The Science of Glycogen Repletion

By Dr. Jen Case of Renaissance Periodization

What is glycogen?

Glycogen is the storage form of glucose in the human body and is found in the liver, muscles, and to
a very small extent in the kidneys. Your glycogen levels at the beginning of activity have a significant
impact on your overall performance and time to fatigue, especially in exercises performed for reps
and training taken to failure. As your glycogen stores become depleted, your performance begins to
decrease until you “hit the wall,” which has been described as a rapid decline in performance,
sometimes leading to total collapse even of standing posture! At this point the muscle is no longer
able to produce adequate amount of energy (ATP) to facilitate the muscular contractions needed for
exercise. While “hitting the wall” is unlikely, reduced levels of glycogen are one of the best
predictors off poor performance in training and competition. The less glycogen you have stored, the
higher your perception of fatigue and the poorer your performance.

To make sure the training and competition process runs smoothly and with best results, you want to
maximize your glycogen stores and retard the depletion of those glycogen stores. To maximize the
glycogen stores, you want to consume a large amount of carbohydrates immediately post and for
the 4-6 hours following activity. 3 keys things are occurring immediately post activity that greatly
enhance your body’s ability to store glycogen:

1) Insulin sensitivity in the muscle is HIGH

a. Responsible for glucose uptake into the muscle
2) Glycogen synthase activity in the muscle is HIGH
a. This is the enzyme responsible for building glycogen from glucose
3) GLUT 4 has translocated to the membrane of muscle tissue
a. This is a transport protein that facilitates glucose uptake from the blood and into the
muscle

What does all of this this imply? The increase in insulin sensitivity and the translocation of GLUT 4
means that more glucose can be taken into the muscles and at greater rate. By taking up more
glucose your body is able to build more glycogen. The high level of glycogen synthase enhances the
rate at which glycogen is made/stored. This can result in significantly greater glycogen stores for
your next training session.

Why is glycogen important for CrossFit and Strongman?

Your body has three different energy systems that work together to provide ATP to working tissues.
They are the phosphagen system, the glycolytic system, and the aerobic energy system. The
intensity and duration of activity dictate which energy system will be predominantly used to do the
 work. For activities like CrossFit and Strongman that are high in intensity for multiple minutes at
time, the glycolytic system will be heavily relied upon for energy production. Glucose and glycogen
are the two substrates that fuel this energy process. By maximizing your glycogen stores, you will
allow for a much greater utilization of the glycolytic system. You can further enhance your body’s
ability to utilize the glycolytic energy system by consuming a carbohydrate drink that is high in
glucose and sucrose, such as Gatorade or Kool-aid, during exercise.

What is the challenge with 2-a-day training?

There are three main things to consider when discussing 2-a-day training sessions: nervous system
fatigue, muscle damage and energy substrate depletion. Physical training fatigues you in part by
literally breaking down your muscles. The demands of training cause small microtears that require
time to heal. These microtears elicit an inflammatory response that in turn impact muscle
contractions and your overall performance. To best manage fatigue, you want to have your harder
training session earlier in the day. If you can’t do that, make sure you at least have the very easy
session earlier in the day. What you really want to avoid is two super hard sessions back to back, as
the second one will almost surely suffer. Your body literally cannot handle that type of abuse and
still put out enough performance to make you as good as you could become. The best approaches
to structuring 2-a-day training probably rank like this:

Best: AM: Hard session, PM: Lighter Session

Second Best: AM: Lighter Session, PM: Hard Session

Worst: AM: Hard Session, PM: Hard Session again

Other than muscle damage, the nervous system takes some beating as well. It can take days to
recover from VERY hard workouts, but can be ready to go for a lighter workout within hours. Lastly,
there is energy substrate depletion. For energy substrate depletion, we are focused mostly on
glucose and glycogen. During your workout you want to be consuming high glycemic carbohydrate
plus protein drink at rate of 15-45 grams of carbohydrate per minute. Hepatic (liver) glucose output
can reach be high as 1.2 grams per minute of high intensity, very short duration activity. During
prolonged activity, such as a 60-120 minute training session, the rate of hepatic glucose output is
slightly lower, thus the recommendation of 15-45g per minute. By taking in carbohydrates during
activity, you decrease the rate at which glycogen stores are depleted as the body preferentially
uses blood glucose. By decreasing the rate of liver and muscle glycogen breakdown, you prolong
your time to fatigue and improve your overall performance. Once activity is done, you want to
begin the process of replenishing muscle and liver glycogen by consuming a high carbohydrate meal
(discussed later). Mind you, these recommendations apply for average weight (150-200lb)
individuals and for those training for an hour or longer at a time. Your particular intake may be
somewhat different if you are much smaller or larger and if your workouts are shorter than an hour.

Why are carbohydrates so important during training?

The carbs during your workout do at least 3 important things:

 1) Provide a dietary source of energy which decreases the breakdown of stored glycogen and
protein. During activity, your energy demands increase. To facilitate these demands the body will
break down glycogen (stored carbs) and protein (from the muscle and bloodstream) for
energy. Depending on the intensity and duration, fat will come into play as well. By taking in carbs,
you spare glycogen and protein which can result in longer and more intense exercise bouts and
decreases the rate of protein breakdown. This results in less damage to the muscles and less
muscle soreness as well as possibly less muscle loss!

