# How long does a bonk affect you?



## kreuzberg

I've read in some places that you can recover from bonking by the next day. I've also heard that when you bonk you don't recover for at least a week? Is that how long it takes to restore glycogen levels to normal? Does it depend on how hard you hit the wall?


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## estone2

kreuzberg said:


> I've read in some places that you can recover from bonking by the next day. I've also heard that when you bonk you don't recover for at least a week? Is that how long it takes to restore glycogen levels to normal? Does it depend on how hard you hit the wall?


Normally takes me a day or two to get back into training form. Even after a hard bonk. You just have to refuel intelligently. I can't say if I'm back at 100% but I'm certainly close enough to train normally.


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## muscleendurance

*As long as it takes to eat your way out of it!*

at best you can store1500-2000 Kcals as Glycogen I believe, and you can only motabilise 300-400Kcals an hour, so whats that? 5-8hrs of eating, so if its an early morning ride then you should be right by the next day


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## iliveonnitro

muscleendurance said:


> at best you can store1500-2000 Kcals as Glycogen I believe, and you can only motabilise 300-400Kcals an hour, so whats that? 5-8hrs of eating, so if its an early morning ride then you should be right by the next day


Never mind the muscle your body broke down for energy after it ran out of fuel.

Smell ammonia? That's one sign of a real bonk.

If you're lucky, ~5 days.


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## muscleendurance

iliveonnitro said:


> Smell ammonia? That's one sign of a real bonk.


because.. dehydration doesnt =bonk


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## estone2

muscleendurance said:


> because.. dehydration doesnt =bonk


the smell is almost always an indicator of muscle breakdown. muscle breakdown = body being metabolized = bonk.


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## ozigreg

*Bonk*

You mean bonk as in a 6 hour race you get to the five hour mark and realise you have been pushing to hard. Your legs feel like lead. You just want to curl up under the closest tree on rocks and dirt and go to sleep, that is, after you have thrown up a little. You have cold chills running down your arms on a warm spring day and your dribbling just a little from the side of your mouth......

You would think I would learn :mad2: but I seem to manage it once every race season.

I find it takes a good week before I can even look at that damn bike again.


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## cpark

From my past experiences, I think it takes about 3 to 4 days but it's all depends on individual. IMO, it takes minimum 48 hrs+ to replensh the depleted glycogen (at least for me). The other aspect of the matters are physical (muscle recovery) and mental challenges you have to overcome.


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## Slip'nRide

It can take a few days to a week in my experience. If somebody is dieting, for example, and goes on a long enough/intense enough ride, they are going into that ride with less than optimal glycogen levels. They will burn through that glycogen, begin using an increased proportion fat and, yes, muscular protein as well.

The protein in your muscles (and other tissues) undergos a series of catabolic reactions: transamination of AA and a-ketoglutarate --> glutamate, then enzymatic deamination to form ammonia.

So if you smell ammonia, you have likely bonked - or have something fishy going on. Either way, you probably shouldn't be riding in that state.

I think it's the overall stress on your body, and not merely the glycogen depletion, which takes time to recover from. Somebody in such a position should very seriously analyze their nutrition and consider taking some time off to recuperate.


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## spade2you

I think it's probably safe to assume 1-7 days to fully recover, although I'd probably add that it depends on what caused the bonk and to what degree. I feel fortunate to say that I've only had 2-3 bonks this season, but the bottom line is that it's generally best to avoid the bonk at all costs because it takes significantly more recovery time to get back to where you were before the bonk.


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