Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for our body.
Carbohydrates provide us with energy for our workouts. When we consume carbohydrates , our body breaks them down into Glucose , which is stored as glycogen in the muscles.
It is one of the three main macro nutrients needed for our body and should be obtained through diet.
WHY CARBOHYDRATES ARE ESSENTIAL
Carbohydrates provide us with sufficient energy for our workouts. Carbohydrates are converted into glycogen in the muscles which helps us to power our workouts.
When bodybuilders reduce the intake of carbohydrates for competitions , their body craves for Glucose , which the body sometimes takes from the muscle glucose (Glycogen) as well and resulting in a reduced size while shredding.
So , carbohydrates are necessary to grow muscle size and show be taken in proper amount , it should not be taken in the form of pizza , pasta and other forms which contains unnecessary sugars and saturated fats.
People who do regular weight training should take complex carbohydrates in their daily diet in every meal and not simple carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates provide us with digestive fibres which helps us to digest our carbohydrate intake and it is not stored as fat in the body.
Simple carbohydrates can be taken in the pre-workout meal , because that time we need a source of fuel that can provide us with instant energy for our workout , so a pre-workout meal can contain sources of simple carbohydrates , and should be taken 1 - 1.5 hours before our workout.
CARBOHYDRATE REQUIREMENT IN YOUR DAILY DIET
For muscle gain , you have to be in calorie surplus.
Which means , the amount of calories we eat in a week should be more than the calorie expenditure.
The amount of carbohydrates our body requires with regular workouts depends upon our body weight.
Carbohydrates are of two types : simple and complex.
Simple carbohydrates are a source of instant energy as well as complex carbohydrates are a source of long term steady energy.
Complex carbohydrates has a lot of digestive fibres which helps to provide energy for full day as well as prevents the storage of carbohydrates as fats.
Best sources of Complex carbohydrates are - brown rice , whole wheat chapati , beans of all kinds , pulses , sprouts , oats , etc.
For example if a person is consuming 6 meals in a day , that means , in 5 meals he has to take carbohydrates (except for the meal before bed , as we don't need energy at that time of the day.)
So in these 5 meals try to make at least 3 meals of complex carbohydrates and 2 meals you can take of simple carbohydrates , just keep in mind when to consume them.
If you are unable to manage making all of your meals complex , you can make pre-workout meal with simple carbohydrates (as mentioned above) and post workout , because during our workout , our body is depleted with glucose and is looking for a source to replenish it.
Since simple carbs provide us with instant glucose , and they have high Glycemic index (which means they are digested fast and spike our blood sugar levels) they will replenish glucose in our body.
Just make sure your carbohydrates sources , whether simple or complex should be low in fats and processed sugars (like burgers and junk food).
Simple carbohydrate sources which can be taken are - white rice , white bread , white flour
All these prepared in low amounts of oil (Olive oil or Fish oil or Peanut oil).
CARBOHYDRATE PERCENTAGE IN YOUR DIET
To make a complete meal , we should include complex source of carbohydrates along with other macro nutrients ( proteins and fats ) in the right amount in our diet.
Out of all the calories which we take in our day , 50% calories should come from carbohydrates for muscle gain. It is an ideal percentage of carbohydrates which we should include in our daily diet , in every meal to help us stay energetic during our workouts.
For fat loss programs , when you restrict the amount of carbohydrates you eat , you should increase the amount of fats a little to give body a source of energy for your workouts , else it will take the Glycogen from the muscles and you can end up reducing your muscle size a little bit.
So for fat loss programs , the macro distribution in your diet should be , 40% protein , 40% carbohydrates and 20% fats (try for mostly unsaturated fats).
You should not take too much of carbohydrates , as in that case , the body will absorb only that amount of carbohydrates which it needs , rest of the carbohydrates will be stored as fats in the body.
CARBOHYDRATE REQUIREMENT FOR DIFFERENT PROGRAMS
As i mentioned above , you should take your 50% calories from carbohydrates , out of which most of the carbohydrate sources should be complex carbohydrates due to its low Glycemic index , it does not spike our body's blood sugar levels and in turn provide us with constant energy for a longer duration of the day.
For people who are following a calorie surplus diet for muscle gain , the carbohydrate intake should be 2 gm / pound of body weight , divided among all of their meals of the day (you can take carbohydrates in before bed meal sometimes with protein : carbohydrate ratio 1 : 1 as you are in calorie surplus)
Whereas,
For people following a calorie deficit diet for fat loss , the carbohydrate intake should be 1 gm / pound of body weight , divided among all of their meals of the day (except for before bed meal).
Protein : Carbohydrate ratio for calorie surplus diet should be - 1 : 2
Whereas ,
Protein : Carbohydrate ratio for calorie deficit diet should be - 1 : 1
THE BOTTOM LINE
Carbohydrates can cause a lot of weight gain ( not muscle gain ) , where body gains a significant amount of body fat percentage , if consumed in large quantities.
You should track your carbohydrate intake wisely , keeping in mind your body weight and the amount of calories you have to take according to your workout plan.
Gradually increase your calorie intake week by week , you will see significant improvement in your muscle mass as well as lower body fat levels.
Checkout my article about the daily Protein requirement for muscle building & fat loss
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