Photo credit: World Middleweight Champion
and top three Pound for pound
Sergio Martinez
Use Carbohydrates Wisely for results:
Carbs are extremely important when trying to build serious size. Your body needs to know you have an energy surplus to grow muscle efficiently. Stocking up with glycogen (the storage form of carbs) signals that your body has an energy surplus, turning on your anabolic switch. Plus, glycogen pulls water into the muscles, making them fuller. Glycogen also supports the stretching of muscle fiber membranes, which results in more complete growth and better long-term results.
On workout days, consume 2-to-3 grams of carbs per pound of body weight. And on rest days, drop your carbs to 1-to-1.5 grams, since you won't be burning up carbs in the gym.
Timing carb consumption relative to your workouts is important as well. Within 30 minutes of the start of your workout, along with your whey shake, consume 20-to-40 grams of slow-digesting carbs such as oatmeal or whole-wheat bread. Slow-digesting carbs provide longer-lasting energy than fast carbs do. Plus, they don't spike your insulin levels. Controlled insulin levels means the ability to control weight.
Within 30 minutes after the workout, along with your protein shake, you'll want to consume another 40-to-100 grams of carbs. This time, however, you want fast-digesting carbs such as white bread, Vitargo S2, sorbet, or fat-free candy. The spike these carbs cause in insulin levels not only helps to quickly replenish muscle glycogen, but it also boosts protein synthesis and blunts cortisol levels.
My favorite form of post-workout carbs is dextrose by Now foods. Dextrose is basically glucose, the form of sugar your body uses. That means when you consume dextrose your body doesn't have to digest it. Instead, it absorbs immediately into your blood stream and heads straight to your muscles. a very good thing.