How should you think about carbs and the difference between a normal & hard practice, game day, and rest day?

Question

Jamie Mackay · Answer

So this is known as carbohydrate periodization. And yes, the amount you eat-- the amount of carbs you eat should change based on what you're doing that day. So for a game day, I typically class it as match day minus 1, match day, and match day plus 1. That's going to be your highest carbohydrate consumption. A hard practice, obviously, is going to be more than a light practice, which is also going to be more than a rest day. So for example, for a 75-kilogram athlete, I would suggest on a game day eating around 8 grams per kilo of body weight. So that's going to be around 600 grams of carbs. On a hard training day or hard practice day, it's going to be around 6 grams per kilo of body weight, which is around 450 grams of carbs. A light training day is going to be a little bit less, around 4 grams per kilo of body weight, which is going to be around 300 grams of carbs. And an off day, your lowest day, that's going to be around 3 grams per kilo of body weight, which is around 250-- 225 grams of carbs.

Swimming

Strength

Triathlon

Photography

Track & Field

Nutrition

Physical Therapy

Running

Pets

Cycling

Podcasting

HealthCare

Musculoskeletal

Hockey

First Responders

Integrative Medicine

Chiropractic

Cross Country Skiing

Adaptive Sports

Mental Health

Surfing

Climbing

Tennis

Military

Mind Body

Scholars

Criminal Justice

Liquor

Golf

CrossFit

Soccer

Pickleball

Hunting

Public Speaking

Venture Capital

"How should you think about carbs and the difference between a normal & hard practice, game day, and rest day?"