Although total carbohydrate intake plays a more important role in energy availability for training, timing of carbohydrate intake should also be considered as it can still significantly increase performance throughout a session. This is due to your body losing carbohydrate stores throughout the night or during the day, meaning a top up of carbohydrates before training ensures maximal glycogen availability (a key source of energy).
The amount of carbohydrate digested before a training session will depend on the intensity of training, how well your gut can tolerate carbohydrate loads, as well as the type of carbohydrate you are choosing to ingest. As a result of this it is important that your nutritional program is individualised, however, the following general guidelines may provide at least an insight into typical recommendations to act as starting blocks from which to become more precise.
Timing: Before training, carbohydrates should be ingested ideally 1-2 hours beforehand. If the need for carbohydrate intake is exceptionally high due to high intensity training, a pre-training meal can also be ingested 3-4 hours before a training session on top of the pre-training snack. If training in the afternoon this will likely coincide with a general timing window for lunch or for a mid-afternoon snack. Gut upset must also be considered. If tolerance is low, consume your pre-training carbohydrate earlier, or replace it with a higher GI carbohydrate.
Amount: Carbohydrate intake should be 0.5-1g/kg of bodyweight depending on the intensity of training. If training is exceptionally intense, up to 2g/kg of bodyweight can be recommended. GLUT transporters only digest up to 60g of glucose per hour. Therefore, if carbohydrate requirements are above that, carbohydrate intake must start earlier to accommodate this, or a mixture of glucose and fructose must be digested instead.
Type of carbohydrate: Both the GI and type of carbohydrate must be considered in pre-training snacks. As a general rule of thumb, the close to a training session you are, the higher the GI of the carbohydrate should be. A mixture of glucose and fructose sources will allow for the fastest uptake.
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