Do you need carbs to build muscle and lift heavier?

[BrawnyIrishman]

Just Something I've been wondering about because I've had different responses to this question. If you were on a no carb diet and were taking in roughly around 250-300g of protein, will not having any carbs in your diet affect your ability to lift heavier and results in gaining muscle mass?

[texicus]

Just Something I've been wondering about because I've had different responses to this question. If you were on a no carb diet and were taking in roughly around 250-300g of protein, will not having any carbs in your diet affect your ability to lift heavier and results in gaining muscle mass?

when bulking I'd say you'd have way better results spending that +400 or 500 cals on carbs.

[stefanuus]

when bulking I'd say you'd have way better results spending that +400 or 500 cals on carbs.

^ this. And yeah carbs supply energy to ur muscles so ull prob be stronger on a high carb then a low carb diet

[ChickenandYams]

yes you do

[keepitrealrb]

Just Something I've been wondering about because I've had different responses to this question. If you were on a no carb diet and were taking in roughly around 250-300g of protein, will not having any carbs in your diet affect your ability to lift heavier and results in gaining muscle mass?

no carbs=no glycogen=no usable energy=catabolism.
no carbs=very little insulin production=no amino acids pushed into the muscles=catabolism.

Carbs are more important than protein for bulking

[pshickey]

yes you do

O RLY?

Dr. Dominic D'Agostino doesn't eat carbs, and I've witnessed him deadlift 600+ pounds for reps, this was also after a 7 day fast. So no carbs doesn't seem to affect his ability to lift heavy.

[thirtyreasons]

Carbs are your best friend when bulking or cutting. Just make sure on a cut you watch the carb intake along with timing... On a cut i try to use a majority of carbs for around workout time

And yes carbs are very very important for increasing strength

[ChickenandYams]

O RLY?

Dr. Dominic D'Agostino doesn't eat carbs, and I've witnessed him deadlift 600+ pounds for reps, this was also after a 7 day fast. So no carbs doesn't seem to affect his ability to lift heavy.

seriously dude, find something else to do other than follow me around. Good for Dr. Dominic D'Agostino, but I don't think he's the OP. Without carbs you dont have the insulin response you need to grow muscle. To grow muscle you need volume training. Volume training requires energy. Energy comes from food you eat. Carbs are the primary fuel source used for that kind of muscular activity. Carb depletion after weight training requires carb repletion afterwards. Have you ever heard of anaerobic metabolism or glycolysis? Strength training and bodybuilding are two different types of training, ever thought about that?

[VIsland]

seriously dude, find something else to do other than follow me around. Good for Dr. Dominic D'Agostino, but I don't think he's the OP. Without carbs you dont have the insulin response you need to grow muscle. To grow muscle you need volume training. Volume training requires energy. Energy comes from food you eat. Carbs are the primary fuel source used for that kind of muscular activity. Carb depletion after weight training requires carb repletion afterwards. Have you ever heard of anaerobic metabolism or glycolysis? Strength training and bodybuilding are two different types of training, ever thought about that?

^^^^^ This

[ChickenandYams]

Just saying it is possible, that's all. Don't be such a ******* and I wouldn't follow you around lol.

You're really 30 years old? Grow up man for real.

[MAGnitude]

Carbs are your best friend when bulking or cutting. Just make sure on a cut you watch the carb intake along with timing... On a cut i try to use a majority of carbs for around workout time

And yes carbs are very very important for increasing strength

nutrient timing is irrelevant for your average bodybuilder/person (except for endurance athletes/ pro athletes training 5-6 hours a day. )
what is relevant is hitting your macro's on a daily basis.

only reason the real top pro bodybuilders need to eat carbs every so often is to facilitate that stupid crap they put in their body which starts with 'I' and ends with 'sulin.' i mean really, is it worth playing with your life for a $10,000 cheque and a few buckets of supplements to win a contest?

and props to you man for all the bad stuff that you have endured with not only yourself but your two buddies - RIP. you are a great example of what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

[BrawnyIrishman]

Question to add to this post. What should your carb intake be throughout the day to obtain a good heavy lift but not gain excess fat? I know it's based upon your weight class and what not. I'm trying to bulk but get rid of excess fat at the same time. But I realize that's really hard to do being that you need to cut carbs to lose fat but need carbs to gain mass. I'm thinking I should cut more body fat before I start to bulk and get down to around 11-12% body fat before I increase my carb intake.

