Cited by 169Muscle metabolism and nutritionCardiovascular and exercise physiologySports Performance and Training

Muscle Glycogen Metabolism and High-Intensity Exercise Performance: A Narrative Review

Vigh-Larsen, Jeppe F., Ørtenblad, Niels, Spriet, Lawrence L., Overgaard, Kristian, Mohr, Magni·2021·Sports Medicine

Abstract

Muscle glycogen is the main substrate during high-intensity exercise and large reductions can occur after relatively short durations. Moreover, muscle glycogen is stored heterogeneously and similarly displays a heterogeneous and fiber-type specific depletion pattern with utilization in both fast- and slow-twitch fibers during high-intensity exercise, with a higher degradation rate in the former. Thus, depletion of individual fast- and slow-twitch fibers has been demonstrated despite muscle glycogen at the whole-muscle level only being moderately lowered. In addition, muscle glycogen is stored in specific subcellular compartments, which have been demonstrated to be important for muscle function and should be considered as well as global muscle glycogen availability. In the present review, we discuss the importance of glycogen metabolism for single and intermittent bouts of high-intensity exercise and outline possible underlying mechanisms for a relationship between muscle glycogen and fatigue during these types of exercise. Traditionally this relationship has been attributed to a decreased ATP resynthesis rate due to inadequate substrate availability at the whole-muscle level, but emerging evidence points to a direct coupling between muscle glycogen and steps in the excitation-contraction coupling including altered muscle excitability and calcium kinetics.

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Crossref · 10.1007/s40279-021-01475-0

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Authors
Vigh-Larsen, J. F., Ørtenblad, N., Spriet, L. L., Overgaard, K., & Mohr, M.
Affiliations
  • Aarhus University (DK)
  • University of Southern Denmark (DK)
  • University of Guelph (CA)
  • University of the Faroe Islands (FO)
Corresponding author
Mohr, Magni
Venue
Sports Medicine
Published
2021-04-26
Volume
51
Issue
9
Pages
1855-1874
ISSN
  • 0112-1642 (ISSN-L)
  • 1179-2035
OpenAlex
W3157691503
Cited by
169
References
209
Citations by year
2026: 30 · 2025: 41 · 2024: 38 · 2023: 32 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 5
FWCI
3.09
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Sports Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • University of Southern Denmark Research Portal (University of Southern Denmark) (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • The Danish Ministry of Culture (FPK.2016-0054)
  • Team Danmark
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Muscle metabolism and nutrition
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Cardiovascular and exercise physiology
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Orthopedics and Sports Medicine › Sports Performance and Training
Keywords
muscle glycogen, glycogen metabolism, high-intensity exercise, glycogen depletion, fast-twitch fibers, type I muscle fibers, exercise fatigue, ATP resynthesis, excitation-contraction coupling, muscle excitability, calcium kinetics
MeSH terms
Fatigue, Glycogen, Humans, Muscles, Exercise, Muscle, Skeletal

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