Carb loading

[VCE123456789]

Can AFL players carbohydrate load?

[Wally]

hmm well they could but if you think about it they aren't performing in an endurance event like a marathon and they do rely on their anaerobic systems for a great deal of the match when sprinting, kicking goals, tackling etc. would there be much benefits in doing so??

hmmm.. thats a really good question, i wanna know now... anyone else have a better answer then my jibber jabber??

[kendraaaaa]

hmm well they could but if you think about it they aren't performing in an endurance event like a marathon and they do rely on their anaerobic systems for a great deal of the match when sprinting, kicking goals, tackling etc. would there be much benefits in doing so??

hmmm.. thats a really good question, i wanna know now... anyone else have a better answer then my jibber jabber??

Read somewhere that Buckley in his prime used to churn out 32km a game.

[Wally]

hmm well they could but if you think about it they aren't performing in an endurance event like a marathon and they do rely on their anaerobic systems for a great deal of the match when sprinting, kicking goals, tackling etc. would there be much benefits in doing so??

hmmm.. thats a really good question, i wanna know now... anyone else have a better answer then my jibber jabber??

Read somewhere that Buckley in his prime used to churn out 32km a game.

oh wow!! they could definitely use carb loading then!! but it would really depend on what position each athlete plays in i guess

[Visionz]

Some of them clock up 20+ kms a match. Theyre competing for over 1-2 hours aswell so theyd need it. The repeated high intensity stuff, sprints, marks, tackles, etc. uses muscle glycogen so they need carbs to fill up these stores.
When CP is depleted they rely on muscle glycogen for the anaerobic bursts you speak of.

[Wally]

^ awesome, thanks heaps for clearing up my stupid answer =)

[lexitu]

They can't carbohydrate load. They have a five-seven day turn-around there is no way they can CHO load!

[Streaker]

There is no need for AFL players to CHO load due to the intermittent nature of their sport (a combination of aerobic and anaerobic metabolism occurring throughout the course of a match).

All you need to know for the exam is that only endurance athletes (e.g. marathon runners or iron men) whose events exceed 90 minutes will need to CHO load in order to have high glycogen stores during their event to avoid glycogen depletion. Remember that CHO loading isn't simply eating carbohydrates in the lead up to a match. It is the quantity that is important to take into consideration. CHO loading involves an athlete consuming 7-12 grams of low GI carbohydrate foods per kg of body mass. A 36-72 hour taper is also vital for these athletes. On the other hand, athletes undertaking intermittent sports (e.g. AFL players) will just need to ensure that their glycogen stores are topped up in time for the match and that they are fully hydrated with a 24-36 hour taper.

[flash36]

Adequate CHO loading also requires an exercise taper; AFL players train until at least the day before a game. It isn't practical for players to taper exercise from say the Tuesday or Wednesday for a Friday night game. I would think that AFL players would be more inclined to glycogen spare rather than CHO load.