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Nutrition

CARBOHYDRATE PERIODISATION

A deliberate variation in day-to-day carbohydrate intake matched to training load — high-carb on hard days, lower-carb on easy or rest days — to balance performance and metabolic flexibility.

Sometimes called 'train-low, race-high', carbohydrate periodisation aims to stimulate fat-oxidation adaptations on low-carb easy days while ensuring full glycogen availability for key sessions and races. It requires a structured training plan and careful nutrition timing; done poorly, it slides into RED-S. Louise Burke's research at the AIS has been central to the modern framework, and Dan Lorang has discussed it on the Roadman Cycling Podcast as a tool he uses with his triathletes.