Hypertrhophy

Bodybuilding - Explosive Growth with Glycogen Supercompensation

Bodybuilders know that muscles get bigger mostly from hypertrophy (an increase in muscle fiber diameter) and, to a lesser extent, hyperplasia (an increase in muscle fiber number). One of the most overlooked pathways to increasing muscle mass is to increase your muscle glycogen content. The average person stores about 400 grams of glycogen in muscle and about 100 grams in the liver. Factor in a well-designed training program and a diet rich in complex carbohydrates, and the average bodybuilder could accumulate up to 500 grams of muscle glycogen or more, depending on the amount of muscle mass and level of training experience.

Glycogen supercompensation occurs when muscle glycogen stores are emptied through a period of high-rep concentric training and a reduced carbohydrate diet, immediately followed by a period of increased carbohydrate intake and reduced training. During the glycogen depletion phase, insulin sensitivity is dramatically cranked up and your muscles are primed to receive a rapid influx of carbohydrates. When carbohydrates are cycled back into the diet, muscle glycogen tanks can be "supercompensated," or filled beyond the level they were at prior to the depletion. Accompanying every gram of glycogen that fills out your muscles is three grams of water. This super-hydrated intracellular environment means massive new gains in size and strength, all without changing the size or number of your muscle fibers!