How to Use Carbs to Build Muscle

Carbohydrates, protein and fats are the top three major nutritional sources for your body. They come in a variety of ways and you have an amazing number of choices. Building muscle requires the right combination of all of them to fuel your body and create an environment in which building muscle is encouraged.

Most of us are familiar with using protein to build muscle. After all, protein is the building blocks upon which muscle is built. Where do carbs enter the mix?

In the past years eating carbohydrates has been frowned upon because of the glycemic load they place on the body. When carbs are eaten, they spike your blood sugar and lead to a host of other processes which can increase inflammation in the body and pack on the fat.

The carb loading athletes did the night before a competition or before heavy lifting was with the intention of increasing the storage of glycogen to fuel the event the next day. However, increasing amounts of carbohydrates also increases the amount of insulin released by the pancreas.

The role of insulin is to usher the glucose or sugar from carbohydrate metabolism, into the cells for energy. Once the cells are satisfied, the extra glucose is converted to glycogen for storage in the liver. Once the liver is full the glucose is converted to triglycerides for fat storage.

If you were paying attention you read that carbohydrates could be converted to triglycerides. Those are the pesky lipids or fats in the blood stream that increase your risk of stroke, heart attack and cardiovascular disease.

However, glycogen and blood glucose are the main fuels your muscle uses during your strength training.

So, how to manipulate the use of carbohydrates to fuel the growth of muscle without spiking your blood glucose and increasing your fat storage.

In the first place, the carbohydrates that should be used are those that are high in nutritional value as well. So, while donuts, cakes, cookies and other sweets sound fun they don’t add any other nutritional value to your diet. On the other hand, carbohydrate rich foods like bananas, sweet potatoes, chocolate milk, wholemeal pastas, brown rice and quinoa are packed with both carbs and nutrients your body can use.

The timing of eating the carbohydrates is also important to how they are used in the body. In several studies, including one published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, researchers have repeatedly demonstrated that carbohydrates (and usually a carb/protein mix) taken or eaten directly after your resistance training will help to grow your muscles without adding the fat. (1)

This happens because the carbs you eat directly after a hard workout will go directly to replenishing the glycogen stores in your muscle and liver. Neither one of those areas will increase the amount of fat produced in the body. On the other hand, you can out eat your previous workout and provide the body with too many carbs – which are then stored as fat.

How much is enough?

A good rule of thumb is to keep your carb limit to 40% of your daily intake on the days you lift or do heavy workouts, the majority of which are eaten within an hour after the workout. Mix those carbs that fuel the muscle with protein that build new muscle and you are well on your way!

References:

(1) Journal of Sports Science and Medicine: Regulation of muscle glycogen repletion, muscle protein synthesis and repair following exercise

http://www.jssm.org/vol3/n3/3/v3n3-3pdf.pdf

Resources:

Menshealth: 11 Carbs that should be in your diet

http://www.menshealth.co.uk/food-nutrition/healthy-eating/11-carbs-that-should-be-in-your-diet

Optimium Nutrition: Why Carbs are essential

http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=169

T-Nation: A Beginners Guide to Carb cycling

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_nutrition/a_beginners_guide_to_carb_cycling

ChrisPowell: Carb Cycling 101

http://chrispowell.com/carb-cycling-101/