In elite male racewalkers, muscle glycogen concentrations in the anterior thigh vary significantly between trials prior to carbohydrate loading, with reported values of 101.4 mM and 58.6 mM, indicating that baseline glycogen levels are influenced by uncontrolled factors such as recent training, diet, or recovery status.

The amount of stored fuel in leg muscles before a carb-loading session depends on how hard the athlete trained recently and how carbs were eaten in the days before. Hard training uses up the fuel, while rest lets the body rebuild it. Eating carbs in smaller, frequent meals helps the body absorb and store more fuel than eating the same amount all at once. Muscles used more during racewalking store more fuel after recovery than muscles used less.