Carbohydrates for Strength Athletes
A carb-full pile of strongman competition snacks
Intro:
Carbohydrates (carbs) are one of the heroes of the strongman athlete’s diet. They provide energy during intense exercise such as those AMRAP and max time or distance events, and help fuel long training sessions complete with accessory work Despite their utility many people have questions about them and where they fit in a healthy diet. This article intends to review what carbs are, what they do in the body, the different types of carbs, and how you might use them to support your performance or body composition goals.
Carbohydrates are one of the three main macronutrients (along with protein and fat) that foods are composed of. They are the preferred source of energy for your brain as well as muscles working at moderate to high-intensities for activities lasting anywhere from 10 seconds to around a minute. So heavy singles or low intensity cardio exercises are not very carb-hungry, but every strength set over 3-4 reps, AMRAP, moving event, even some of your prehab workout will prioritize carbs over fat or protein. Of course to do this carbs must be available, we store about 100g in our liver, and 300-400g in our muscles as glycogen, draw from during exercise. If your stores are full this amount will last a couple hours of exercise, but new research suggests performance begins to decline with even modest decreases in glycogen stores, meaning you don’t have to be completely “depleted” to feel the effects (1). Eating carbs around your workout can provide immediate energy, slowing the loss of your stores.
Despite all the benefits of carbs on performance, intake above your needs for exercise, glycogen storage, and metabolic functions will be converted to body fat for storage, prompting many people to be calculated with their intake. Ideally strength athletes should plan their diet with around 5g/kg bodyweight, but since this number might be high for some, I recommend at least trying to get 50% of your calories from carbs (2). You will need to satisfy your minimum protein and fat requirements first, but most consume more of those than is needed.
Low-Carb for Weight Loss
Some athletes choose to follow a low-carb diet to manage their weight, sometimes for good reason since carbs are often difficult to control portions of and can be less satisfying than protein. A side-effect of those diet strategies is that your glycogen levels will likely be sub-optimal and therefore performance may be hindered but it may be a “necessary evil” to help you achieve your goal. I do recommend athletes in sports like strongman or CrossFit err on the lower side of the recommended protein intake to make room for more carbohydrates to fuel training, especially if your performance drop is noticeable with a low carb approach. It is also possible that if you prioritize carbohydrate for your pre-workout and/or post-workout meals, that you may limit the impact to your training.
Types of Carbohydrate
All of the carbohydrates you eat will ultimately be broken down into glucose (sugar) before being absorbed. While it is true that carbs are effective whether they come from gummy bears or brown rice, you may want to consider the carb sources you choose in different situations due to the benefits or drawbacks of each. The two main subgroups of carbs are Complex Carbohydrates and Simple Carbohydrates.
Complex Carbohydrates
Complex carbohydrates are minimally processed, slower-digesting starches. For example potatoes, lentils, beans, or corn that can literally look the same on your plate as they do in the growing field. Grain-based foods are usually still considered complex when they are “whole grain” which refers to the fact that they have not had their fiber and other constituents removed prior to their use. These are products like whole grain bread or pasta, or grains like oatmeal, brown rice, barley, and quinoa.
It is recommended that the majority (over 50%) of the carbs you eat come from complex sources because they are usually much higher in fiber and micronutrients than simple sources. Some simple carbohydrate foods, like cereals and breads are fortified, where the vitamins and minerals removed are mixed back in, but there is data to suggest that these nutrients are more beneficial when consumed in their original food form (3). Complex starch sources may also require more energy to process, further making them a preferred choice for calorie-conscious athletes. Additionally, recent research has supported the theory that processed carbohydrate foods are more likely to lead to overeating, and possibly displace nutrient-dense foods in the diet when compared to complex carb sources (4). Complex carbs are rich in fiber which is an invaluable nutrient for everyone, let alone competitive athletes for the reasons described below.
Recommendation: There is no exact number for everyone, but in general I recommend at least 25g per day, and then 5g for every 500 calories you eat over 2000. If you are already tracking macronutrients, adding fiber to the numbers you are following is a great way to make sure you are eating a healthy, well-rounded diet.
Notes on Fiber:
Notes on Fiber
When adding fiber-rich foods to the diet, aim to only increase fiber intake by around 5g/day per week to minimize gastro-intestinal upset. It often takes an adjustment period for your gut to get used to more fiber.
High fiber bars, processed foods (ex. low -carb tortillas, bread, bars, even yogurt) may skew your numbers a little high. You may consider alternatives to these if the addition of vegetables to your diet causes too much gas or bloating.
Simple Carbohydrates
Simple carbs are much more easily digested and absorbed in the form of sugar. They are sometimes natural or minimally processed, like fruits and fruit juices, honey, or maple syrup but the majority are from processed or refined sources like sweets, flour-based snack foods, breads, chips, or cereals. Whether these are “added sugar” or not does not affect their impact on your health or performance, neither does their labeling as “natural”. Even notably demonized sources like high-fructose corn syrup will be processed and utilized in your body so similarly to regular table sugar that there is no perceivable difference.
