Energy balance
High carbohydrate (CHO) availability before, during, and after exercise improves endurance performance by delaying glycogen depletion and maintaining high rates of CHO oxidation.
If you are training or competing for more than 90 minutes, prioritize high carbohydrate intake before, during, and after your sessions. This strategy is proven to improve performance by 2-3% in time trials and increase capacity by ~20% by ensuring your muscles have enough glycogen to sustain high-intensity effort without fatiguing early.
Given the well-documented effects of high CHO availability on promoting exercise performance, elite endurance athletes are typically advised to ensure high CHO availability before, during and after high-intensity training sessions or competition.
Why this rating
The paper cites decades of highly cited studies and consistent findings from the 1960s to present, establishing a strong consensus.
Source
Regulation of Muscle Glycogen Metabolism during Exercise: Implications for Endurance Performance and Training Adaptations
Mark A. Hearris et al. · Nutrients · 2018
DOI 10.3390/nu10030298
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