All about glycogen in bodybuilding

Physical activity and glycogen are closely linked. In fact, bodybuilding involves intense effort. To achieve this, your body and muscles need energy. This is the case, for example, when you perform a series of squats or bench presses. But do you know how your body stores this energy? And how it releases it when you need it during training? This is precisely the role of glycogen.

What is glycogen?

When you do a sport activity, your muscles need energy. Linked together by our precious joints, this mechanical energy enables them to perform the countless movements that the human body makes possible.

This fuel comes from food. It is provided by carbohydrates (glucose), lipids (fatty acids) and proteins. That's why it's so important to eat a healthy, varied diet every day.

On the other hand, a diet with too many calories or too much sugar can lead to chronic fatigue and other health problems.

Once stored in the body, this chemical energy is transformed into mechanical energy by the muscles, thanks to our famous glycogen.

Glycogen is a complex carbohydrate found in both liver and muscles. It is actually a large molecule, itself made up of smaller glucose molecules.

Glycogen therefore has the capacity to store energy not used by the body for later reuse.

This is exactly what happens during a physical exercise. When the muscles need glucose to produce an effort, the body automatically dips into the glycogen reserves. This complex process is called glycogenolysis.

In all sports, energy is the source of performance. Without it, you'll be forced to slow down or stop. Your glycogen level is therefore essential. If it's sufficient, you'll be fine. If it's not, you'll run out of fuel.

What happens when glycogen stores are depleted?

Your glycogen stores are emptied and refilled as you exercise and eat.

The glycogen degradation is progressive. In particular, it depends on the intensity and duration of the activity.

Your glycogen reserve will be depleted after :

• 90 minutes of sports activity at 75 % of your VO2 max (maximum oxygen consumption) ;
• or 4 hours of sports activity at 55 % of your VO2 max.

To counter this glycogen deficiency, another source of energy comes into play: lipids.

Lipids are the fats contained in our body and in our food. Contrary to popular belief, they are also important energy reserves for our body.

At the same intensity, a prolonged effort uses a mixture increasingly rich in lipids and amino acids. The muscle breaks down the glycogen in the liver and the fatty acids in the adipose tissue. The body, on the other hand, saves its glycogen stock. The glycogen contained in the muscles is converted into glucose.

But what happens if glycogen levels are completely depleted?

A lack of this energy source is directly detected by your brain, which acts as a switch.

It sends you a message to stop your sporting activity. You can't continue, because you feel too tired and your motivation disappears. Running enthusiasts know this feeling well. It's a phenomenon known as "running fatigue". marathon wall ".

In short, the depletion of glycogen in the body contributes to a lowering of your ability to provide an adequate energy supply. physical effort intense.

Be careful, however, not to confuse this fatigue induced by a lack of glycogen energy with muscle fatigue. The latter can occur when your muscles suffer damage during contraction, particularly during a very intense bodybuilding session. Your effort may also come to a screeching halt, even if your willpower is still there, simply because your muscle can't go on any longer.

The role of glycogen for bodybuilders

Now that you know what glycogen is, let's look at how you can use it in your bodybuilding to promote hypertrophy.

As we have seen, the amount of carbohydrates consumed during exercise depends on both intensity and duration. The carbohydrate metabolism will be solicited during a very intense physical activity. On the contrary, during a lower intensity exercise, it is the aerobic process that acts. The latter will primarily use your sugar, fat and protein reserves.

To improve your sporting performance, it's in your interest to increase your glycogen stores. Glycogen stores determine how long you can sustain intense effort. To do this, you need to take two factors into account: diet and training.

The diet

Your diet plays an essential role in optimizing your glycogen level.

Before a weight training session or a sporting event, make sure you take care of your diet to fill your body with energy. energy reserves. Indeed, the initial state of your glycogen stocks is important.

Choose foods that will not disturb your digestion. But be careful to the glycemic index of each food!

During a training session, energy is mainly provided by glycogen from your daily meals. This supply provides energy for 60 to 90 minutes depending on your starting stock. Beyond that, your reserve is exhausted and your performance decreases.

To compensate for this, you'll need a energy intake energy drink, snack or cereal bar. You can also opt for carbohydrate-rich foods such as bananas, dried fruit or compotes.

After the effort, it is also essential to consume carbohydrates, because they are essential nutrients that participate in the resynthesis of glycogen. Therefore, they promote the development of muscle mass and physical recovery.

This post-training period of a few hours during which you must ensure your carbohydrate intake is called the the anabolic window.

Various foods can help you replenish your glycogen stores:

• fruits and vegetables, thanks to their carbohydrate content;
• dairy products, as they contain essential amino acids;
• foods that encourage the absorption of fast sugars, such as honey or energy bars;
• slow sugars, rich in starch;
• oilseeds (almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, pistachios, etc.), rich in vegetable proteins;
• oat flakes.

You can also prepare a protein shake with whey protein and maltodextrin, a powder made of carbohydrates from corn, wheat, potato or rice.

More broadly, a balanced diet is a major factor for a good carbohydrate recharge.

Sports training

The way you work out at the gym also affects how much glycogen you can store.

The more you exercise, the more you improve your insulin sensitivity. This will enable you to increase your glycogen reserves and improve your performance. performances.

How to use glycogen for bodybuilding competitions?

Emptying glycogen reserves voluntarily is a well-known practice among bodybuilders. This is the principle of carbohydrate rebound.

Before a competition or photo shoot, carb rebounding enables bodybuilders to display a better physique. This practice is therefore best reserved for those who compete.

A carbohydrate rebound occurs after a dryer.

In the dry phase, athletes aim to lose weight. They gradually reduce the carbohydrate content of their diet (in contrast to the phases of muscle mass gain). This is the price to pay for a lean, muscular body at the competition.

Reducing carbohydrate consumption mechanically lowers glycogen stores. Visually, this causes a deterioration in physical appearance. Muscles are less voluminous, which can cost precious points in the final rankings.

Carbohydrate rebound consists precisely in sharply increasing the amount of carbohydrates in the body a few days before the competition, by adjusting the volume of subcutaneous water. In this way, muscles appear temporarily more imposing.

Setting up a carbohydrate rebound before a competition is no easy task. That's why I've prepared a full program a week to prepare for the competition.

To conclude

A good understanding of how glycogen functions in the body is a real asset for bodybuilders and other athletes. This molecule is our main source of fuel. And it's precisely by increasing your stock of muscle glycogen that you'll be able to boost your performance.

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