Can you run a full marathon for longer? Do a glycogenotype overload a week before a race

Many people like to participate in full marathons or ride long-distance bicycles. Have you noticed? They are thinner than people in other sports because they are doing "typical endurance sports" and have little excess fat on their bodies. If you want to achieve this level, you might as well do the "glycogen overload method" a week before an endurance competition, which will help you make high-intensity exercise more lasting.

For endurance exercise, as the duration of exercise increases and the intensity increases, the key issue becomes whether there is enough carbohydrates as the main energy source. When doing this type of exercise, the body's dependence on carbohydrates will gradually decrease, and fat will begin to be utilized. Therefore, people who participate in the full marathon have almost no excess fat on their bodies.

Glycogen overload method: 50 calories per kilogram of body weight per day as a principle

Wang Jinkun, professor of the Department of Nutrition at Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences, mentioned in his book "Eat Like This and Get Your Physical Fitness Back to That of a 20-Year-Old" that runners all know that they need to supplement a lot of carbohydrates before a competition, including eating foods high in carbohydrates (sugars), in order to have energy to support the body's needs. However, a person's total body glycogen storage is actually limited, only about 500 grams, and can only last for about 2 hours under long-term, high-intensity exercise. Therefore, the key lies in the "glycogen overload method", also known as the "glycogen super supplement method", which can increase the glycogen content in the body and must comply with the principle of 50 calories per kilogram of body weight per day. This method is not meant to be supplemented at any time, but it is recommended that the week before the competition is the best time to overload muscle tissue glycogen!

Day 1 of the week before exercise:

Taking a person weighing 60 kg as an example, the daily calorie requirement is about 3,000 calories. It takes 90 minutes to consume a large amount of muscle glycogen, and the diet mainly contains 50% carbohydrates as a calorie supplement. Therefore, after conversion, 375 grams of low-GI carbohydrates are needed every day.

★【Formula conversion】：

For example, a person weighing 60 kg

Daily calorie requirement: 60 kg x 50 = 3000 kcal

Sugar (each gram produces 4 calories): 3000/4X50%=375 grams

Day 2 and 3 of the week before exercise:

Consume muscle glycogen continuously for 40 minutes and supplement with a diet containing 50% carbohydrates by calorie ratio.

Day 4 and 5 of the week before exercise:

Consume muscle glycogen continuously for 20 minutes and then use a diet supplemented with 70% carbohydrates as the calorie ratio.

Day 6 of the week before exercise:

Stop exercising and continue to consume dietary supplements containing 70% carbohydrates.

Day 7 of the week before exercise:

You can compete in an ideal state of glycogen overload.

★Carbohydrate intake recommendations before competition:

As for what to eat before preparing for a formal competition? Wang Jinkun suggested:

3 to 4 hours before competition:

Glycogen: Replenishing glycogen is the most direct and effective way to replenish glycogen. You can supplement 150 to 300 grams of high-GI carbohydrates (about 2 to 4 bowls of rice, or 6 to 10 slices of toast, etc.). Pay attention to less oil and less fiber to shorten the time food stays in the stomach. This can greatly increase carbohydrate absorption and convert glycogen into storage.

Protein: The recommended intake is a portion of meat (1/2 the size of a palm without fingers), or an egg, a piece of tofu and a 250cc cup of milk or soy milk.

Fat: Do not eat fried food or food high in fat. You can eat chicken but you need to remove the skin. Do not eat the white fat part of meat products.

1.5 to 2 hours before the game:

It is not recommended to eat any more food. If you still consume sugar, you can choose low GI starch, including: whole grains, fruits and vegetables, appropriate amount of protein and fat.

★Sugar intake recommendations during and after competition:

During the competition (competition lasting more than 1 hour), you can consume room temperature drinks made with fructose or honey (add 3 to 4 grams of low sodium salt per liter). As for the half hour after the game, it is recommended to drink high-sugar pure fruit juice or grape sugar water (60 to 80 grams added to 1 liter of water), and occasionally supplement with homemade glutinous rice balls, bread or cakes).