Athletes who regularly eat a varied, carbohydrate-rich diet have sufficient energy stores to fuel their increased activity during a competitive event. Some coaches recommend a special precompetition meal to prevent hunger and to provide the water and additional energy the athlete will need during competition. Most athletes eat 2 - 4 hours before their event. Some athletes perform their best if they eat a small amount 30 minutes before competing, while others eat nothing for 6 hours beforehand.

For many athletes, carbohydrate-rich foods serve as the basis of a precompetition meal. However, according to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, there is no magic pre-event diet. The Council recommends choosing foods and beverages that you enjoy and that don't bother your stomach and suggests experimenting during the weeks before an event to see which foods work best for you.

One source of energy for working muscles is glycogen, which is made from carbohydrates and stored in your muscles. Every time you work out, you use some glycogen. If you don't consume enough carbohydrates, your glycogen stores can become depleted, which can lead to fatigue.

Some trainers and athletes use "carbohydrate loading" to increase the amount of glycogen in muscles. An athlete eats 10 - 12 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight for 5 - 7 days before a competitive event and gradually reduces the intensity of the workouts. That's a lot of carbohydrate - 700-800 grams for a 150-pound person. The day before the event, the athlete rests and eats the same high-carbohydrate diet. Those who participate in endurance sports which require 90 minutes or more of non-stop effort use this technique. Most athletes don't need to do this and can get what they need from eating a diet that gets more than half of its calories from carbohydrates.

Next week we'll look at other nutrition recommendations for athletes and others who get a lot of exercise.

Related information: Nutrients - Carbohydrate