[rob2093124]

no carbs=no glycogen=no usable energy=catabolism.
no carbs=very little insulin production=no amino acids pushed into the muscles=catabolism.

Carbs are more important than protein for bulking

......

[MAGnitude]

Question to add to this post. What should your carb intake be throughout the day to obtain a good heavy lift but not gain excess fat? I know it's based upon your weight class and what not. I'm trying to bulk but get rid of excess fat at the same time. But I realize that's really hard to do being that you need to cut carbs to lose fat but need carbs to gain mass. I'm thinking I should cut more body fat before I start to bulk and get down to around 11-12% body fat before I increase my carb intake.

eat as many carbs as you like, carbs dont cause fat gain, excess calories do.

[BrawnyIrishman]

......

Yes I see that.. The question is should I cut my body fat percentage first before I start bulking? I'm at 15-16% body fat but I'm not trying to gain excess fat but I'm trying to build pure muscle and get stronger. Im very anal about gaining fat because it took me a long time to lose most of my excess weight. Should I limit my carb intake to like 200g's a day in this case? Cause I dont want to build fat on top of muscle.

[stefanuus]

Yes I see that.. The question is should I cut my body fat percentage first before I start bulking? I'm at 15-16% body fat but I'm not trying to gain excess fat but I'm trying to build pure muscle and get stronger. Im very anal about gaining fat because it took me a long time to lose most of my excess weight. Should I limit my carb intake to like 200g's a day in this case? Cause I dont want to build fat on top of muscle.

u will gain very little fat if ur eating at a small caloric surplus(about 200kcal surplus), how many carbs u eat doesn't matter. Also u look a bit more then 15% to me(it could just be excess skin) , so i would cut a bit more if i were u

[texicus]

Yes I see that.. The question is should I cut my body fat percentage first before I start bulking? I'm at 15-16% body fat but I'm not trying to gain excess fat but I'm trying to build pure muscle and get stronger. Im very anal about gaining fat because it took me a long time to lose most of my excess weight. Should I limit my carb intake to like 200g's a day in this case? Cause I dont want to build fat on top of muscle.

just eat at maintenance bud, that's what I'd do if I were you, keep lifting and the strength will come

[ejeyol]

No, you don't NEED carbs.

Look into why keto is so popular.

Some argue that carbs may help you to build muscle or strength, but plenty of people (myself included) are getting stronger while eating basically ZERO carbs.

[BrawnyIrishman]

u will gain very little fat if ur eating at a small caloric surplus(about 200kcal surplus), how many carbs u eat doesn't matter. Also u look a bit more then 15% to me(it could just be excess skin) , so i would cut a bit more if i were u

I have a lot of excess skIn due to the fact I lost 65lbs. In about a 4 1/2 month ratio lol.. But yeah I'm around 15-17% bf last time I checked could be different now not too sure

[iNjoYM0NSTER]

you dont "need" carbs but carbs are the primary source of energy for the body. It's just the easiest source of energy for your body.

[esgibson]

Just Something I've been wondering about because I've had different responses to this question. If you were on a no carb diet and were taking in roughly around 250-300g of protein, will not having any carbs in your diet affect your ability to lift heavier and results in gaining muscle mass?

carbs are not an essential nutrient. they make it easier for sure but they aren't necessary. gaining mass and strength is about a calorie surplus and training properly.

[JayAlllDay]

If you've never tried keto/carb cycling/timed carb then your just simply missing out.

[keepitrealrb]

If you've never tried keto/carb cycling/timed carb then your just simply missing out.

carbs are not an essential nutrient. they make it easier for sure but they aren't necessary. gaining mass and strength is about a calorie surplus and training properly.

you dont "need" carbs but carbs are the primary source of energy for the body. It's just the easiest source of energy for your body.