2) Carbohydrates cause insulin levels in the blood to increase. Insulin is your primary anabolic
(building up tissue) hormone. During activity, (and especially right after activity) circulating insulin
directs carbohydrates to working tissue where it is taken up and used for energy/recovery. Insulin
may also prevent muscle loss, especially right after hard training if it’s already higher from being
elevated in training.

3) Carbohydrate ingestion decreases the cortisol response that occurs during exercise. Cortisol is a
catabolic hormone (breaks down tissue). When cortisol levels increase, protein (muscle) breakdown
also increases. Circulating insulin will decrease the rate at which cortisol is released. Thus, you have
a decreased cortisol response and a decrease in muscle breakdown during and after exercise. This
allows for more muscle growth post exercise and possibly less muscle soreness so that you can
perform better, sooner.
Why are carbohydrates so important AFTER exercise when doing 2-a-day training?

Immediately post workout, you want to begin replenishing your glycogen stores so that they can be
highest when you train again. A bolus of carbohydrates and protein is recommended during this
time due to the high activity of glycogen synthase, high sensitivity to insulin, and the translocation
of GLUT 4 to the cell membrane. Following your workout, you will want to consume right around
half of your bodyweight in pounds in grams of carbohydrates and about a third of that in protein,
depending on the duration and intensity of activity. This meal should be very high in carbohydrates
that are high to moderate on the glycemic index. This means that a 150lb female may consume
around 75g of carbs and 25g of protein right after her workout. This will help to bring down fatigue
levels by keeping the cortisol (stress) response low, as well as beginning to replete glycogen levels.
This amount will be split between finishing your workout shake and starting on your post-workout
meal.

You should have another high carbohydrate meal 2-4 hours later with a smaller amount (but still
plenty) of carbohydrates. A third meal/snack is also a good idea if time allows. This meal/snack
should still be plenty in carbohydrates but can be slightly lower than the previous two meals. You
want to have 1-3 hours between your last meal and your next training session.

How much time should you have between sessions?

Timing of these two sessions is also important. In an ideal world, having six or more hours between
training sessions would be best. This would allow for your immediate post workout carbohydrate
and protein intake, an actual meal, and a small/snack before the next training session. The
 minimum amount of time between the two sessions would be around 2-3 hours to allow for the
post workout carbohydrate and protein supplementation and one actual meal. The reasoning for
the time in between sessions is to allow for a slight reduction in fatigue and time for glycogen
replenishment. You can train sooner, but you will find that training of such clustering is not likely
very productive.

Why does the glycemic index matter?

The glycemic index (GI) is way to measure the rate of digestion for specific carbohydrates on a zero
to one-hundred scale. A high number, typically greater than 80, indicates a faster the rate of
digestion. A lower number, typically less than 60, indicates a slower rate of digestion.

During exercise you want to consume foods with a very high GI because you need the carbohydrate
to be rapidly metabolized and absorbed into the bloodstream. Once digested and absorbed into the
bloodstream, carbohydrate becomes blood glucose and is then shuttled into your muscles. The
faster it is absorbed, the faster it gets loaded as glycogen and the faster you recover. Consuming
carbohydrates during activity will also increase your insulin levels. This is very beneficial because
the insulin will help to redirect the blood glucose to working tissue, thus providing the necessary
energy substrate for the glycolytic energy system and decrease the rate of muscle glycogen
depletion. Consuming high GI carbs right after training has been shown to replete glycogen faster
and more fully in a short time, even when carb content was held constant.

During two-a-day training it is important that the first actual meal post exercise is comprised of high
or moderate GI foods. Speedy uptake is still important during this time, but the rate does not need
to be quite as high as what is desired during exercise. As you get further away from your workout
time, the GI of your carbohydrates can be lower as the rate of glycogen construction in the cell
slows down.

Video Link

Please check out this video link where I explain some of the concepts above in basic, straightforward
terms.

Additional Reading

Feel free to check out these sources for further academic reading on the matter:

Aragon, A., & Schoenfeld, B. (n.d.). Nutrient timing revisited: Is there a post-exercise anabolic window? J
Int Soc Sports Nutr Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 5-5.

Beelen, M., Burke, L., Gibala, M., & Van Loon, L. (2010). Nutritional strategies to promote postexercise
recovery. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, (20), 515-532.

Ivy, J., & Portman, R. (2004). Nutrient timing: The future of sports nutrition. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic
Health Publications.
Jeukendrup, A., & Gleeson, M. (2004). Sport nutrition: An introduction to energy production and
performance. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Millard-Stafford, M., Childers, W., Conger, S., Kampfer, A., & Rahnert, J. (n.d.). Recovery Nutrition:Timing
and Composition after Endurance Exercise. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 193-201.

Oʼreilly, J., Wong, S., & Chen, Y. (n.d.). Glycaemic Index, Glycaemic Load and Exercise Performance.
Sports Medicine, 27-39.

Wallis, G., & Wittekind, A. (2013). Is There a Specific Role for Sucrose in Sports and Exercise Performance.
International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, (23), 571-583.