April 2, 2010 in Articles, Energy Systems by James Dawson Martin

Carbs 101

Breakdown:

Carbohydrates, along with protein, should make up the heart of your daily caloric intake because they form muscle glycogen – the fuel that gives us that energy to perform our workouts.

Focus on non processed, natural complex carbohydrates like yams, potatoes, whole grain breads, oatmeal and brown rice. The complex carbs are made of long chains of sugar and are digested very slowly, a lot slower than simple sugar carbs. Slow burning complex carbs promoted consistent blood sugar levels, which help to offset fatigue while promoting the release of insulin – the body’s principal anabolic hormone.

Spread them out

Divide your carbs into 5-6 meals throughout the day. This forms a steady release of insulin to keep our body in an anabolic environment! If you eat them in large amounts in one sitting, the body will store them as fat.

Eat them when you are active

Eat the majority of your carbs when you are most active – before and after workouts, and in the morning.

Focus on a big complex carb meal an hour before your workout. Focus on simple sugars and after an intense workout when you are bulking.

No Carbs before bed

4 hours or so before bed, taper your carbohydrates down and just have lean protein sources and green leafy vegetables or green vegetables.

Having carbs before bed will interfere with the release of growth hormones and promote fat storage as you sleep.

Eat carbs with protein

Mixing carbs and proteins reduces the risk of carbs being stored as fat. Eating protein with carbs facilitates the transport of amino acids in protein foods into the muscles to trigger new growth – just what we want.