Effects of depletion exercise and light training on muscle glycogen supercompensation

[Daz69]

I'm currently looking into the process of trying to establish other various mechanisms for the beneficial need to refeed/carb load after periods of carbohydrate restrictions along with your strenuous exercise regime....

I came across this... 


“Effects of depletion exercise and light training on muscle glycogen supercompensation in men”



"In conclusion, a CHO-loading protocol that begins with a glycogen-depleting exercise results in significantly greater muscle glycogen that persists longer than a CHO-loading protocol using only an exercise taper. Daily exercise at 65% V̇o_{2 peak} for 20 min can be performed throughout the CHO-loading protocol without negatively affecting muscle glycogen supercompensation."

Something to keep in mind for those who religiously practice cyclic ketogenic diets.

Considering the data..... I am beginning to wonder if extending the period at which you remain in a depletion state correlates to the maximal reuptake facilitated by the glycogenin protein for super compensation of glycogen storages.

Taking the time to achieve true depletion rather than a low carbohydrate consumption yields higher retention concentrations upon carbohydrate loading. However an overfeed in reference to the loading phase would not dictate the total glycogen storage concentration that is presented due to the glycogen/glycogenin feedback mechanisms.

Source: http://ajpendo.physiology.org/content/285/6/E1304.short


“Glycogenin activity in human skeletal muscle is proportional to muscle glycogen concentration”




“Glycogenin is also known to be complexed with glycogen synthase in skeletal muscle, and the relationship between the two enzymes may be important in controlling the rate of glycogen synthesis. Under resting conditions, no free deglucosylated glycogenin can be detected in skeletal muscle, indicating that all glycogenin is bound to glycogen (12). This may mean that there are no free stores of the protein available for the synthesis of additional glycogen molecules, and glycogenin may have to be synthesized as needed. This may explain why glycogen supercompensation under normal conditions can take days to complete. “

Source: http://ajpendo.physiology.org/content/278/1/E177

Considering glycogen supercompensation is not a hasted process and the threshold isn't completely determined before shunting into alternative processes for disposal and oxidation. Would a extended reloading process spanning over 30-40Hrs be more beneficial in the conversion rate of glucose>glycogen for immediate storage in comparison to a rapid feeding process within the 12-18Hrs one is awake during their designated reloading day? 

I'm just seeing what anyone else thinks. The refeed process is important, but I'm beginning to wonder exactly what correlates a necessary carbohydrate intake to fulfill the drained muscles. Or I could be overthinking the whole thing. 

[Rebel101]

This is interesting content and no you are not over thinking it, the issue of refeeding and reloading is complex and needs to be well understood.

Do I understand this correctly the premise is that beginning with a depletion phase carbohydrate supercompensation is likely to be more likely to be successful if used alongside a light excercise taper and performed over say 40 hours.

To determine the carbohydrate intake required would require a thorough knowledge of the individuals carbohydrate profile. This is not easy to achieve.