The effect of pre exercise feeding on endurance performance

Abstract

Glycogen depletion can have a deleterious effect on endurance performance. The use of carbohydrates ingested either before exercise or during has been a topic of numerous studies. However previous studies have been seriously limited by the use of non-athletically representative outcome measures. This study was designed to test whether or not ingesting a carbohydrate solution 30 min prior to endurance exercise would have an effect on endurance performance. Ten well-trained cyclists performed three 40 km time trials (one for habituation purposes), using a control and a carbohydrate solution (35 grams). Time to completion, power output, velocity, blood lactate, blood glucose (BG), HR, and RPE were measured during the ride. There were no significant differences, except for a significant drop in BG at the beginning of the ride. Based on these results, the use of carbohydrates before endurance exercise does not hinder endurance performance.