Increased dietary carbohydrate and endurance during single‐leg cycling using a limb with normal muscle glycogen concentration

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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that increased availability of blood‐borne glucose would improve endurance after carbohydrate loading. A single‐leg exercise model was employed, taking advantage of the fact that supercompensation of muscle glycogen occurs only in a previously exercised limb. Endurance time to exhaustion at 70% of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) was determined for 11 males and three females who were then allocated to a control group or a high‐carbohydrate (CHO) group. For 3 days following Test 1 the control group maintained a prescribed normal diet whilst the CHO group increased the proportion of energy derived from carbohydrate (62.1 ± 4.3% cf. 43.9 ± 2.0%, P < 0.01). The endurance test was then repeated using the leg that was inactive during Test 1. Endurance time was increased on Test 2 (123.7 ± 43.2 min cf. 98.5 ± 21.9 min, P ‐1 cf. 152 ± 12 beat min ‐1, P<0.05). These results suggest that the prior consumption of a high‐carbohydrate diet improves endurance during high‐intensity cycling with a limb with normal muscle glycogen concentration.

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