Carbohydrate Replenishment After Exercise

Glycogen and fluids are usually, to a degree, depleted after exercise, and protein requirements are also higher to aid in muscle recovery. The protein and fluid issues are discussed in other sections of this book. The carbohydrate and glycogen issues are presented here.

One of the main postexercise goals is to replenish glycogen to prepare the athlete for the next bout of exercise. As glycogen becomes depleted, the enzyme glycogen synthetase becomes elevated in the blood. Providing glucose or sucrose (but not fructose) while glycogen synthetase is elevated efficiently replaces muscle glycogen stores.³² Glycogen synthetase reaches its peak at the point of greatest glycogen depletion, which is immediately after exercise. Therefore, athletes should consume carbohydrates as soon as physical activity ends. Ideally, the carbohydrate consumed for the first 2 hours after exercise should be high glycemic, followed by medium-glycemic carbohydrates for another 2 hours and finally medium to high-glycemic carbohydrates for the remainder of the day. Athletes should plan on consuming 200 to 400 kilocalories from carbohydrate (50 to 100 grams) immediately after physical activity, followed by sufficient carbohydrates to fulfill the guidelines.