So, how do carbs impact sports performance?
Whether it be bulking up, losing weight, or improving performance, what you eat plays a key role. It has been said that diet is 70 percent of the formula. Whether this is true or not may be up for debate; however, it cannot be denied that the type and amount of food you ingest have a huge impact on how you feel, your fitness level, and even your body composition.
That said, we’re here to discuss how carbohydrates, specifically, affect your performance.
Among all the supplements out there, carb supplements are probably one of the most popular, impactful, and cost-effective. But forget expensive pill-popping—a bottle of your favorite sports drink costs less than P50 and might have a bigger short-term effect than the marginal gains offered by other types of supplements. Let me explain why that’s the case.
Of course, this is a simplified account of how our body functions. There are a lot more complexities and nuances that exist, but we’re not really too concerned about those. With that out of the way, you could think of carbs as high-octane fuel for the body. It’s easily absorbed, it burns quickly, and it also gives our body a “high” from ingesting it.
The main reason why is that our body’s short-burst energy system (glycolysis) runs exclusively on carbohydrates. This anaerobic type of energy production is the primary engine for hard efforts or for those who don’t have particularly well-developed aerobic (endurance) engines yet.
The downside is that this energy system tends to tire out and run out of fuel rather quickly. That’s why constant refueling and those short bouts of recovery (i.e., walking) are necessary if you’re pushing too hard or are still out of shape.
Becoming carb-dependent may not be good
Any seasoned runner would say that fueling is necessary if you want to avoid the dreaded “bonk.” This usually happens at the 30km mark of a marathon, but it can also occur for shorter distances, especially if you still haven’t worked on your endurance as much.
For most people, carbs are not only useful, but they’re also necessary. Now, the problem happens when people associate improved performance with taking more carbohydrates. Yes, drinking that bottle of sports drink feels good during a short or easy workout; however, is it necessary?
Definitely not.
Our body has stored glycogen (carbohydrates in our muscles), and this is what we utilize in the absence of sports drinks or energy gels. It doesn’t get depleted too quickly. In fact, workouts lasting an hour or so don’t need any specialized fuel except water. Taking your carb supplements during these workouts makes your body more dependent on carbohydrates. This can affect your endurance, your body’s insulin response, and may even lead to weight gain.
Aerobic and anaerobic
Remember the aerobic energy system? This is what we use for longer endurance workouts. I’m not talking about marathons here; even 5km runs utilize the aerobic system more than most people think. However, scientifically, the aerobic system plays a more important role for distances over 10km. Part of this formula stems from the type of fuel the aerobic system uses.
In a perfect world, the aerobic system should run mostly on fat. However, due to diet issues (i.e., taking too many carbs), it ends up preferring the more easily accessible carbohydrates instead. The result? Your body burns significantly more carbs even at low intensities. This means we are burning more carbs than what we can absorb—we are running on a carbohydrate deficit.
Now, when we run longer distances, that deficit becomes larger and larger until we eventually run out of glycogen. When people hit the wall during training sessions or races, the usual response is to up the ante in terms of carbohydrate fueling. This makes the problem worse.
The solution? It’s actually counterintuitive. Hold back on your carbohydrate intake unless you absolutely need it. This is especially true if you’re running longer races like a marathon. Make sure you talk to a well-experienced coach if you want to learn more about a proper fueling plan and diet.
So, the next time you’re tempted to gulp that bottle of sports drink, make sure to ask yourself whether you really need it or whether you’re just satisfying your sweet tooth.
This story was originally published in Multisport 2025 Issue 1
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