So know you know about the glycemic index, so you should hopefully be able to select the right sources of carbohydrates to support your goals (low GI, pretty much all the way).

You also know how many grams of carbohydrates you need daily, to support your existing weight and exercise levels.

So taking into account that you should aim to eat a small meal every 3 hours (6 times per day, roughly), you should now be able to figure out just how much carbohydrates are required with each meal...

Before you simply divide you total intake by 6, please read on...


Pre-Exercise

Ideally you should consume a meal 2-4 hours before training. This will enable enough time for your stomach to feel settled which should help you to have a comfortable work out (not too full - not too hungry).

Obviously the time of the meal will very much depend on your daily schedule and the time of day you plan to train.

A little bit of trial and error may be necessary here to figure out what works best for you. Eating too close to your training session may make you feel too full and uncomfortable, whereas leaving too long an interval between eating and training puts you at risk of hypogylcemia (low blood sugar...pretty shitty feeling to be honest).

How much Carbohydrate?

Most studies seem to settle on around 2.5g carbohydrate/kg of bodyweight, around about 3 hours before exercise. This sounds like an awful lot, but when you consider that a 45 minutes weights session can deplete around 40% of total glycogen stores then the figure doesn't seem so ridiculous.

So the average 70k athlete would need to consume 175g carbohydrate 3 hours before exercise.

I know this may go against peoples conventional wisdom and a few skeptics are probably worried about fat gain from consuming too many carbohydrates, but maximum glycogen storage is very beneficial when you're about to embark on an intense bout of exercise.

Of course you may need to experiment to find the exact quanity and timings to suit yourself but following the above guidelines will stand you in very good stead.

to be continued...