Abstract
Carbohydrate is an
important energy source during exercise. During short, heavy exercise it
may be the only energy source for the working muscle and may be derived
exclusively from the glycogen stores within the muscle fibers
themselves. During prolonged, submaximal exercise the magnitude of the
contribution that carbohydrate makes to the total fuel consumed depends
upon a number of factors, including (1) the intensity of the exercise,
(2) the duration of the exercise, (3) the state or type of training that
the individual has engaged in, or both, and (4) the diet previously
consumed. Due to their limited storage in the body and the relative ease
with which these stores can be manipulated by combinations of diet
and/or training, a knowledge of the dynamics of carbohydrate metabolism
is an important component in the arsenal of knowledge for coaches and
athletes.