Macro partitioning
Consuming a high carbohydrate diet (8.5 g/kg/day) during intensified running training significantly attenuates the decline in physical performance and mood state compared to a moderate carbohydrate diet (5.4 g/kg/day).
If you are increasing your training volume or intensity significantly, you must increase your carbohydrate intake to approximately 8.5 grams per kilogram of body weight daily. Failing to do so will likely result in a faster decline in your running performance and a noticeable drop in your mood and energy levels, signaling overreaching. Stick to this high-carb intake throughout the intensified training block to maintain your fitness and well-being.
These findings indicate that an increase in dietary CHO content from 5.4 to 8.5 g CHO·kg-1·day-1 (41 vs. 65% total energy intake, respectively) allowed better maintenance of physical performance and mood state over the course of training, thereby reducing the symptoms of overreaching.
Why this rating
Randomized crossover design with well-trained subjects, though sample size is small (n=7).
Source
Higher dietary carbohydrate content during intensified running training results in better maintenance of performance and mood state
Juul Achten et al. · Journal of Applied Physiology · 2004
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