Burke et al. 2011, IOC consensus: carbohydrates for training and competition

Consensus update on carbohydrate for training and competition (Journal of Sports Sciences 2011), framed around “carbohydrate availability”. It sets daily carbohydrate targets scaled to body mass and training load (roughly 3–5 g/kg on light days up to 8–12 g/kg for very high loads); carbohydrate-loading of 36–48 h at 10–12 g/kg for events over 90 minutes, now achievable without the old depletion phase; a pre-event meal of 1–4 g/kg in the 1–4 hours before exercise to restore the liver glycogen that an overnight fast typically reduces by around 25% (whereas muscle glycogen is largely set by prior loading); speedy post-exercise refuelling at 1.0–1.2 g/kg/h for the first hours when recovery is short, with added protein enhancing glycogen storage only when carbohydrate intake is sub-optimal; and during-exercise intakes from a mouth rinse for ~45–75 min efforts up to about 90 g/h (using glucose–fructose mixtures) for ultra-endurance, given in absolute amounts rather than per kilogram. Over a full 24-hour recovery with adequate carbohydrate and energy, glycogen is restored and the timing and pattern of meals matter little. Train-low strategies are noted as enhancing metabolic adaptation but not convincingly improving performance. Strong (expert consensus).