Conversely to complex carbs, I recommend trying to make less than 50% of your daily carbs come from these sources. In the end, they might not be specifically bad for you, but you could be missing out on the benefits of the more complex sources. There are, however, a few good reasons to include at least some simple carbs in your day.
Glycemic Index/Glycemic Load
Glycemic Index (GI) refers to a system used to categorize foods based on their impact on blood sugar. Foods are assigned a number from 0-100, with 100 being pure sugar. The flaw of this system is that it is based on 100g of carbs from each source instead of amounts typically eaten. As you can see in the table below, parsnips have a glycemic index similar to sugar, but to get 100g of carbs from parsnips would require 5 cups of the vegetable, yet 100g of carbs from sugar is an amount that can easily be consumed in the form of sweets or sweetened beverages (6). Glycemic Load (GL) is a system that considers typically consumed portions in their entirety. As you can see the difference between GI and GL is great with the unprocessed foods in the table to the right compared with most of the processed foods on the left.
Research utilizing glycemic index and glycemic load seem to suggest that total carbohydrate consumed matters far more than the glycemic index of those foods. All carbs consumed will eventually reach your blood sugar, and whether they lead to a short spike or a long slight elevation seems to be inconsequential for many health outcomes. For athletes, however, a stable blood sugar may be important for performance, hence why we have recommended amounts of complex carbs with a typically low GL unless quick replenishment of blood sugar is required, such as during workouts.
(Cordain, 2003).
Carbohydrate Fueling Strategies
Pre, During, and Post-workout
For higher level athletes, or those who train hard for prolonged periods, additional carb timing and supplementation may help you maintain intensity for longer into a workout. Let me be clear that the classic “Strongman Saturday” crew who completes about 5 working sets in the span of 3 hours need not worry about these strategies, though it is certainly fun to couple these days with treats.
For starters, eat a high-carb pre-training meal with at least 1g of carbohydrate per kg of bodyweight is a good way to reduce depletion of glycogen during training (7). If you are going to be training at a good pace for over 90 minutes, have some additional carbs during training in the form of a sports drink or simple carb snack to minimize liver glycogen depletion and potential reduced blood sugar (8). While your muscle glycogen is what is helping you produce force, liver glycogen is helping you maintain stable blood sugar and therefore limit mental fatigue. If you are doing two-a-day workouts or are competing without a full meal between events, you might benefit from another 1g/kg again immediately after training to get your glycogen levels up faster for the next bout. Otherwise, if you are eating enough carbohydrate throughout the day your glycogen will have ample time to recover for the next day.
Verdict: If you are eating a moderate to high carb diet and only training once per day for 90 mins or less, worrying about carbohydrate timing (pre/during/post) is probably not worth your time unless you personally note benefits. If you are in a caloric deficit, follow a low-moderate carb diet, workout for extended periods or 2-a-days, then carbohydrate timing and supplementation is worth experimenting with.
Carbohydrate Supplements
There are several carbohydrate supplements currently on the market claiming to have performance benefits superior to sugars or starches found in typically consumed foods.
D-Ribose
D-Ribose is a type of sugar that can be utilized to create Adenosine Tri-Phosphate (ATP), or the energy all of our cells use (including muscle tissue) to function. It is included in carbohydrate supplements claiming to enhance energy production, especially during prolonged bouts of endurance exercise. The available literature supporting this claim is suspect at best, especially for strength athletes. One study showed an increase in ATP regeneration in subjects undergoing cycling intervals, but did not improve any performance markers measured (9). One of the more promising studies showed a decrease in Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) and an increase in power output by subjects engaging in high-intensity training, but these improvements were only found in those with a very low fitness level (10). Interestingly, one study actually found D-Ribose to be detrimental to rowing interval performance, though the authors believe it was a null affect while the placebo group who received dextrose derived some benefit to their performance (11). Since the primary benefit is likely to be to out of shape endurance athletes, it is unlikely that D-ribose will do anything for most strength athletes.
Low Molecular Weight Starch (Waxy Maize)
Another popular carbohydrate supplement utilized by many athletes is high molecular weight (HMW) starch. Sometimes called waxy maize starch, this product is made of highly branched amylopectin starch, which is very physically heavy and is proposed to literally settle to the bottom of your stomach for quicker entry into the intestines. It is easy to see the potential utility for athletes, especially those engaging in long-range endurance exercise or re-fueling for 2-a-day practices. The literature supporting these claims is not especially strong. One study found that blood sugar responses to consumption were similar between HMW starch and “slow acting” resistant starch, with pure dextrose being 3x faster (12). Another study had athletes complete glycogen-exhausting cycling workouts and refuel with regular sugar or HWM starch before rounds of heavy, high-volume squats. Sugar and HMW starch both improved squat performance, but I know I would rather reach for gummy bears than a starchy beverage between strongman events (13). Finally, a recent review concluded that HMW starch may improve endurance markers, especially for full body endurance exercise like swimming, but is likely to be less important with a moderate to high carbohydrate diet (14). Essentially, it looks like this supplement might be helpful in certain situations like with athletes who are in a caloric deficit and following a lower carb diet, but even in that circumstance it is not clear whether a post-workout candy bar or perhaps piece of fruit wouldn’t be the same or better.
