What is carbohydrate loading?
Carbohydrate loading is a diet strategy for increasing a sports persons muscle glycogen stores, prior to a competition or event.
Basic procedure
Carbohydrate loading involves making changes in the diet, a fixed number of days prior to a sporting event. Athletes usually:
first, reduce the number of hours they train, over a span of 1-4 days, and,
second, immediately follow it up with a high carbohydrate diet pattern (supplying about 7-12 g of carbohydrate per kg body weight) for a span of 3-4 days.
How does it help?
Carbohydrate loading maximizes the athletes muscle glycogen stores, enabling him/her to perform for longer and yet maintain their optimum pace during an event.
What all sports does it help in?
Marathon apart, this practice also works very well for sports like endurance swimming, cycling, amongst others.
Planning out and following a high carbohydrate diet, which supplies carbohydrate in the range of 7-12g/kg body weight is not an easy task and is best left to a professional and more importantly a qualified dietitian (Bachelors or Masters degree in Nutrition and Dietetics, or, atleast a 2 year Post Graduate Diploma in the same).
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