Anytime insulin sensitivity is reduced it takes more insulin to get the job
done (deposition of glycogen etc.)  Prolonged low carbohydrate diets have
been known to reduce insulin sensitivity thereby raising insulin levels with
the re-introduction of carbohydrates.  As to how much carbohydrate this
takes in order to show its effects (elevated insulin) its been my experience
as shown with blood test results that it doesn't take much and most
definitely less than what glycogen stores in the muscles and/or liver are
empty.  Try this little experiment.  Go on a very low carbohydrate diet for
1 week (<50 grams per day) and then get your hands on a  glucometer and take
fasting blood sugar results then take in a fair amount of carbs (100 grams
or so) and chart the results every 30 minutes for 3 hours.  What you'll
probably find will closely resemble a hypoglycemic response curve which is
indicative of high insulin levels.....this is despte the fact that obviously
your muscle and liver glycogen levels would have been depleted beyond this
100 gram level.  As to bodybuilders and cyclical ketogenic diets the re carb
up does help to keep muscles full and help them lift heavy weights but the
diet was originally created 20 some-odd years ago as a weight gain diet (The
Ultimate Diet by i believe it was Zumpano).  Insulin is a very anabolic
hormone and by first depleting carbs and then re-carbing one is able to
better reap the anabolic effects of insulin and thus induce an anabolic
state which would results in greater muscle mass.

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