Possibly a Stupid Question about Glycogen!

CrazyBassGuy

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Hey Guys,

I am looking to get cut, I'm not a massive bloke but my plan is to drop enough fat to be able to see my abs (6pack) before embarking on a long lean bulk.

The problem that faces me is I take part in cycling both on road and off as a sport and I have found that a cutting diet of 160p,200c,30f - 1650cal per day has left me drained of muscle glycogen and my endurance performance on the bike has suffered.

I am going to increase the carb and protein and overall cal of my diet and boost carbs on the days leading up to endurance events.

However, and here is the big one.......

If I am maintaining my muscle glycogen levels to support 30-60mile cycle rides, am i ever going to get really cut (my genetics make my 6 pack very hard to find!)

And conversly, if I reduce my carbs and cals to get really cut up, can i ever avoid performance loss in my cycling?

Am I going to have to choose one over the other, or is there a way around this.

Any ideas more than welcome :)

I am 24, 150lb roughly 10-12% bf

Thanks
 

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You're going to have to pick one or the other. Muscles like to burn glucose over fat in most cases, so you have to deplete glycogen before fat burning really takes off.
 
pinchharmonic

pinchharmonic

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You're going to have to pick one or the other. Muscles like to burn glucose over fat in most cases, so you have to deplete glycogen before fat burning really takes off.
definitely agree. and even beyond that, when your liver is full of glycogen, the whole hormonal environment (insulin vs. glucagon) is different, and not optimal for burning fat.

it's not to say people can't achieve a great body biking, but if you could you'd probably have already achieved it by now.. and you correctly mentioned genetics, maybe your body is like most people's and prefers glycogen first without much fat burn at all. Then maybe you have more fat receptors in the abdomen region making it hard to see your six-pac.

not to mention the fact that a race is probably high intensity, can't imagine you doing a bike race at 130bpm.

either way, I would not risk catabolism by not having enough carbohydrates, apparently your body's preferred source of fuel during these races.
 

CrazyBassGuy

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Thanks guys, that all makes good sense. I shall make sure I am well stocked up before training and racing. I would rather improve my build and stick at 10-12%bf than risk damaging myself racing, destroy my performance and risk losing muscle in the process!

If I am to embark on a lean bulk and continue biking I imagine it will be a case of lots of complex carbs, lots of protein, creatine, lots of water and make sure I am well fuelled pre-during and post biking to minimise losses there?

Would BCAAs pre biking make a noticable difference in terms of maintaining and increasing muscle mass? I am a bit tight of money so I want to make sure that everything I am buying/eating is of positive value to my body.

Thanks again.

T
 
Rosie Chee

Rosie Chee

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Hey Guys,

I am looking to get cut, I'm not a massive bloke but my plan is to drop enough fat to be able to see my abs (6pack) before embarking on a long lean bulk.

The problem that faces me is I take part in cycling both on road and off as a sport and I have found that a cutting diet of 160p,200c,30f - 1650cal per day has left me drained of muscle glycogen and my endurance performance on the bike has suffered.

I am going to increase the carb and protein and overall cal of my diet and boost carbs on the days leading up to endurance events.

However, and here is the big one.......

If I am maintaining my muscle glycogen levels to support 30-60mile cycle rides, am i ever going to get really cut (my genetics make my 6 pack very hard to find!)

And conversly, if I reduce my carbs and cals to get really cut up, can i ever avoid performance loss in my cycling?

Am I going to have to choose one over the other, or is there a way around this.

Any ideas more than welcome :)

I am 24, 150lb roughly 10-12% bf

Thanks
Having been a former cyclist I can say that you can most definitely get "cut" whilst eating for performance (have you not ever seen how lean [the top] roadies are?)

However, if you cut your calories (1650 calories is way too little) and carbohydrates too much, then yes, your cycling performance IS going to suffer. And sometimes getting too lean can also cause your performance to suffer, regardless of calorie intake.

In saying that, 10% bodyfat is at the higher end of the elite male athlete body composition range; and the leaner you are the better you will most likely perform though, especially in mountainbiking and road racing. In saying that, you will have an optimal body composition (and possibly weight) that you perform best at; I would suggest that you find out what it is (and to do this you will need to know how you perform leaner/lighter and/or heavier), preferably off-season or early in the season, in warm-up races that do not matter too much.

If you are going to choose one over the other, decide which is the most important to you. If you choose cycling, then get to know which [weight and] body composition you perform best at.


Thanks guys, that all makes good sense. I shall make sure I am well stocked up before training and racing. I would rather improve my build and stick at 10-12%bf than risk damaging myself racing, destroy my performance and risk losing muscle in the process!

If I am to embark on a lean bulk and continue biking I imagine it will be a case of lots of complex carbs, lots of protein, creatine, lots of water and make sure I am well fuelled pre-during and post biking to minimise losses there?

Would BCAAs pre biking make a noticable difference in terms of maintaining and increasing muscle mass? I am a bit tight of money so I want to make sure that everything I am buying/eating is of positive value to my body.

Thanks again.

T
BCAAs can help prevent catabolism. However, whether or not they will have a noticeable difference for you as opposed to not using them I cannot say. It would have to depend on what your diet was like and everything else that you did re training.

~Rosie
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youngandfree

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Dude you are 5'8 and 150lbs. Do you lift any weight? If not, get on a program of 3 days/week to start. You need extra cals for cycling, which is your cardio. But it sounds to me like you need to fill out. Maybe do some sort of carb cycling plan, higher carbs on cycling days, lower on off days. Maybe up your protein to 200-220, and up your fat to 50-70. See if you can cycle on 200 carbs with the increased protein and fat. If not up the carbs, then on off days lower them to maybe 125-150. Make higher carb days 250-300. Also cycling total calories, couple days higher, couple days lower total cals will help keep BF at bay as well as support some new muscle growth.

200P, 300C, 50F equals 2450 cals. I would say you take in NO LESS than 2000 cals minimum. See how you do on about 2500 and adjust the macros. On lower carb days, you can add a bit more protein or fat. You probably shouldn't go below about 50g of fat though.
 

CrazyBassGuy

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Hi Youngandfree,

Yes I do lift, I started out a very weak 5'8" with 20-25% bf.

I now have (not the biggest) but well formed arms, and upper abs.

I worry I may suffer from gyno caused during puberty (but i have read a lot about it and I WILL see a doctor - too many threads about gyno, lets not make this one)

I currently work out Mon (Chest Tri Abs) Wed (Back Bicep) Fri (Shoulders Abs)
I am keeping the weights the same during cutting and try to increase either the weight, the reps or the sets every couple of weeks during bulking.

I do plan to bulk more seriously and build some good size muscle, but first I wanted to cut right up so I can see my abs properly and see what effect it has on my moobs. Surely with 10-12% fat and a 29-30" waist I shouldn't still have moobs, but hey, what can ya do!

I will give the carb cycling a go as it is not something I have tried yet, if I don't get result cutting in 10-12 weeks I may give up and focus on getting bigger instead but whilst staying lean, in which case 2500 cals sounds about right.

Thanks for ur advice (sorry if I sound pissy, i got lots on today and am totally wired!!!)

Many Thanks

T
 

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