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[RC] glycogen loading - Ridecamp GuestPlease Reply to: ti Tivers@xxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ========================================== I'm interested in learning more about glycogen loading. You're probably familiar with a recent study that found much better recovery with feeding a high carbohydrate meal immediately post exercise. I think the research was done on sled dogs. I wonder if it works for horses. Dot's experience would indicate so. What's the difference between a field report and a testimonial? Libby (going to a ride, be back Monday)> There have been dozens of studies that have come to the same conclusions concerning immediate post-ex carb intake--none in horses yet, that I know of. But I can tell you for sure that it is the same in horses. The basic science goes like this, if Ed will forgive me for summarizing and not temporizing and analyzing each paper to death: Post hard exercise, the body's first job is to bring all fuel-depleted and damaged tissue back to normal. within the rfrfirst hour, it "makes a decision" to either use the materials at hand, or go into cataboloic mode and tear down lesser challoenged tissue from other parts of the body. This catabolic mode is triggereed by a cascade of hormones, includong cortisol, and lasts for as long as 48 hours. You want to avoid that in an athlete because in means delayed recover. Fast-acting carb intake immediately after exercise, bumps up blood glucose,and triggers the production of insulin and IGF1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor 1). Insulin acts to push blood glucose into the cells as glycogen, which them becomes an energy source for repair. IGF1 is a potent growth factor--it governs the rebuilding process. Add protein to the post-ex mix and you do even better at preventing the catabolic response. But this is not glycogen loading. Glycogen loading as it is currently practiced in race horses is a 4 day process of multiple dosings of a long-chained sugar and other ingredients that results in more available muscle glycogen at post time. This, in turn, allows the race horse to work at near-maximal speed while avoiding fatigue for a significanly longer time period. Carb sup-plementation in endurance horses )which are typically not glycogen-loaded by intelligent riders) is a matter of relatively small, periodic ingestions of fast acting carbs during the actual race--as you saw Lance Armstrong and all the cyclists doing during the Tour de France. These dosings are less to "feed the exercise" than they are to maintain blood glucose and prevent bonking. All three approaches work very well in horses. Some 130 papers supporting these concepts are cited and often quoted in my book on the subject. A few are cited and quoted that disagree with the concepts, in deference to Ed. But I rip those papers limb from limb in the body text. Because it's my book, eh? ti ti =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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