Carbohydrate loading for competition shape
Carbohydrate loading is one of the most delicate steps in the week before a competition. If the depletion is incomplete or the load is too big, your look can turn flat, watery or just unreliable.
Translated by Janar Rückenberg
Why does carbohydrate loading matter?
In bodybuilding, loading is not simply a big plate of rice. The idea is to deplete the muscles of glycogen first and then fill them back up. Done well, loading can give the muscle a fuller look. Done badly, it can bring water under the skin and ruin the dryness you are chasing in competition shape.
About 6-7 days before the competition, athletes usually move into the final carbohydrate depletion. During this phase, carbohydrates are reduced gradually and the workouts become more exhausting. The goal is simple: get muscle glycogen stores as low as possible.
During this period, carbohydrates may make up about 10% of total calories. This means the stores are not replenished after a workout the way they normally would be. The body is, in a sense, on standby. If the depletion is sufficient, glycogen synthase, the enzyme that stores glycogen, works more actively and the effect of the loading can be stronger.
How does carbohydrate loading work?
The depletion period is not the same for everyone. For some it lasts 2 – (6 – 7) days, for others it is shorter. After that comes the loading, which can vary from 1 – 3 days. It makes no sense to blindly copy someone else’s plan here, because body weight, muscle mass, metabolism and previous experience change a lot.
During loading, carbohydrates may rise to about 80% of total calories. Heavy workouts are usually no longer done at this stage. What remains is posing, keeping muscle tone and light movement. Posing is not just stage practice; it helps keep the muscle working and supports carbohydrates getting into the muscle.
During depletion, you should work through the whole body. In old-school terms: a full body workout. The larger the share of muscles that has been depleted, the stronger the later supercompensation effect can be. You do plenty of exercises and the rep count is moderate to high, because this kind of work uses up glycogen more effectively.
Start loading right after the last depletion workout
The key moment is the last exhausting workout. You should start loading right after it, not several hours later. Even a small delay can reduce the benefit of the loading and the greater glycogen storage capacity.
In the first hours, liquid and fast-absorbing carbohydrates work better. Solid, high-fiber and slower foods can be too heavy at the start. As the hours go on, you can gradually move toward complex carbohydrates and higher-fiber options.
In the first hours of loading, you can consume as much as 100 grams of carbohydrates every 1 – 2 hours. That does not mean every athlete should do exactly this. It means the start of loading is time-sensitive and the amounts need to be monitored.
Practical risks and what to watch
In the first 24 hours, the amount of carbohydrates can in some cases reach as much as 1200 g. Frankly, that is a very large amount. If the depletion was not sufficient or your body weight is already low, the risk of overloading is quite real.
During loading, a bodybuilder or athlete can absorb an average of 50 – 100 g of carbohydrates per hour. After the first 24 hours, storage and supercompensation capacity clearly start to decline, because the stores are already filling up. That leads to a practical conclusion: do not drag loading out just hoping that more is better.
You should not restrict water sharply during loading. Each gram of carbohydrate binds on average 2.7 g of water in the muscle, and an aqueous solution is needed for glucose to be absorbed efficiently. Dehydration can greatly reduce the effect of loading.
The translator’s note is worth keeping: 1200 g is a large amount, and every athlete should test their own loading amount in advance. The idea is right, but the amount is not universal. The same goes for sodium and potassium. They affect fluid retention and how water is distributed between the cells and the extracellular space.
FAQ: carbohydrate loading
Is carbohydrate loading suitable for every trainee?
Not necessarily. It is first and foremost a tool for competition shape, not an everyday nutrition trick. For the average trainee, steady nutrition and a good training plan are usually enough.
What happens if you load too much?
Too large an amount can lead to water retention and a softer look. Over the longer term, the excess can also turn into fat, especially if the amounts are repeated and energy expenditure does not match intake.
Should you cut back on water during loading?
Generally not. Sharply restricting water can worsen carbohydrate storage in the muscle. Manipulating fluids is a separate topic and takes experience.
Author: Janar Rückenberg
Source: WHO – healthy eating.
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