The effect of pre-exercise carbohydrate supplementation on anaerobic exercise performance in adolescent males.

Carbohydrate (CHO) consumption before anaerobic exercise was studied in 13 adolescent boys (15.2 ± 0.9 yrs). A within subjects design was employed where subjects consumed a 22% CHO or volume-matched placebo (PL) beverage 30-min before anaerobic exercise on two separate days. Exercise consisted of a Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT), ten by 10-s-sprints, and a second WAnT. Fatigue index and peak power (PP) were similar while mean power (MP) was higher (p < .025) in CHO trial; however this difference was ascribed to initial WAnT performance. PP and MP for the 10-s sprints were similar between trials. Intravenous blood glucose and insulin concentrations were higher (p < .05) in the CHO trial while lactate and catecholamine concentrations were similar. Improved performance on a single WAnT was apparent with CHO consumption before exercise; however, this strategy did not attenuate fatigue over time in adolescent boys.