Supercompensated muscle glycogen can be achieved using several carbohydrate (CHO)-loading protocols. This study compared the effectiveness of two "modified" CHO-loading protocols. Additionally, we determined the effect of light cycle training on muscle glycogen. Subjects completed a depletion (D, n = 15) or nondepletion (ND, n = 10) CHO-loading protocol. After a 2-day adaptation period in a metabolic ward, the depletion group performed a 120-min cycle exercise at 65% peak oxygen uptake (VO_2peak) followed by 1-min sprints at 120% VO_2peak to exhaustion. The nondepletion group performed only 20-min cycle exercise at 65% VO_2peak. For the next 6 days, both groups ate the same high-CHO diets and performed 20-min daily cycle exercise at 65% V O_2peak followed by a CHO beverage (105 g CHO). Muscle glycogen concentrations of the vastus lateralis were measured daily using ¹³C magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). On the morning of day 5, muscle glycogen concentrations had increased 1.45 (depletion) and 1.24 (nondepletion) times baseline (p < 0.001), but did not differ between groups. However, on day 7 muscle glycogen of the depletion group was significantly greater (p < 0.01) than the nondepletion group (130±7 vs. 104±5 mmol/L muscle). Daily cycle exercise decreased muscle glycogen by 10±2 (depletion) and 14±5 mmol/L (nondepletion), but muscle glycogen was greater than preexercise values 24 h later. In conclusion, a CHO-loading protocol that begins with a glycogen-depleting exercise results in greater muscle glycogen that persists longer than a CHO-loading protocol using only an exercise taper. Daily exercise at 65% V O_2peak for 20 min can be performed throughout the CHO-loading protocol without negatively affecting muscle glycogen supercompensation.