No, you don't NEED carbs.

Look into why keto is so popular.

Some argue that carbs may help you to build muscle or strength, but plenty of people (myself included) are getting stronger while eating basically ZERO carbs.

No offense, but I think you guys have gotten way too sucked into bodybuilding and you've lost your sense of science a bit. Your body absolutely DOES need carbs. carbs are the most important nutrient. Your body requires moderate to high insulin levels in order to digest protein. Without carbs, your insulin plummets, and you can't digest protein. Plus, when your body runs out of glycogen to use, it turns to it's muscle for energy.............

[Cazax]

I can't understand people that go for low carb while bulking.. I mean don't they like eating sweets? Cereals, ice cream, bread, pasta? It's like missing a whole dimension of tasty food (and carbs are way cheaper).

[danielbor]

No offense, but I think you guys have gotten way too sucked into bodybuilding and you've lost your sense of science a bit. Your body absolutely DOES need carbs. carbs are the most important nutrient. Your body requires moderate to high insulin levels in order to digest protein. Without carbs, your insulin plummets, and you can't digest protein. Plus, when your body runs out of glycogen to use, it turns to it's muscle for energy.............

Protein raise insulin the same way as carbs...And body will not run of glycogen just like that, only if you're some endurance athlete.

[dimmupelto]

No offense, but I think you guys have gotten way too sucked into bodybuilding and you've lost your sense of science a bit. Your body absolutely DOES need carbs. carbs are the most important nutrient. Your body requires moderate to high insulin levels in order to digest protein. Without carbs, your insulin plummets, and you can't digest protein. Plus, when your body runs out of glycogen to use, it turns to it's muscle for energy.............

What if all you ever wanted

Came
In
A
ROCKET CAN!!!

[dumbchicken]

I can't understand people that go for low carb while bulking.. I mean don't they like eating sweets? Cereals, ice cream, bread, pasta? It's like missing a whole dimension of tasty food (and carbs are way cheaper).

the problem is that when people go on "low carb" diets, they think it means low carbs and low calories. Under those conditions, it's detrimental to a person's health as they are not feeding their body with enough calories.

People that Keto correctly (eat 20% under maintenance or 500cals) derive energy from the conversion of fats into fatty acids chains (which is then further broken down so that it can be utilized to get ATP)

[Bonuman]

No offense, but I think you guys have gotten way too sucked into bodybuilding and you've lost your sense of science a bit. Your body absolutely DOES need carbs. carbs are the most important nutrient. Your body requires moderate to high insulin levels in order to digest protein. Without carbs, your insulin plummets, and you can't digest protein. Plus, when your body runs out of glycogen to use, it turns to it's muscle for energy.............

Lol what bs.

There is no necessity at all to ingest carbs in order to stay alive. Your body can run on ketones almost in its entirety. The small amount of carbs that your brain, eyes and red blood cells really need, can be synthesized from fat and protein. The body can synthesize from protein and fat about 200g of glucose every day.

[keepitrealrb]

Lol what bs.

There is no necessity at all to ingest carbs in order to stay alive. Your body can run on ketones almost in its entirety. The small amount of carbs that your brain, eyes and red blood cells really need, can be synthesized from fat and protein. The body can synthesize from protein and fat about 200g of glucose every day.

"to stay alive." I'm talking about bulking.

the problem is that when people go on "low carb" diets, they think it means low carbs and low calories. Under those conditions, it's detrimental to a person's health as they are not feeding their body with enough calories.

People that Keto correctly (eat 20% under maintenance or 500cals) derive energy from the conversion of fats into fatty acids chains (which is then further broken down so that it can be utilized to get ATP)

But it's nowhere near enough to support healthy glycogen stores. =Catabolism.

Protein raise insulin the same way as carbs...And body will not run of glycogen just like that, only if you're some endurance athlete.

How do you figure that?

[Anthony21]

So much BS in this thread per the usual with the nutrition section.