An increase in cellular respiration is accomplished through establishing current within the cells of your body. Establishing current helps the glucose to convert into energy or to get stored in the cell as glycogen. So once again it goes right back to cell electricity, which leads to greater capacity for glycogen storage.

During an intensive bout of exercise, your body can use up to 200 or even 250 grams of carbohydrates depleting your full store of glycogen, or stored glucose. Once your exercise is finished, those carbohydrates need to be replenished quickly to keep you at your peak athletic performance. Refueling your body and rebuilding stores of glycogen, or stored glucose, is the last critical step of training.

Glucose is simply blood sugar, and eating carb-rich foods prior to working out will initially raise your blood sugar. To counteract this flood of glucose, the body releases insulin, which is produced in the pancreas and insulin then moves the glucose out of the bloodstream and into the cells. When glucose arrives in the cells, it is used immediately for energy.

Diets high in carbohydrates are essential for athletes, but as discussed in Carbohydrates: The Body’s Core Fuel For Energy, finding the right balance of fuel for your body is about much more than what you eat. Properly preparing your body for work-outs is a balancing act of what sorts of carbohydrates you eat and when you eat them.

Contrary to what some fad diets would have us believe, carbohydrates are not the enemy. In fact, they are pretty much the athlete’s best friend. Carbs provide the foundation for any serious athlete’s diet. Why? Because anytime you engage in moderate to intense exercise, your body is using glycogen (stored carbohydrates) as its primary fuel source.