The importance of carbs is very well demonstrated in that the consumption of these will result in the maintenance of a healthy physique and help to combat the disease at the same time. However, there are different types of carbs and each one has its own benefits as well as drawbacks.
Carbohydrates are a macronutrient that is vital to the diet of bodybuilders and weight lifters. It provides fuel for workouts, as well as supports muscle growth and repair.1 It should be emphasized that carbohydrates are not just for athletes; they are the most important macronutrient in regard to your health and wellness. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the benefits of carbohydrates such as their role in muscle building, how carbs help you recover from workouts, what makes up a healthy carbohydrate-rich diet, etc.2
What Are Complex Carbohydrates?
Complex carbohydrates, or starches, consist of long-chain sugars that your body breaks down for energy. Now, if you are on a diet, you must choose complex carbohydrates intelligently so that you don’t get too much. If you eat a lot of white bread or pasta, you may not need to even be on a diet to lose weight, because you will be consuming carbs from other sources besides these three main ones. For instance, you might be eating white rice instead of white bread or pasta. The same goes for consuming white rice instead of whole-wheat pasta. You just need to be aware of your calorie intake and stick to lower-calorie carbs.3
So, as you can see, it’s not really true that complex carbohydrates are bad for you and that eating them will make you gain weight. Instead, it’s the fact that you need to break down the large chains of sugar molecules into smaller ones for easier digestion that leads to weight gain. So, if you want to lose weight, eat lots of vegetables (not just veggies themselves, but spinach and other leafy green vegetables), complex chains of sugar, and complex carbohydrates like brown rice.
The Benefits Of Complex Carbohydrates For Bodybuilders
Many nutrition experts will tell you the benefits of complex carbs for bodybuilders are too great to ignore or pass up. Bodybuilders need more than regular food to put on lean muscle mass. They need complex carbohydrates to support energy during their workouts and recovery. They also need them to maintain steady blood sugar levels and give them the energy they require to recover. As a result, the benefits of complex carbs for bodybuilders cannot be overstated.4
In order to be able to understand the benefits of complex carbs as compared with simple carbs in terms of bodybuilding nutrition, you must first understand the composition of bodybuilding food. Bodybuilders need far more calories than average. This is why they will eat more than six smaller meals during the course of an average day. They will consume foods that are high in protein, fats, carbs, vitamins, minerals, and water.
The benefits of complex carb benefits for the bodybuilder are twofold. First, the athlete needs more energy to perform at peak performance. Second, complex carb foods provide bodybuilders with the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients they need to recover from intense physical training.5 Bodybuilding supplements can augment the athlete’s power, but they cannot take the place of the nutritious foods that the bodybuilder consumes.
It is important to note that not all carbs are created equal. Some are higher in the glycemic index than others. High GI foods raise blood glucose levels faster after consumption and cause a surge in insulin and glucose levels. These quick-food-type carbohydrates are harder on the body and cause the body to store excess sugar as body fat. The benefits of complex care benefits for bodybuilders should not be taken in isolation. The athlete also needs to eat healthy foods, which include a variety of grains, vegetables, fruits, and protein sources.6
To gain the benefits of complex carbs for bodybuilders the bodybuilder must make some major changes in his or her eating habits. The first thing the bodybuilder must do is eliminate the foods that are causing him or her to gain weight. This includes packaged foods, sugar, white flour, and white rice. Instead, the bodybuilder must consume high-fiber foods that will help him or her to burn fat and build lean muscle mass. Foods that are high in fiber are high in potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, niacin, and many other vitamins and minerals.
Athletes that want to build the benefits of complex carbs for bodybuilders should also consider increasing their protein intake. Protein is essential for the building of muscles, but the bodybuilder must be careful to choose proteins that come from plant sources. Meat can also be consumed in moderation when it comes to gaining the benefits of complex carbs for bodybuilders. Remember the benefits of complex carbs for bodybuilders are best gained by replacing simple carbohydrates with these types of foods.
What Are Simple Carbohydrates?
