If you are keen and have queries, please contact Coach Rameshon at 9100 4369 or you can email him at m.rameshon@gmail.com or swift.rameshon@gmail.com. Please refer to website http://flexifitness.com.sg (for more information on him and his programmes)
By Rameshon
Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)
Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)
Carboloading - Secret lies in storing more glycogen, fast energy, in the body.
Today, one of our athletes rang me at late night, 11pm, and told me that he wants to eat roti prata and I had to tell him that the days to take these kinds of food are all over.
Various research recommends that on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, before a race, if the race is on a Sunday, it was advisable to consume one's usual food, but with more fats and proteins included in it. This is to deprive glycogen in the body to a certain level such that the next three days, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, one's body will be hungry for glycogen to be immediately stored in the muscular level of the body, and in the liver, as liver glycogen. One can store one's storage by 200 to 300 percent. Experience is important in doing this experiment. This is a technology and any marathon runner, especially a top athlete must be aware if he wants to keep progressing in marathon racing. One could start experiencing this from now onwards.
The other way to increase the storage the capacity of glycogen is to reduce training. Those who have been running 100km and above per week should reduce the mileage to 50 to 70km, for the last week before the race. There are athletes who have been doing 30 to 50km per week and they usually ask me on how to do tapering towards the last week. To these people, I say that there is nothing to taper. In fact, it is good that they maintain the mileage or go 10 -20km up on the last week of the mileage. However, it is advisable to rest on Friday and Saturday just before the race.
One should know the reason for doing carboloading. The reason for doing carboloading is to increase manifold the storage of glycogen, fast energy which comes from carbohydrates which has a low glycemic index, in the body, by depriving the body of glycogen for the first three days and to increase predominantly carbo food that has glycogen on the last three days, just before the marathon race.
If one consumes just carbos for the 6 days, just before the marathon race, the glycogen which is stored in the liver as liver glycogen and muscles as muscle glycogen will enable one to do well for the first 1 hour of the race or between 10 to 16km. We can see this empirical evidence in research papers.
With the carboloading technique, one can last running fast for several kilometres for nearly 30km. Many of the sub-3hour runners have asked me on this technology and they have greatly benefitted by overcoming the sub-3hours barrier. A number of athletes in our running group have asked me this and they should not take this lightly. Over time, experience in this is of paramount importance as over time one will learn to run faster with this technology.
As we are into the fourth day of carboloading, it is important to consume carbo, instead, from now, and it is vital to consume food that has glycogen and not much of fats and proteins. Ir is important not to omit fats and protein totally from food, as one may not be used to it.
It is important not to keep eating a lot of food that contain glycogen as one may put on weight and thereby this action of one can be detrimental to one's performance. The key is to consume one's daily caloric needs, that is all.
All the best!
Note:
By Narayanan
Rameshon has taught in Hwa Chong Institution, plus several schools, and Republic Polytechnic as well. He has won many accolades and he was awarded Merit Award for 1991 marathon performance in breaking the national record of Singapore, at that time. He has made 22 male athletes do a marathon in sub-3hrs. He has made 7 female runners do sub-4 hours for the marathon, as well. He was inducted to the ‘Roll of Honour’ by the then College of Physical Education, organised by Singapore Olympic Academy, in 1998, for breaking the National record repeatedly 4 times, till he did 2hr 24min 22sec).
He also has a Coaching group and he trains them on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7pm at Botanic Gardens. Those interested can call him at 91004369 for coaching assistance, to improve performance. There is also personal training that he does for many in a week. You can e-mail him at swift.rameshon@gmail.com.
