Glycogen in plain terms
Your muscles store carbohydrate as glycogen, and that is the main fuel for hard sets in the gym. When glycogen runs low, you fatigue faster and your reps feel heavier than they should.
Eating carbs refills that tank. This is why a low-carb day can make an otherwise easy workout feel brutal.
How much you need
- Light training days: around 1.5 to 2g carbs per pound of bodyweight.
- Heavy or high-volume training days: 2 to 2.5g per pound.
- Very active or in-season athletes: up to 3g per pound.
- Rest days with little activity: you can drop toward the lower end without issue.
Timing around training
A carb-containing meal 2-4 hours before training tops off glycogen and gives you time to digest. A smaller carb snack within an hour of training can help if you train fasted or first thing in the morning.
You do not need to eat carbs within minutes of finishing a workout. Your body refills glycogen over the following 24 hours as long as total intake is adequate.
Low-carb training days
If you cut carbs hard, expect your heavy lifts to feel worse for the first week or two. Strength output and bar speed usually suffer most in multi-set, high-rep work.
If you choose to run lower carb for fat loss, plan your hardest training days around whatever carbs you do eat.
Simple food picks
- Rice, oats, and potatoes for everyday carb needs.
- Fruit and yogurt for a lighter pre-workout snack.
- Bread, pasta, and tortillas for convenience and bulk.
- Sports drinks or dried fruit if you need fast-digesting carbs during long sessions.