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Carbohydrate periodisation calculator
Plan more carbohydrate on hard days and less on easy days, across your training week.
Short answer: Carbohydrate periodisation means matching carbohydrate to each day's training. Sports nutrition guidance gives 3–5 g per kg of bodyweight on light days, 5–7 g/kg for about an hour of moderate training, 6–10 g/kg for 1–3 hours of hard training and 8–12 g/kg for 4–5 hours or more.
| Day | Training | Carbohydrate |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Moderate session, about 1 hour | 350 g–490 g |
| Tuesday | Hard or long session, 1–3 hours | 420 g–700 g |
| Wednesday | Rest, light or skill-based day | 210 g–350 g |
| Thursday | Hard or long session, 1–3 hours | 420 g–700 g |
| Friday | Rest, light or skill-based day | 210 g–350 g |
| Saturday | Very long day, 4–5 hours or more | 560 g–840 g |
| Sunday | Rest, light or skill-based day | 210 g–350 g |
- Week total
- 2,380 g–3,780 g
- Daily average
- 340 g–540 g
Eat more carbohydrate on and before hard or long days, and less on rest days. Put most of it in the meals before and after your hardest sessions. These are starting ranges for healthy adults; adjust to your appetite, weight trend and how training feels. Nothing you enter is saved or sent anywhere.
What is carbohydrate periodisation?
It means changing how much carbohydrate you eat from day to day to match your training, instead of eating the same amount every day. The joint sports nutrition position statement sets daily ranges by training load (Thomas et al., 2016), and the same ranges appear in the IOC consensus on carbohydrate (Burke et al., 2011).
Fuel for the work required
- Light, rest or skill-based day: 3–5 g per kg.
- Moderate session of about 1 hour: 5–7 g per kg.
- Hard or long session of 1–3 hours: 6–10 g per kg.
- Very long day of 4–5 hours or more: 8–12 g per kg.
Researchers call planning carbohydrate around the hardest sessions "fuel for the work required" (Impey et al., 2018).
Train low, compete high: is it worth it?
Some athletes do selected easy sessions with low carbohydrate stores to boost training adaptations, then fuel fully for hard sessions and races. The evidence for better performance is mixed, and it makes hard sessions feel harder, so it is an advanced option for experienced athletes, not a starting point (Impey et al., 2018).
Carb cycling and your daily carbohydrate
This tool plans day-to-day changes for training. For a single daily carbohydrate figure from your calories, use the carbohydrate calculator; for the days before a race, use the carb loading calculator.
Scientific sources
- Thomas D. T., Erdman K. A. & Burke L. M. (2016). Nutrition and athletic performance: joint position statement. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 48(3), 543–568.
- Burke L. M. et al. (2011). Carbohydrates for training and competition. Journal of Sports Sciences, 29(Suppl 1), S17–S27.
- Impey S. G. et al. (2018). Fuel for the work required: a theoretical framework for carbohydrate periodization and the glycogen threshold hypothesis. Sports Medicine, 48(5), 1031–1048.
More endurance tools and guides: Sports nutrition, including the race fuelling and hydration calculator.
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Educational information for adults aged 18 and over. It does not diagnose, treat or manage any medical condition. If you have a health condition, or symptoms that worry you, speak to your doctor or a health professional.