Indiscriminate Carbage Disposal

Not so simple

I was going to make a back porch video for you guys today, but as it is raining here, I will save a few of those for later in the week….today’s topic: carb intake.

I have trained very few athletes that can have indiscriminate carbs throughout the day. The exception would be high school athletes that are trying to gain weight, but just because they can eat carbs at more times throughout the day doesn’t mean they should just be pounding sugar all day.

Food is a drug in every definition I know of drug and carbs are the precursor to a very powerful drug: insulin.

So, here are a few ways I use carbs when designing a program for a client:
1)Around the workout, even if they are trying to lose fat. By workout, I mean a muscle building workout, not a fat loss workout. I like to place a complex carb in the pre-workout shake a long with some protein and fat. I want a steady supply of energy for the workout.

2)Simple carbs with protein immediately after the workout. This allows for anabolism by spiking insulin and driving the amino acids into the muscles. Think honey, waxy maize, white rice, etc.

3)I would use carbs the same way with an athlete in season in regards to their game. There is something to placing simple carbs after a workout in that it will reduce soreness, so in that regard, depending on the profile of the person, I may even have them sipping on a concoction during the game or workout.

If you eat carbs at every meal, when you clearly don’t need them at every meal, you are gonna have insulin control problems and a lot of unwanted body fat. Think of your glycogen stores as a fuel tank, you want to fill it up but no more. More means more body fat.

I can tweak this even for those looking to gain size. But remember, if you are designing nutrition programs, take into consideration what the client or athlete is more likely to follow through with….