Question on Glycogen.

[Paulos]

Something I'm wondering. Is glycogen stored in every muscle, and only depleted when that specific muscle is targetted? Like say I only do bench for a week, will only the glycogen in the muscles associated with bench be depleted or will glycogen stores be drawn from other muscles to compensate?

 

[plornive]

Muscle glycogen is always used locally. When you are doing a set, your working muscles generally cannot use anything other than their own glycogen and ATP as fuel. between sets, they may use blood glucose and fatty acids for recovery.

When you are done working out, any glucose in your blood will be hogged by the muscles most recently worked. These muscles will have lots of glucose transport enzymes ready for insulin and glucose.

Typically, no glycogen will be pulled from your muscles into your bloodstream. I have heard of exceptions to this, but I think they are basically negligible. Your muscles are not like your liver in that low blood sugar does not cause glucose to be pulled from muscle glycogen into the blood stream. Glucose transport enzymes only work one way.

So to answer your question, I don't think your muscles ever redistribute their glycogen. I could be wrong, though.

 

[Anatomywiz]

Naw-you got it right. Thats why you take in simple carbs as soon as possible right after exercise-to take advantage of the insulin-like effect of exercise and maximally replentish your muscle glycogen. Add some amino acids like L-glutamine for a much much bigger increase in glycogen replentishment. You have around a half hour window to do this.

 

[Paulos]

Thank you for the help guys, Karma to both of you.

 

[Paulos]

Hmm says I gave Plornative Karma and need to spread it around, weird. Well I hope my appreciation is enough.