Recent research has shown that 100% glycogen repletion (not quite supercompensation) can be
achieved within 24 hours as long as two requirements are met. While you might achieve small
percentile increases in glycogen levels with longer carb-loads, they are out of proportion with the
time and energy invested. Since we only have 7 days, we're going to hit 100% compensation in
24-30 hours and do the rest of the carb-load over the weekend.
So what are the requirements to reach glycogen compensation within 24 hours? The first
is a high intensity workout, as this upregulates glucose transport and enzymes of glycogen
storage and synthesis. The second is sufficient carbohydrate intake. The Thursday high
intensity workout meets the first criteria, as described above. Now we need to talk about the
carb-load itself. The main issues are total intake, type, and timing of carbohydrates. Let's look
at each.
For the most part, total carbohydrate intake is the key aspect, so let's look at that first.
Assuming full glycogen depletion, which you should have achieved if you followed the
recommendations, somewhere between 12 and 16 g/kg of lean body mass is the magic number
here. That works out to approximately 7-8 grams of carbs/lb of lean body mass for the metric
impaired. A lighter lifter with 70kg (154 lbs) of LBM will be eating 1000-1200 grams of
carbohydrates over this 24 hour span from Thursday night to Friday bedtime. Larger lifters
consume more and lighter lifters consume less.
In addition to all of those carbohydrates, don't forget protein at 1 gram per pound and low
to moderate amounts of dietary fat; meaning about 15% of total calories or about 50 grams or so.
Unsaturated fats such as olive oil seem to give a better carb-up but saturated fats let you eat
more garbage (donuts and pizza anyone?).
Now, if you work out the calories amounts involved, you'll realize that they are extremely
high. Even our lighter lifter might be consuming 4000-4800 calories from carbs alone, with an
additional 600 calories from protein and another 500 or so from fat. That's 5000-6000 calories
and probably double his maintenance calorie requirements. Larger individuals may be consuming
significantly more. You may be asking yourself what keeps him from getting fat. The short
answer, of course, is partitioning. With all of these machinations, we're controlling where all of
those incoming calories are going to go. With full glycogen depletion, the body's first priority is
glycogen repletion, calorie storage in fat cells is purely secondary. As I mentioned two chapters
back, the two workouts further ensure that incoming calories are shuttled primarily to muscle,
leaving less to go to fat stores.
During the Friday period, we also get to take advantage of another neat metabolic trick.
Normally when you're eating lots of carbs, they get used for energy and fat gets stored. However,
when glycogen is depleted, as it will be going into Friday, carbs go to glycogen synthesis first, and
energy production second. This effect lasts for about 24 hours (or until glycogen is restored to
normal levels) before it's gone.
