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In a university study, subjects performed a prolonged one-leg strength exercise first with a randomly chosen leg and then with the opposite leg. They began the workout with normal glycogen levels in one leg (again randomly chosen) and depleted glycogen levels in the other. The researchers found that muscle protein breakdown was much greater in the glycogen-depleted leg than in the normal leg during the course of the workout.
It is important, then, that athletes top off their muscle glycogen stores before workouts. The best way to do this is to eat a meal comprising mostly low- to moderate-glycemic carbohydrates two to three hours before exercise.
In a Penn State University study, one group of athletes ate a rolled-oats cereal (moderate-glycemic) while another group ate a puffed-rice cereal (high-glycemic) before a stationary cycling test. Both breakfasts contained 75 grams of total carbohydrate.
Those who ate the rolled oats cereal were able to cycle significantly longer than those who ate the puffed rice. These results make it clear that athletes should choose their pre-exercise foods carefully.
The pre-workout meal should also contain some protein. New research suggests that providing the body with a dietary source of amino acids (the "building blocks" of proteins) through pre-workout protein consumption can further decrease the body's reliance on muscle proteins for energy during exercise.