Carbohydrate Periodization for Ultrarunning with Jeff Rothschild, RD, PhD #205
Episode overview:
Jeff Rothschild who is a registered dietician, PhD and research associate at Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand.
Episode highlights:
(17:32) Calculating periodization: any metric of training load, daily carbohydrate intake in g/kg, correlation coefficient, reasons for including range and monotony
(36:24) How to track your carbohydrate periodization: track your diet, consistent measures of training load, TSS or CR100, TSS is best, use the spreadsheet in the description, help from Jeff’s app
(43:38) Use cases for carb periodization: predicted TSS for your upcoming workout, adjusting carbohydrate intake based on each day, you can consume more after the workout if the true TSS was higher than expected, examples
Our conversation:
(0:00) Introduction: the philosophy of increasing carbohydrate intake during hard training, introducing Jeff
(1:54) Demystifying carbohydrate periodization: background, fuelling for the work required, how much periodization is necessary
(4:19) Research question: how much more should you fuel, considering periodizing intake by training phase and within the week, day-by-day periodization is best
(6:20) Volume for training and nutrition: athletes understand volume, nutrition is considered less due to ambiguity, within-day energy balance and application to weekly training, examples
(9:52) Introducing the study: inspiration from athletes who track diet, a study that could be conducted remotely during COVID, finding people who already track their diet, a 12-week study with 55 participants
(12:44) Research subjects: good sample size, athletes across different sports, combining training load and diet into a research study, selection bias, low carb to high carb athletes
(15:24) Periodization index: quantifying degree of periodization, supporting research, carbohydrate training index, glycogen depleted training is carbohydrate periodization by not fuelling for the work required
(17:32) Calculating periodization: any metric of training load, daily carbohydrate intake in g/kg, correlation coefficient, reasons for including range and monotony
(21:08) Periodization score: Jeff’s app plug in training load and carb intake, periodization = correlation * range / monotony, a single score to represent how closely carb intake matches training load
(22:48) Categorizing periodization scores: a practical range from 0-8, different ranges, more is not better, you can’t study the effects of carb periodization until you can quantify it
(25:08) Application of carb periodization: matching intake and training, examples
(26:05) Explaining TSS: Training Stress Score, a score combining intensity and duration, one hour of running at threshold is a TSS of 100, 2.5 hours at endurance pace is also a TSS of 100, TSS might be the best metric for carb periodization, examples
(27:57) Types of athletes: competitiveness and low versus high-carb, amateur, high-level amateur, and elite distinctions, higher level athletes had more periodization, no differences across sex or habitual diets
(30:15) Total training load and periodization: training load was not significantly different in elites, details from the data
(31:36) Periodization differences between athletes: no differences across sex or habitual diets, higher carb athletes adjust more for duration of exercise, nobody adjusts based on intensity, training load should consider both volume and intensity
(33:30) Fueling for the adaptation desired: examples of fueling in low and high carbohydrate states
(35:00) Do athletes periodize carbohydrates: not very well, athletes were blinded to the study, example
(36:24) How to track your carbohydrate periodization: track your diet, consistent measures of training load, TSS or CR100, TSS is best, use the spreadsheet in the description, help from Jeff’s app
(38:54) Advanced user groups: even athletes who already track training and diet do not periodize effectively, awareness and compliance
(39:51) Jeff’s app: demonstration for those watching on YouTube, example data and results
(43:38) Use cases for carb periodization: predicted TSS for your upcoming workout, adjusting carbohydrate intake based on each day, you can consume more after the workout if the true TSS was higher than expected, examples
(45:56) Practicality of carb intake: example of an 8 hour training day, do the best you can and make up for the deficit on adjacent days, just be sensible
(48:23) Wrap-up: praise for defining carbohydrate periodization, links in the show notes, Jeff’s free app, where to find Jeff
(50:48) Outro: giving thanks, the need for standards of practice, share the KoopCast, subscribe to Research Essentials for Ultrarunning
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