Can someone explain the physiology behind eating lots of carbs to build mass.
People say if you want to build mass, then you need to eat lots of carbs.
But I thought protein builds muscles, and carbs are an energy source.
Eat more protein than required and it becomes muscle… eat more carbs than required and it becomes fat… thats what I always thought.
[quote]ibanezrg320 wrote:
Eat more protein than required and it becomes muscle… eat more carbs than required and it becomes fat… thats what I always thought.[/quote]
Eat MORE of anything than REQUIRED and it will be stored as fat. Carbs will spike insulin which is very anabolic. Paired with protein, this is a good environment for hypertrophy. Eating high carbs also keeps your glycogen levels and energy high, for intense training.
I’d personally keep carbs 1lb -1.5lb per pound of bodyweight, during and post excercise. Bump the protein and fat up. I think Calories in and out are more important than micro breakdowns (within reason of course - Protein should be between 1 gram - 2 grams per pound of LEAN MASS)
Works for me.
[quote]ibanezrg320 wrote:
But I thought protein builds muscles, and carbs are an energy source.
[/quote]
what do you think you use to lift weights? air?
It depends on what your going for. If your going for overall mass then a high protein high carb diet would work for you. Eating a ton of food will help you to gain weight. If your going for lean muscle i would go for about .75 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight and 1.5-2 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. You should try to have about half the carbs of protein if your going for lean mass.
So, let’s say 2 g/lb of BW for protein for a 175 lb guy.
350g protein= 1400 calories
1g/lb of carbs
175g and 600 calories
If someone needs 4500 calories to grow that’s 2500 calories from fat and almost 300g of fat.
That’s a lot of fricken fat.
I don’t see why people fear carbs so much, and even when gaining. They’re an easy way to get in extra calories.
[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
So, let’s say 2 g/lb of BW for protein for a 175 lb guy.
350g protein= 1400 calories
1g/lb of carbs
175g and 600 calories
If someone needs 4500 calories to grow that’s 2500 calories from fat and almost 300g of fat.
That’s a lot of fricken fat.
I don’t see why people fear carbs so much, and even when gaining. They’re an easy way to get in extra calories.
[/quote]
Agreed. I get in about 425-450 grams of carbs on training days. Can still see four abs and I’ve been taking this amount for a few months.
[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
ibanezrg320 wrote:
But I thought protein builds muscles, and carbs are an energy source.
what do you think you use to lift weights? air?[/quote]
ha ha hah, thats a good one, i enjoyed it!
[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
So, let’s say 2 g/lb of BW for protein for a 175 lb guy.
350g protein= 1400 calories
1g/lb of carbs
175g and 600 calories
If someone needs 4500 calories to grow that’s 2500 calories from fat and almost 300g of fat.
That’s a lot of fricken fat.
I don’t see why people fear carbs so much, and even when gaining. They’re an easy way to get in extra calories.
[/quote]
They certainly are an easy way to get in extra calories, but someone whose interested in gaining lean mass only, or losing fat while preserving muscle, I would recommend high fat, high protein, low carb diet. Carbs spike insulin, which is why so many people have a tough time losing weight, particularly around the belly region, cos they don’t know or understand how their insulin responds to fast carbs.
Fats are an excellent choice when it comes to finding an alternate means of energy. We’re talking about the healthy ones ofcourse, the ones you get in the form of Omega-3s, not the saturated ones from fast food and processed foods.
ibanzrg320, if your looking to maintain your fat percentage, while gaining lean muscle, all you gotta do is take most of your carbs before and after training, or early in the morning.
ok cheers guys!!
[quote]Sepulnation wrote:
ibanzrg320, if your looking to maintain your fat percentage, while gaining lean muscle, all you gotta do is take most of your carbs before and after training, or early in the morning. [/quote]
I have to disagree a little here. This is not the ONLY way to do things. Many people tend to be carb-phobic on these forums for no reason. If you’re eating lots of good complex carb sources, theres no reason to worry about high insulin spikes because of the steady digestion rates.
This will also help keep your blood glucose level. Theres many ways to do things and often times the best way is the way a person is most likely to stick with.
“Most people grossly estimate how many carbs they need” - Poliquin
I couldn’t agree more.
Bear in kind that most people will answer your question based on their personal experience with their bodies at this stage of their lives. Some can eat carbs and not get fat. Most cannot. One carb day every 5-7 days seems to get the best results (gaining muscle whilst maintaining or improving bodyfat levels) judging by what I’ve seen from many trainees.
[quote]Sepulnation wrote:
jehovasfitness wrote:
So, let’s say 2 g/lb of BW for protein for a 175 lb guy.
350g protein= 1400 calories
1g/lb of carbs
175g and 600 calories
If someone needs 4500 calories to grow that’s 2500 calories from fat and almost 300g of fat.
That’s a lot of fricken fat.
I don’t see why people fear carbs so much, and even when gaining. They’re an easy way to get in extra calories.
They certainly are an easy way to get in extra calories, but someone whose interested in gaining lean mass only, or losing fat while preserving muscle, I would recommend high fat, high protein, low carb diet. Carbs spike insulin, which is why so many people have a tough time losing weight, particularly around the belly region, cos they don’t know or understand how their insulin responds to fast carbs.
Fats are an excellent choice when it comes to finding an alternate means of energy. We’re talking about the healthy ones ofcourse, the ones you get in the form of Omega-3s, not the saturated ones from fast food and processed foods.
[/quote]
I agree for the most part. But 300g is a lot of fat.
Insulin isn’t the devil everyone makes it out to be. It is used to help store nutrients you know. If it was so bad it would be good to be type 1 diabetic.
I eat a lot of carbs probably around 400-450g/day and have gone from 167 lbs to 190 in 5 months or so while keeping my BF levels near the same.
Does everyone need that many carbs? Maybe not, but focusing on limiting them for someone who has a hard time eating a lot of food is foolish.
Read some Poliquin, if u r lean and carb tolerant, bump up those carbs, if u r fat and carb intolerant, get those carbs down. I eat about 4 grs of carbs p/lb, and I gain about 1.5lbs of muscle p/week while maintaining 6-7% bf. I would never be able to do it without tons of carbs… but hey, thats just me, find what works best to u (my prot and fat r also fairly high)
So, the thing is, what builds muscle is protein, but carbs, with protein, fills up glycogen stores (glycogen is very hidrophilic too), and fats bump up T. So each one has their place.
Yeah, everyone is different. Fair play if you can get away with eatin a shed load of carbs and stay lean + putting on some mass. I’m pretty lean now (8%-9% BF) and could get away with eating a ton of carbs for a while without any adverse effects.
It’s a personal thing. I feel quite bloated and lethargic if I go to carb mad. I’ll still whack the Surge down me post-workout, (A double dose if I’m doing a serious volume leg or total body session)as well as carbs in the next one or two meals after.
If I go to low carb I look like I’ve just broken out of a prison camp and feel like shit. I tend to carb cycle generally depending on what I’m trainin on the day.
Mix it up and see what works for you.