Glycogen depletion: What's happening?

I did quite a bit of training last week, and I probably wasn't paying enough attention to my carb intake after exercise.

Last Saturday I did a 3-hour ride, I felt OK for the first hour or so, but then I gradually lost more and more of my power. I didn't bonk, but I could feel I was exercising on fat burning exclusively, I did not have any snap at higher intensities, and my legs got heavier.

The next day my legs/thighs actually both felt and looked smaller. It was like my muscles had collapsed and they didn't have any tension or snap in them.

Over the next couple of days I increased my carb intake a lot and can feel the tension, volume, snap and strength returning day by day, but it sure takes a few days to recover from this. I'm still missing my high end power, but my legs are coming around on lower intensities.

My question is: Is there anything else happening physiologically in my body/muscles (apart from the obvious glycogen depletion) that makes my legs recover more slowly than usual after a serious glycogen depletion?

My previous coach said that when bonking, you take away the brains primary (only?) fuel source, and that this could result in a number of hormonal disturbances it could take days to recover from.

Are there any similar/other disturbances to hormones, enzymes, etc when experiencing a glycogen depletion (but not bonking) that delays the recovery process?

Any insights or thoughts would be much appreciated!

your situation happened to me today. except my experience was more drawn out; a few hard days, not enough carbs, and the first hot day of the year. to get to the point: i believe that your old coach was right. this will take time to recover from. if possible, i would say have about 20% more carbs than you need for a day or two. and more sleep couldnt hurt either. this might or might not speed things up, but you will most likely come back in better shape than if you didnt. i was used to a low-med intensity for several months and used to 35-50% carbs per day. now it is getting hot, in weather and intensity. so now i have to bump things up to 50-60%. this works for me. anyway, happy cycling

You bonked.

do you eat 300Cal every hour after the first hour on these rides?

It might be, it depends on the exact definition of bonking.

I've experienced bonking several times before, but the symptomes has then been the classical symptoms; dizzy, hunger for food, loss of muscle control, sweating, etc. Noen of these symptomes occured on the ride in question. It was only my legs that lost power, all other bonking symptoms were not present.

I would think it's possible to have "muscle glycogen depletion" without having low bloodsugar (which is the cause of bonking)?



Normally I'm much better. I don't know why I was so sloppy that week, I'll have to improve...

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CycleFast