How do carbs help in building muscle

[xven]

Excuse me for being the twit to asks about this, but how do carbs help with muscle growth? I'm nearing 2 weeks on a bulk ckd and all I have to say is that I'm astounded. I can clearly see more lbm on me and am doing just great while keeping bf down. However, I feel that since my body is in such a prime position to grow, am I doing something to comprimise it? There it hit me, as I have heard countless times, a diet with enough carbs is best suited for a bulk.

Now my question, how does introducing carbs into my diet make me build muscle better than one which in it's absense. Also, will this lead to increased fat gain, or is that a myth? Thanks to anyone for absolutely any input.

[Joe00044]

energy

[VegasGymRat]

Originally Posted by Joe00044

energy

ditto

[xven]

Wow. So other than energy, carbs don't do much in terms of bb'ing? And to think to think so many people advocate this. Thanks for clearing this up. I'm sticking to my damn ckd. Gains are coming along nicely.

Just another shot if anyone happens to see this question around: Is leptin the only relative hormone than is diminished when carbs are restricted?

[alan aragon]

Protein is the bricks. Carbs are the brick layers. Fat is the cement. Micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, etc) are the weatherproofing.

[kethnaab]

WTF? People... please.

Carbohydrates serve several functions

1) They are anti-catabolic. When you ingest carbohydrates, you body won't break down protein for energy.

2) They increase insulin output. This is a good thing since insulin is the MOST ANABOLIC HORMONE in your body

No harm in sticking with your CKD if it is working for you, but in no way, shape or form is a CKD even close to ideal for mass building.

that lean bodymass you think you're seeing? It's called "reduced water weight". It's what you do when you want to look harder.

[cmurda84]

wow honestly, dont think carbs only give you energy, thats way off. How about how carbs can raise insulin like stated above, that right there makes them an essential part of a muscle building diet. And it keeps th ebody from breaking down protein (ur muscles) for energy, so in no way should a diet for bbing be without carbs. CKD diets are holding peopel back, but to each their own

[aqua-beowulf]

Originally Posted by kethnaab

WTF? People... please.

Carbohydrates serve several functions

1) They are anti-catabolic. When you ingest carbohydrates, you body won't break down protein for energy.

2) They increase insulin output. This is a good thing since insulin is the MOST ANABOLIC HORMONE in your body

No harm in sticking with your CKD if it is working for you, but in no way, shape or form is a CKD even close to ideal for mass building.

that lean bodymass you think you're seeing? It's called "reduced water weight". It's what you do when you want to look harder.

*Quoted for truth*

[NATHAN518]

Progress:
Start: 174
27/01 - 172 (Well, isn't that something)


That quote from your sig says it all...

[BFD Zio]

You see more lean mass on you in 2 weeks because you've pissed out all your water.

You need carbs to spike insulin to shuttle the good stuff to the damaged stuff to make better stuff, so you can more effectively break the previously damaged stuff in a few days. Then repeat.

[jenderfazz]

Basically, if you don't consume enough carbs to supply yourself with energy, protein is next to go. That's why protein shakes should have carbs in them... or else, the protein is broken down into an amino and a keto group, eventually being combined with other functional groups and producing energy.

[Adam444]

Originally Posted by kethnaab

WTF? People... please.

Carbohydrates serve several functions

1) They are anti-catabolic. When you ingest carbohydrates, you body won't break down protein for energy.

2) They increase insulin output. This is a good thing since insulin is the MOST ANABOLIC HORMONE in your body

No harm in sticking with your CKD if it is working for you, but in no way, shape or form is a CKD even close to ideal for mass building.

that lean bodymass you think you're seeing? It's called "reduced water weight". It's what you do when you want to look harder.

Please rep this guy.

[johnnyironboard]

Building muscle comes from eating enough protein and fat. Candy and coke will give you a huge insulin response that will make you fat.

[xven]

Sheding water weight? I wasn't exactly on a very carb-friendly diet before this either. These are actual gains I have coming along. I'll post up pictures over the weekend. Very noticible changes, so feel free to prove yourselves wrong about the water weight.

Secondly, I'd like to thank everyone else for actually mentioning what carbs do for bodybuilding. The first few replies weren't so cut clear, sorry. Look at diets like the Anabolic Diet and such. There's a lot of people who found it quite sucessful, and it follows around the same pattern of eating lots of fats to boost test levels and then a weekend carb up.

I'm not skimping out on my pwo shake. I have that religiously. And then there is the weekend carb up, so insulin is being used at the most appropriate times. Wouldn't insulin be unecessary throughout the day? I'm going to do a TCD for the next two weeks, same concept, only you have your pwo meal and the meal after containing carbs. See if that gets any better.

Well, I'll probably try a 40(p)-30(c)-30(f) diet the next time I bulk. See how much better this actually works out to be. I don't mind gaining slowly as long as fat gain is kept to a minimum. I wouldn't like to deal with extra fat while cutting.

[Born Again]

CARBS is a source of energy.Lack of carbs=ur body starts using protein reserve as a energy source(glycose) and it will burn protein fast.
That is why carbs(or calories from carbs are very imnportant)

[Insane Clown]

Building muscle comes from eating enough protein and fat. Candy and coke will give you a huge insulin response that will make you fat.

You are aware that carbs isn't limited to 'candy and coke', right?

[Open Palm]

So how much complex carbohydrates should one consume before bed?

[cmurda84]

Originally Posted by xven

Sheding water weight? I wasn't exactly on a very carb-friendly diet before this either. These are actual gains I have coming along. I'll post up pictures over the weekend. Very noticible changes, so feel free to prove yourselves wrong about the water weight.

