Carb loading before competition day
Carb loading is a pre-competition nutrition strategy that bodybuilders use to make their muscles look fuller on stage. It is no magic trick, but a nutrition plan that takes some experimentation. If your body responds well, your physique may look drier, rounder and firmer.
Why does carb loading matter?
Before a competition, bodybuilders consume large amounts of carbohydrates to fill out their muscles. The idea is similar to carbohydrate loading in endurance sports. For marathon runners, larger carbohydrate stores help them keep going over a long distance. A bodybuilder has a different goal: muscles need to look full on stage, rather than flat.
Eating more carbohydrates increases glycogen levels in muscle cells. Glycogen binds water, which is why well-timed loading can improve muscle shape. In truth, there is a fine line here. Too few carbohydrates leave your physique looking depleted; too many can make it look smooth and soft.
Even as an amateur bodybuilder, you can get good results from carb loading. But only if you do not try it for the first time during competition week. You need to test your body’s response beforehand, because everyone’s body is different.
How does carb loading work in practice?
After a couple of weeks of dieting, it is worth experimenting with a few days of carb loading. The aim is to see how your body responds: whether your muscles look fuller, whether your waist stays well defined and whether water under the skin starts to detract from your appearance.
1. Restrict carbohydrates before loading
Start by cutting back on carbohydrates for 4 to 5 days, limiting your intake to 100-150 grams per day. Eat carbohydrates only at your first three or four meals, distributing them fairly evenly. This leaves your body slightly more depleted before loading and makes the effects of the subsequent increase in carbohydrates easier to assess.
For example, you could add 25-40 grams of rolled oats to your first meal. For your second meal, 25-40 grams of brown rice would work. You could include 25-40 grams of sweet potato in your third meal and 25-30 grams of a mix of your favorite carbohydrate sources in your fourth.
On these low-carbohydrate days, avoid sugars throughout the day and all carbohydrates after 17.00. This part is difficult, especially if you have already been dieting for a long time. However, this restriction gives you a better basis for comparison later.
2. Start loading at the right time
Suppose you start restricting your intake on Monday. Begin carb loading on Friday evening. Eat around 100 g of carbohydrates with each of your last two meals. Continue to focus on complex carbohydrates, although at this stage you can also use regular potatoes and white rice as carbohydrate sources.
The following day, eat 400-500 g of carbohydrates from the sources listed above. Carefully document your physique. Photos taken in the same lighting and at the same time of day give you much more reliable feedback than the mirror, where your assessment depends on the lighting, your muscle pump and how you feel.
Carb loading and training timing
Avoid training on Saturday and Sunday, especially aerobic exercise. Why? Because it would substantially deplete glycogen in your muscle tissue, potentially undermining the goal of loading: filling out your muscles. If your legs look depleted or your shoulders look flat, a long, last-minute cardio session will not salvage the situation.
Continue loading on Sunday. By now, you should be noticing changes. If your physique starts to look smoother and loses definition, this may be a sign that your muscle cells are saturated, or already oversaturated, with carbohydrates. The simple truth is that your physique looks its best before you overload, not afterward.
To look your best, you should stop carb loading before your body starts to become saturated with carbohydrates. You will need to judge this for yourself. It is advisable to start loading 36-48 hours before a competition, but the exact timing depends on your body, how long you have been dieting and how quickly carbohydrates change your appearance.
What should you monitor when carb loading?
The purpose of the experiment described above is to find out how much your body responds and whether that response differs from the average. Some people’s muscles fill out quickly. Others end up looking watery instead. Both are valuable findings when they come during a trial run, rather than on the morning you step on stage.
If you feel you need to follow the low-carbohydrate regimen for a longer or shorter period, do so. You do not have to cut your carbohydrate intake so low or increase it so drastically. Results are individual. The carbohydrate amounts used in this experiment simply seem to work best for bodybuilders on average.
A practical tip: keep a record of your foods, quantities, meal times and body weight, along with photos. If one loading trial goes well, you will have something to refer back to later. If it does not, you will at least be able to see where things might have gone wrong.
FAQ: carb loading
Is carb loading only for competitors?
For the most part, yes. If you train recreationally, you don’t need to carb-load regularly. If your goal is simply to have a good workout and stay in shape, a consistent diet is usually enough.
Should you carb-load without a trial run?
No. It’s worth testing the same protocol before the big day, as your body may respond differently than expected. A trial run helps you establish whether carbohydrates fill out your muscles or make your physique look too smooth.
When should you stop carb loading?
Stop before you notice excessive smoothness and a loss of muscle definition. The exact timing varies from person to person, but the original recommendation was to start carb loading 36-48 hours before the competition.
Find beneficial carbohydrates here: https://turg.fitness.ee/en?view=browse&q=s%C3%BCsivesikud
Author: FLEX, translated by K.Reial
Source: WHO – healthy eating.
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