race dinners of pasta, runners love there carbs. You want to find a runner weeks before the big race just visit the closest Italian restaurant. Many runners live on Power Bars and carry huge bottles of Gatorade, and they down them often.

Is the pasta just another affordable pre-race meal or is there something to ingesting large amounts of carbohydrates before a big run?

The #1 fuel used by your body’s muscles during high intensity exercise such as running is carbohydrates. Your body will convert the carbohydrates it uses for added energy from the glycogen it has stored in the muscles. That is why you will see most runners carbohydrate loading before the big race, and rightfully so.

It is said that carbohydrate loading should involve depleting your body of all it’s carbs, then saturating your body with fresh carbohydrates. During the depletion stage the runner follows a very restrictive diet plan followed by an intense exercise routine during the loading stage, the athlete loads up on as many carbohydrates as he or she can get.

Bear in mind carbohydrate loading does have side effects, a big side effect of carbohydrate depletion is that your energy level will also be depleted. Another much hated side effect of carbohydrate loading is quick weight gain. If you plan on carbohydrate loading you will gain weight, the two just go hand in hand.

You might not realize just how much of an difference weight training can make in your performance when it comes to running.

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