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Periodization of Carbohydrate Intake: Short-Term Effect on Performance
Laurie-Anne Marquet1,2, Christophe Hausswirth3, Odeline Molle4
1Laboratory of Sport, Expertise and Performance, French National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance (INSEP), 75012 Paris, France. laurie-anne.marquet@insep.fr.
The "sleep-low" strategy, involving carbohydrate periodization, significantly improved endurance performance in cyclists after just one week. This enhanced performance occurred without notable changes in substrate utilization, suggesting metabolic adaptations are not the sole driver.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Physiology
- Sports Nutrition
- Endurance Performance
Background:
- The "sleep-low" strategy manipulates carbohydrate (CHO) availability around training sessions.
- It involves training with low glycogen stores after high-intensity exercise, followed by an overnight fast and low-intensity training ('train low').
- While known to upregulate signaling proteins, its chronic impact on performance is less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the short-term effects of the "sleep-low" strategy on endurance performance in trained cyclists.
- To determine if a one-week intervention could elicit performance improvements.
Main Methods:
- Eleven trained cyclists participated in a one-week intervention.
- The "sleep-low" (SL) group implemented periodized CHO intake (6 g·kg-1·day-1) over six training sessions.
- The control (CON) group consumed CHO evenly throughout the day; performance was assessed via a 2 h submaximal ride and a 20 km time trial.
Main Results:
- The SL group demonstrated a significant improvement in performance (+3.2%) compared to the CON group (p < 0.05).
- Performance enhancement in the SL group was linked to altered pacing, with higher power output in the latter half of the time trial.
- No significant changes in substrate utilization were observed between groups post-intervention.
Conclusions:
- A one-week "sleep-low" intervention effectively improved endurance performance in trained cyclists.
- The magnitude of improvement was comparable to that seen with longer, three-week interventions.
- Performance gains occurred without significant alterations in key metabolic markers.
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