Carbohydrate loading

[2][3] Foods with low glycemic indices are generally preferred for carbo-loading due to their minimal effect on serum glucose levels.

[4] Large portions before a race can, however, decrease race-day performance if the digestive system has not had the time to process the food regimen.

Research in the 1980s led to a modified carbo-loading regimen that eliminates the depletion phase, instead calling for increased carbohydrate intake (to about 70% of total calories) and decreased training for three days before the event.

[5] A new carbo-loading regimen developed by scientists at the University of Western Australia calls for a normal diet with light training until the day before the race.

On the day before the race, the athlete performs a very short, extremely high-intensity workout (such as a few minutes of sprinting) then consumes 12 g of carbohydrate per kilogram of lean mass over the next 24 hours.