It is better to use absolute values in grams. A percentage value is not only very difficult for athletes to interpret, but there is still no guarantee that it will really fill the glycogen stores. This is because the recommendation for the intake of carbohydrates during the competition preparation phase states that 70% of the energy absorbed should be in the form of carbohydrates. What at first glance appears to be relatively simple, is really quite difficult in practice. During carbo-loading, you also need to make sure you drink sufficiently high amounts of fluids. If at all, the training should only be very relaxed and short to ensure the stored muscle glycogen is not burned up in training again. The reduction in training is an important part of carbo-loading. The most common modified method involves eating a diet that is extremely rich in carbohydrates during the last three to four days before the competition with a heavy reduction in training at the same time. These days, however, the arduous, specific emptying phase is dispensed with. The entire week prior to the competition was therefore required for this. In its original form (called the Swedish or Saltin diet), carbo-loading consisted of two phases, namely a phase of 3 to 4 days where you empty your carbohydrate tank (and eat a higher amount of fat at the same time) and an equally long loading phase.
This dreaded moment, known as “hitting the wall” when you are 30 km into a marathon, for example, entails a sudden slump in performance and is experienced by most runners once in their sporting life. The reason for the increase in performance lies in the fact that it delays the time at which the glycogen stores start diminishing and force the muscles to switch to fat burning instead. It is estimated to improve endurance performances of 90 minutes or more by 2-3%, which at first glance may not seem much, but is nonetheless substantial and also dependant on the length of the competition. Building up glycogen stores to improve endurance performance was developed as a sports nutrition technique in the 1960s.
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