When you ask people what simple carbs are, what are they normally saying? That it is something that is bad for you but is really good for you in disguise. Some of the worst things that you can consume are simple carbs; however, when you get into more complex carbs the good things seem to change. What are simple carbs?7
Simple carbohydrates are made up of two parts: the simple part and the complex part. Simple carbs are what we think of as carbs, such as rice, bread, pasta, and cereal. When you combine those types of simple carbs with fiber, there is what is called a “dieter’s delight.” This delicious combination will satisfy anyone who is looking for a quick meal that will fill them up and keep them full for quite a while. Some of the best simple carbs come from fruit such as oranges, apples, bananas, grapefruit, cantaloupe, and pears.8
However, many of these foods also contain what are known as “complex carbohydrates” which means that there are more nutrients in the simple form than in the complex one. These simple carbs are what are typically used in recipes for “low carb” or “fat-burning” foods. For example, instead of eating a bag of potato chips with a piece of cheese on the side, you can substitute half of the potato chips with a baked potato and a bit of cheese on the side. Obviously, this would be a “reduction” meal and not a “filling” meal, but this type of carbohydrate can be used in place of or in addition to traditional carbohydrates. It all depends on your goal as to how many simple carbs foods you eat and how much fiber and other nutrition you want to receive in exchange for the carbohydrate.
The Benefits of Simple Carbohydrates For Bodybuilders
One thing that many people forget to tell you about simple carbs is the importance of simple carbs in building muscle. A simple carb is a type of carbohydrate that comes from plant sources and has only a simple sugar component to it. Because of these simple carb benefits for bodybuilders, it is critical for every bodybuilder to know the benefits of simple carbs and understand when and how to use them in their workout routine. As we all know, simple carbs are digested very quickly by the body, causing an extremely quick increase in blood glucose levels. This spike in blood glucose causes your body to release insulin to metabolize the excess glucose, giving your muscles the energy they need to recover from your intense exercise.
It is this action of the body that provides the benefits of simple carbs for bodybuilders. The problem with complex carbohydrates is that, because they have several carbohydrates, the body takes much longer to break them down and process them before sending the glucose to your muscles. This means that your workouts become longer and you are at a higher risk of developing a food allergy, which can disrupt your diet for even the most disciplined person. Another issue with complex carbohydrates is that they can cause spikes in blood pressure and insulin levels that can also disrupt your eating pattern. These spikes in your blood sugar can also lead to dehydration, leading to another possible source of the benefits of simple carbs for bodybuilders.
That being said, the benefits of simple carbs can be negated if you eat them at the wrong time or consume too much of them. For example, if you eat a big meal right after your workout session, you can spike your blood sugar level very quickly, which will make you hungry again almost immediately. If you use simple carb benefits for bodybuilders, this can have disastrous effects, as you can easily run out of energy and suffer from dehydration. In contrast, the benefits of complex carbohydrates can be negated by ensuring that you divide your meal into smaller, more frequent meals.
The other side of the simple carb benefits for bodybuilders are the harmful effects. As previously mentioned, the biggest problem with complex carbohydrates is that they take much longer to break down into usable energy for the body, and this means that you are taking in more calories (and other nutrients) than you are burning off. This is not ideal for someone trying to build muscle mass, since they need as many calories as possible to repair the damage done during the workout. Further, simple carbs can also increase the likelihood of food allergies and can raise the level of insulin in the blood, which can cause long-term problems in people who have diabetes.
However, the benefits of simple care benefits for bodybuilders go beyond the immediate impact. In fact, many experts suggest that the reason why most professional athletes are able to maintain such lean physiques is because of the high levels of simple carb intake. These athletes have learned that mixing these types of foods into their diets allows them to consume large amounts of food without any hunger, while at the same time maintaining a steady level of energy. By training often and not overeating, the bodybuilder can trick his or her body to store more fat for future use.
One of the most common benefits of simple carb intake, surprisingly, is weight loss. Since the body uses so much of the energy consumed to break it down, the net effect is that you lose weight. Some experts even suggest that consuming too many simple carbs can lead to an overall sense of well-being since the diet helps the body eliminate toxins that contribute to disease. By eating a healthy diet that keeps the body operating properly, you can gain many health benefits while losing excess weight.
