After a hard bike ride or run, eating lots of carbs for a few days almost always makes your muscles store more energy than before—even if the amount varies.

After biking really hard and then eating a lot of carbs for a few days, your muscles store way more energy than they do after running hard and eating the same way.

When you eat a higher percentage of your calories from carbs (like 80% vs 60%), your muscles store more energy after a hard bike ride—even if you’re eating the same total amount of carbs.

The more you deplete your muscle energy stores during a hard bike ride, the more your muscles can overfill with energy afterward when you eat carbs.

After a tough leg workout, drinking a sugary sports drink instead of water helps your muscles refill their energy stores faster, so you recover better after six hours.

After a short, super-hard workout, your muscles refill their energy stores way faster than after a long, slow one—even if you eat the same amount of carbs.