Contrary to what some fad diets would have us believe, carbohydrates are not the enemy. In fact, they are pretty much the athlete’s best friend. Carbs provide the foundation for any serious athlete’s diet. Why? Because anytime you engage in moderate to intense exercise, your body is using glycogen (stored carbohydrates) as its primary fuel source.

Carbs are stored as glycogen in the liver and muscle, and in the blood as glucose. Glycogen stores provide about 1,800 to 2,000 calories worth of energy, or enough fuel for approximately 90 to 120 minutes of continuous vigorous activity. If you don’t replenish your supply of carbs pre and post workout, then your body can’t replenish its own supply of glycogen. This means that the fuel you need isn’t there when your body needs it, and performance suffers. Also, your brain is fueled by glucose, which comes from breaking down carbohydrates. Considering your entire body depends on your brain for coordination, you want to keep it running well.

Are you getting enough carbs?

Making sure you have enough carbs isn’t just about eating a bowl of pasta the night before the big game. As an athlete, your daily diet should consist of 60% carbohydrates (the other 40% is divided equally between protein and fat, but we’ll get to that later) in order to ensure that you consistently have enough glycogen stored for training. If your glycogen stores are depleted, then you’ll have less energy, and your training won’t be as productive, so don’t skimp on the carbs. How much you need depends on your body weight, level of activity, and whether you’re male or female.

Here’s a quick formula for approximately how much you should be getting daily:

Your body weight in kilograms x carbs in grams per kg of bodyweight (see chart below)

= your daily carbohydrate needs

Daily carbs in grams per kg of bodyweight            Training Level

3g                                                                                      no training

4-5g                                                                                  3-5 hrs/wk of moderate exercise

5-7g                                                                                  6-10hr/wk training

7-9g                                                                                  10-15hrs/wk training

more than 10g                                                               15+hrs week

The first number corresponds to females, the second to males, though you can adjust it to what feels right for you.

So, for example, a male weighing 177lb or 80.29kg (to convert to kg, multiply by 0.4536) who trains 6-10 hours a week will require

80.29 x 7  = 562.03 grams of carbohydrates per day, maximum

A female weighing 135lbs, or 61.234 kg, who trains 3-5 hours a week will require

61.234 x 4 = 244.94 grams of carbohydrates per day, minimum

To give you a rough idea of what this translates into, 1 cup of pasta translates into 40g of carbohydrates, 1 cup of brown rice 45g, 1 cup of pinto beans, 44g.

To continue to Part II:  Part II Carbohydrates: The Body’s Core Fuel For Energy

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