Why Are Carbohydrates Important For Bodybuilders?
Most people, when they think about why carbs are important for bodybuilders, they think about gaining muscle and burning fat. That’s a good reason. When you’re in the muscle-building process, your body will be using the proteins and carbohydrates that you are consuming to create energy. Carbohydrates are used for that purpose.
But the question is, why are carbs important for bodybuilders? There are two main reasons why carbs are so important to bodybuilders. The first reason why carbs are so important for bodybuilders is that they will provide the energy for muscle growth.9
So if you are a bodybuilder what are the best foods that you should be consuming to get the most out of this exercise. These foods are high in calories and low in fat. Foods like potatoes, yams, chicken, lean beef, and fish will get you the muscle that you want without you having to worry about adding too much fat to your diet.
Another reason why our carbs are important for bodybuilders is because they will give you more energy. When you are working out your body will be using more of your energy than normal. This means that you will need more carbs to get the energy that you require. Carbs come in many forms. Some of them are very simple, like fruits and vegetables, but other forms of carbs are complex. Things like rice, bread, and pasta are complex carb foods that will provide your body with a large amount of energy.
A final reason why carbs are so important to bodybuilders is that they will increase your testosterone levels. Testosterone is a hormone that will help you get stronger and can help you build more muscle. A higher level of testosterone will also make it easier for you to recover from your workout. This will allow you to get back into shape much faster than if you were recovering from an injury or illness. If you are going to add carbs to your diet to gain muscle then it would be wise to eat a lot of them. You don’t have to consume as much as the body can burn through.
The reason that carbs are so important to bodybuilders is that they are the fuel that allows their bodies to grow and repair muscle after a workout. Without these sources of energy, your body will not be able to repair your muscle and get it back in shape. Carbs also give your body the fuel that it needs to store glucose so that it can deliver nutrients to your muscles when they need them. They are definitely some of the most important foods that you can eat if you want to get bigger and stronger.10
Image Credits
Davids Way to Health and Fitness / July 6, 2020
SlidetoDoc.com / 2021
Bodybuilding.com / October 18, 2018
Very Well Fit / January 4, 2021
1 “Why Carbohydrates Are Important for Your Diet | Everyday Health.” 25 May. 2010, https://www.everydayhealth.com/weight/why-carbohydrates-are-important-for-your-diet.aspx Accessed 13 Jul. 2021.
2 “Carbohydrates 101: The benefits of carbohydrates | Reid Health.” https://www.reidhealth.org/blog/carbohydrates-101-the-benefits-of-carbohydrates Accessed 13 Jul. 2021.
3 “Complex carbohydrates: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia Image.” 20 Aug. 2020, https://medlineplus.gov/ency/imagepages/19529.htm Accessed 13 Jul. 2021.
4 “Carbohydrates: How carbs fit into a healthy diet – Mayo Clinic.” https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/carbohydrates/art-20045705 Accessed 13 Jul. 2021.
5 “What Are the Key Functions of Carbohydrates? – Healthline.” 9 Nov. 2017, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/carbohydrate-functions Accessed 13 Jul. 2021.
6 “Complex ‘Good’ Carbs vs. Simple ‘Bad’ Carbs: How to Tell the ….” https://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-your-guide-to-eating-healthy-carbs Accessed 13 Jul. 2021.
7 “The Truth About Carbs: Healthy Weight. – NHS.” https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/why-we-need-to-eat-carbs/ Accessed 13 Jul. 2021.
8 “Simple Carbohydrates vs. Complex Carbohydrates – Healthline.” https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/simple-carbohydrates-complex-carbohydrates Accessed 13 Jul. 2021.
9 “Good vs. Bad Carbohydrates: How Do You Tell the Difference ….” 3 Mar. 2021, Accessed 13 Jul. 2021.
10 “Simple carbs vs. complex carbs: What’s the difference?.” https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325171 Accessed 13 Jul. 2021.