Verdict: Carb supplements are not likely to be more beneficial than plain old sugar for strength athletes, and if so their benefits are hard to find through research. If these products are convenient for you, taste good, or otherwise improve your performance personally, then they might be worth the cost. If you think that they might give you the edge you are looking for and the rest of your diet and training programming is lined up, look elsewhere.
Carb Cycling
Just about every seasoned strength athlete has had the goal of losing weight through calorie restriction at one point. Whether it be for health reasons, aesthetic reasons, or to compete in a certain weight class. To reduce calories you have to limit one, two, or all three macronutrients to some extent, but choosing which macronutrient to reduce and by how much is a topic for another day. After reading this article, you should now be aware of the potential negatives of reducing your carbohydrate intake, but there are some advanced strategies that aim to mitigate those consequences if you choose to reduce your carb intake to assist with weight loss.
The concept of carb cycling hinges on the theory that higher carb intakes on training days are more useful than on rest days. With that in mind you might wish to try eating more carbs on training days, especially prior to the training session, and less carbs during rest days. Some like to go further and define training days as “hard” or “easy”, for example skewing more carbs to heavy lower body workouts and strongman events days and less for upper body days, cardio days, and complete rest days.
The two main ways you can operationalize carb cycling are:
Keep calories constant, adding carbs and reducing fat on heavy training days, and the opposite on rest days. Protein intake should remain stable.
Increase calories on heavy training days by simply taking carbs away from rest days, with no replacement.
Verdict: If you want to try this approach, it might take some trial and error in terms of how much you can, and are willing to, remove from rest days. In my personal experience most people do not benefit enough from this strategy in order to take the time to design and apply it to every dieting athlete. It is, however, a viable and for some people game-changing technique to help them reduce their weekly carb intake without reducing the amount they consume on days when they “need” it.
Big Takeways on Carbohydrate Intake:
General: Ensure around 50% or more of your daily calories come from carbohydrates
For training sessions over 60 minutes: Eat or drink at least 1g/kg of carbohydrates 30-60 mins before training sessions. Remember this can very easily be a full meal.
Ex: A 105kg athlete would eat 105g of carbohydrate before training in the form of a snack or meal.
A peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a banana
2 cups of rice, vegetables, meat
1 cup of oatmeal with fruit and honey
A pack of pop-tarts and a greek yogurt
For training sessions over 90 minutes: If you need sustained energy, consume around 30-60g per hour during the workout might prevent fatigue accumulation.
Ex: 2 graham crackers or 1-2 servings of sour patch kids
For rapid repletion of glycogen: if you need to be optimally recovered in 4-6 hours or less: Post-workout carbohydrate snack of at least 1g/kg within 1 hour.
Ex: A 82kg athlete would want to eat 82g of carbohydrate immediately after training in the form of a snack or meal.
2 cups of pretzels and a banana with PB
1.5 cups of pasta with veg and meat
32oz sports drink and 1 cup Greek yogurt with honey
Quick Reference Chart:
Hokken, R. et al. (2020). Subcellular Localization- and Fibre Type-Dependent Utilization of Muscle Glycogen During Heavy Resistance Exercise in Elite Power and Olympic Weightlifters. Acta Physiol. Sep 22;e13561.
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Xu, y. Et al. (2018). Whole Grain Diet Reduces Systemic Inflammation. A Meta-Analysis of 9 Randomized Trials. Medicine (Baltimore). Oct; 97(43): e12995.
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Haff, G.G., Koch, A.J., Potteiger, J.A., Kuphal, K.E., Magee, L.M., Green, S.B., Jakicic, J.J. (2000) Carbohydrate Supplementation Attenuates Muscle Glycogen Loss During Acute Bouts Of Resistance Exercise. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 10(3):326–39.
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Hellsten, Y., Skadhauge, L., and Bangsbo, J. (2004). Effect of ribose supplementation on resynthesis of adenine nucleotides after intense intermittent training in humans. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. Jan;286(1):R182
Seifert, J.G., Brumet, A., St. Cyr, J.A. (2017). The influence of D-ribose ingestion and fitness level on performance and recovery. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 14, Article number: 47.
Dunne, L.D., Worley, S., Macknin, M. (2006). Ribose Versus Dextrose Supplementation, Association With Rowing Performance: A Double-Blind Study. Clin J Sport Med Volume 16, Number 1.
Goodpaster, B.H., Costill, D.Ll., Fink, W.J., Trappe, T.A., Jozsi, A.C., Starling, R.D., Trappe, S.W. (1996). The effects of pre-exercise starch ingestion on endurance performance. Int J Sports Med. Jul;17(5):366-72.
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