Muscle glycogen and hardness

[jway82]

Hey guys I hope this isn't a dumb question but it has always confused me. Whenever I cut my carbs really low for any extended period of time I lose about 5 quick pounds from water and glycogen but my body looks softer immediately. I know it's because I'm flat but as soon as I carb up, I appear to be noticeably leaner and harder. My question is can you be hard and shredded and flat or do you have to reload glycogen to achieve hardness? Basically is the soft look from fat or just skin that hasn't been stretched back out yet on a carb up?

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[Jizzmo]

get rid of all fat and subcutaneous water (both go away a lot slower than intramuscular glycogen / water obviously) and youre gonna be hard even if youre flat
youll ALWAYS be harder when fully loaded with glycogen and intramuscular water though.

 

[fade]

You will always be flat if you're dieting. You'll need to load to fill glycogen to achieve that look.

You can't be dieting and stay full, it just doesn't work that way.

 

[b-boy]

Keep an adequate amount of fat in your diet and keep sodium high and you will look hard even when flat if you are LEAN.

 

[GreenTLB6]

Being flat and not as hard is part of the process. It's important to monitor and adjust accordingly. At times over feeding a bit to ensure your are not losing muscle and staying strong. Stay hydrated, salt all your food, refeed when necessary, and lift HEAVY to maintain strength.