Glycogen transport
- Thread starter gbglifter
- Start date
Glycogen gets stored in your liver and muscles. Once in the muscles, it stays there until used as an energy source. It's important for a few reasons;
-More readily available energy in your muscles
-You'll look (and be) 'fuller' and firmer
-Less of your excess calories get stored as fat --> glycogen instead. This can be relevant during the heavier sections and your energy expenditure is generally less than it will be during the 15s and 10s (lower volume leads to less work done, ala 100kg x15 x3 sets = 4500kg moved whereas 150 x5 x3 = 2250kg moved etc). Keeping glycogen storage up (by doing a high-rep, lower load set) will help reduce fat gain when bulking and keep your muscles energy-plentiful (so to speak).
-More readily available energy in your muscles
-You'll look (and be) 'fuller' and firmer
-Less of your excess calories get stored as fat --> glycogen instead. This can be relevant during the heavier sections and your energy expenditure is generally less than it will be during the 15s and 10s (lower volume leads to less work done, ala 100kg x15 x3 sets = 4500kg moved whereas 150 x5 x3 = 2250kg moved etc). Keeping glycogen storage up (by doing a high-rep, lower load set) will help reduce fat gain when bulking and keep your muscles energy-plentiful (so to speak).
Yeh, basically.
1. You get more glycogen (glucose, meaning energy) in the muscles. This is also relevant if you aren't always getting a mass of food in before working out, maybe you start early etc. Once glycogen goes into the muscle it doesn't come out.
2. You look, and are, 'fuller'. Psychologically very relevant.
1. You get more glycogen (glucose, meaning energy) in the muscles. This is also relevant if you aren't always getting a mass of food in before working out, maybe you start early etc. Once glycogen goes into the muscle it doesn't come out.
2. You look, and are, 'fuller'. Psychologically very relevant.
nativetroutbum
Member
This sounds like a really good argument for not skipping the 15's. However, when I was doing 15's I was only doing 1 set of 15s... then 2 sets of 10's, then 3 sets of 5's. I assume that makes a pretty big difference, glycogen storage speaking, compared to doing 3 sets of 15's, 3 sets of 10's and 3 sets of 5's. So maybe the way I was doing 15's wouldn't make that much of a difference, again, glycogen storage speaking...?
Well the effect isn't lasting or even more than transient. If I stop providing the stimulus (high rep work), I lose the reaction within say, a fortnight?
You need to keep the rep work up during the 5's if you want the benefit.
For lower body, walking a couple of km's a day seems to be enough for me (quads and calves). Throw in hills to get hamstrings suitably covered as well.
You need to keep the rep work up during the 5's if you want the benefit.
For lower body, walking a couple of km's a day seems to be enough for me (quads and calves). Throw in hills to get hamstrings suitably covered as well.
I should emphasise that the effect is still one that contributes to optimisation of training, and certainly not even in the ballpark of 'make or break' conditions. And you need to eat more to accommodate the extra work.
After depleting muscle glycogen, energy from food will go there first, protein synthesis second. Lyle sums it here quite well (amongst other things). It's about balance; enough that it makes a difference, not so much that either CNS fatigue or caloric needs are affected for the worse.
After depleting muscle glycogen, energy from food will go there first, protein synthesis second. Lyle sums it here quite well (amongst other things). It's about balance; enough that it makes a difference, not so much that either CNS fatigue or caloric needs are affected for the worse.