What is glycogen? And why is it important?

Many of you have heard about glycogen as a substance that serves as an energy store in the human body. However, few people know all its properties and functions and especially how important it is not only for athletes. In this article we will therefore take a look under the hood of how glycogen is produced in our bodywhere we find it or why it is so important - you will learn everything you need to know about this substance. Here we go!

What is glycogen?

A short question with a long molecule behind it. Glycogen is a branched polysaccharide - that is, it is a molecule that consists of a number ofa series of smaller molecules attached to each other and branching off - in this case, glucose. After we ingest a carbohydrate-containing diet and it is digested, glucose is the most common simple sugar entering the blood. As such, however, it can only be used by the body for its current energy needs and cannot be stored without being modified into a storage molecule - glycogen. This is not found as glucose in the blood, but is formed and stored inside the cells of the tissues, where it can again be readily converted to glucose and used as an energy source when our blood glucose levels drop due to activity. This is also the reason why it is a branched polysaccharide, as such a molecule provides moreof ends from which the cell can "bite off" units of glucose when needed. Such a situation occurs during starvation or energy expenditure caused by athletic activity. Most of it is found in the liver and especially in muscle cells. So let's try to clarify together when it is used not only in the muscles and how to manage it properly so that our body performs at its best.

Where is glycogen stored in our body?

As we discussed a moment ago, the largest amounts of glycogen are found in muscle cells and in the liver. However, a small percentage of the body's total glycogen is also found in other cells. But we need to be clear together about an important point - glycogen cannot leave the cell and the tissue it is in. Therefore, it is not so important how much glycogen our whole body contains, but how much of it a given organ, in ourin our case, especially muscle, can use for its work at a particular moment. This amount depends on how much glycogen is currently in the muscle group that is involved in the sporting activity. To simplify, you can imagine that a cyclist has a small amount of of glycogen than, for example, a swimmer who is engaging more muscles and muscle groups for a given activity.

Muscle glycogen

The total amount of muscle glycogen in a normal person is around 500 g, but increases proportionally with a number of factors such as:

• Amount of muscle mass - The more muscle your body has, the more muscle glycogen it can hold.)
• Athletic fitness and endurance - An untrained individual has less glycogen in their muscles than a professional athlete. To give you an idea, a rested untrained person has about 15 grams of glycogen per kilogram of muscle In professional athletes, this amount rises to over 25 grams per kilogram of muscle mass.
• Diet - Again, a simple proportionality applies here - the higher the amount of carbohydrates youryour current diet, the higher the amount of muscle glycogen you can expect to have in your muscles.

The demands on its quantity then increase as the intensity of the sport increases, in other words, whosethe faster you run, for example, the greater the amount of glycogen the muscles involved consume. The specific amount of glycogen consumed then depends on each individual's metabolism. But the short answer is that the higher the intensity of the workout, the more glycogen is used. The depletion of glycogen in a normal exerciser occurs after about 80 minutes of intense exercise., but this value is quite dependent on the above mentioned factors affecting the amount of glycogen in the muscles. After its depletion, the muscles "switch" to energy gain by consuming fats, the use of which, however, does not allow to maintain a high intensity of exercise.

Liver glycogen

Another important glycogen reservoir in our body is the liver, which contains so-called liver glycogen. In a normal person, 90-100g of glycogen is found there and its breakdown and fluctuations levels are used to maintain a constant blood glucose level, i.e. glycaemia.

How to replenish glycogen after training?

As the previous text shows, the amount of glycogen in muscles that are actively involved in a sporting activity has a clear impact on the sporting performance itself. Low levels of glycogen result in more frequent fatigue, faster exhaustion during strength training and even affect muscle growth and recovery. Therefore, it is a good idea to increase glycogen levels not only by training alone, but above all to replenish them properly. This means giving your body enough carbohydrates to replenish the depleted glycogen after training or other sporting activity. Keep in mind, however, that once your glycogen stores are depleted, it will take your body at least 48 hours to replenish them.

According to a scientific study, it is ideal for increasing glycogen synthesis and effectively replenishing glycogen stores.Take carbohydrates as soon as possible after training and as regularly as possible during the day. Protein intake along with carbohydrates also has a positive effect on increasing glycogen formation. In addition, this combination after training ensures improved recovery and increases protein synthesis in the muscles. Consequently, the right choice after training is the intake of, for example, protein in combination with a source of easily digestible simple sugars, such asor the use of combination supplements in the form of gainers, which contain a higher amount of carbohydrate than protein alone. In the case of gainers, however, care must be taken with the quality of the product, as there are many products on the market with not very good ingredients. On the other hand, you will find in our ranking of the best gainers a list of those that really fulfill their purpose.

Final summary

The level of muscle glycogen and its regular replenishment after training and sports is definitely something you should not underestimate to maximize your performance. You can hardly expect to come to the gym and enjoy a really intense workout after a few days of irregular and inadequate eating. We've got a tip for you too - those of you who like to be in full control of your eating and don't mind spending a lot of time preparing your gainerThey can try our recipe for a homemade gainer, which contains a good dose of carbohydrates, protein and fat from quality ingredients. What's more, you can customize its ingredients yourself, so you'll never overdo it.