Construct · 1 fields · 2 citations

bonk: a standalone construct

One name. One construct. A landmark on the map.

● anchor · cycling: glycogen depletion Nearest construct by meaning·not indexed
bonk1 CONSTRUCTThe bonkBERGSTROM ET AL. · 1967

A single standalone construct; nearby constructs are located against it in the Collider. Tap a field for its definition, unit, and measures.

Exercise physiology

Glycogen runs out and the rider cracks

The bonk is the sudden, severe fatigue an endurance athlete hits when the body's carbohydrate stores run low: muscle and liver glycogen are depleted and blood glucose falls, so the working muscles and brain lose their preferred fuel and power collapses, often with dizziness and disorientation. Bergstrom, Hermansen, Hultman, and Saltin's 1967 Diet, muscle glycogen and physical performance established that endurance capacity tracks starting muscle-glycogen content, and Coyle and colleagues' 1986 study showed that feeding carbohydrate during long exercise delays the point of exhaustion. The referent is a fuel-depletion limit on endurance performance, the physiological event cyclists call 'bonking' or 'hitting the wall'.[1][2]

Unit
The muscle-glycogen and blood-glucose level at which power collapses
Recovery means
Ingesting carbohydrate raises blood glucose and, over hours, restores muscle glycogen, relieving the collapse
Measured by
Assessed by muscle-glycogen content (biopsy), blood-glucose concentration, and time to exhaustion in endurance tests

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Nearby constructs

body2 fields · 3 citationsjingle · one word, two constructscapacity5 fields · 8 citationsjingle · one word, four limits

References

  1. Bergström, J., Hermansen, L., Hultman, E., & Saltin, B. (1967). Diet, muscle glycogen and physical performance. Acta Physiologica Scandinavica, 71(2–3), 140–150. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-1716.1967.tb03720.x
  2. Coyle, E. F., Coggan, A. R., Hemmert, M. K., & Ivy, J. L. (1986). Muscle glycogen utilization during prolonged strenuous exercise when fed carbohydrate. Journal of Applied Physiology, 61(1), 165–172. https://doi.org/10.1152/jappl.1986.61.1.165

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