Secondly, I'd like to thank everyone else for actually mentioning what carbs do for bodybuilding. The first few replies weren't so cut clear, sorry. Look at diets like the Anabolic Diet and such. There's a lot of people who found it quite sucessful, and it follows around the same pattern of eating lots of fats to boost test levels and then a weekend carb up.

I'm not skimping out on my pwo shake. I have that religiously. And then there is the weekend carb up, so insulin is being used at the most appropriate times. Wouldn't insulin be unecessary throughout the day? I'm going to do a TCD for the next two weeks, same concept, only you have your pwo meal and the meal after containing carbs. See if that gets any better.

Well, I'll probably try a 40(p)-30(c)-30(f) diet the next time I bulk. See how much better this actually works out to be. I don't mind gaining slowly as long as fat gain is kept to a minimum. I wouldn't like to deal with extra fat while cutting.

No one said u wont gain on a low no carb high fat diet, but science can guarantee that you wont get the optimum achievable results as you would if you bulked with higher carbs. It isnt like bodybuilders just decided to make this up, it has been proven under thousands of scientific studies.

[maxiw]

Originally Posted by johnnyironboard

Building muscle comes from eating enough protein and fat.

And carbs.

[ovidiu]

Originally Posted by xven

Sheding water weight? I wasn't exactly on a very carb-friendly diet before this either. These are actual gains I have coming along. I'll post up pictures over the weekend. Very noticible changes, so feel free to prove yourselves wrong about the water weight.

Secondly, I'd like to thank everyone else for actually mentioning what carbs do for bodybuilding. The first few replies weren't so cut clear, sorry. Look at diets like the Anabolic Diet and such. There's a lot of people who found it quite sucessful, and it follows around the same pattern of eating lots of fats to boost test levels and then a weekend carb up.

I'm not skimping out on my pwo shake. I have that religiously. And then there is the weekend carb up, so insulin is being used at the most appropriate times. Wouldn't insulin be unecessary throughout the day? I'm going to do a TCD for the next two weeks, same concept, only you have your pwo meal and the meal after containing carbs. See if that gets any better.

Well, I'll probably try a 40(p)-30(c)-30(f) diet the next time I bulk. See how much better this actually works out to be. I don't mind gaining slowly as long as fat gain is kept to a minimum. I wouldn't like to deal with extra fat while cutting.

if i were you i'd have my liver and kidneys checked

[kethnaab]

Originally Posted by johnnyironboard

Building muscle comes from eating enough protein and fat. Candy and coke will give you a huge insulin response that will make you fat.

which is why no one recommended eating candy or coke

*scratches head* Where did you get that idea, perchance? Obviously those are foods you don't want to eat.

However, eating a pile of oats with your eggs and flax in the morning is better than eating eggs and flax alone

eating brown rice with your hunk o' dead cow is better than eating just a hunk o' dead cow.

no one is saying to eat candy or cookies. ****in' A, let's all do a carb-up! I'll bring the chocolate chip cookies, you bring the beer! YEAH BABY, CARB UP TIME!!

duh. no one is saying that. The equation for bulking:

Clean carbs + clean protein + EFA > clean protein + EFA

period.

EDIT - mmm....cow....

[kethnaab]

just thought I'd mention that the only time eating candy is good is right after a weight workout, assuming they're low in fat.

[V5RED]

dont forget one huge factor of having carbs.......sanity, if you try to bulk up to any sort of impressive size on a fat/protein diet (if that is even possible) you will most likely lose your mind, quit, and wind up with less muscle and more fat than before

[amazonchick]

Reps to the previous poster, and to take it a step further: your brain needs carbs to work efficiently. Low carbing will dumb you down, and I am not joking. Anybody who has low-carbed can attest to this. You get into a kind of mental fog and your brain slows down, as there is nothing to fuel neural activity.

[kdhwtbtwbd]

I'm from both sides of the camp.

I've been on the Anabolic Diet (20g carb for 5 days, 1 day carbup) long a period of about 3mnths, trying to gain, and it just didn't work for me. I was eating insane calories of fat and protein and I just wasn't gaining well. Also, I got friggin' bored of eating eggs/steak/cream. Sure it's nice, but not everyday.

Now I'm eating a balanced diet, high protein, moderate fat, moderate carb and it's much better. I get to eat eggs and steak, but also oats and sweet potato haha

What works for some, might not work for others.

[xven]

Originally Posted by V5RED

dont forget one huge factor of having carbs.......sanity, if you try to bulk up to any sort of impressive size on a fat/protein diet (if that is even possible) you will most likely lose your mind, quit, and wind up with less muscle and more fat than before

I don't have a problem with that. I'm very dedicated in whatever I go with. I don't have any crashes as such and end up binging.

Originally Posted by amazonchick

your brain needs carbs to work efficiently. Low carbing will dumb you down, and I am not joking. Anybody who has low-carbed can attest to this. You get into a kind of mental fog and your brain slows down, as there is nothing to fuel neural activity.

Well, your half correct. Initially you do feel daft and get quite dimwitted. But after your body adapts to burning fat as fuel, and has plenty of free fatty acids to burn, none of those effects stand true. As for anyone attesting to this, why not ask someone who has actually stuck to and adapted to the diet. People give this up quite easily because they can't stand the first week. I know, I did too the first two times I gave it a shot.

Originally Posted by kdhwtbtwbd

Now I'm eating a balanced diet, high protein, moderate fat, moderate carb and it's much better. I get to eat eggs and steak, but also oats and sweet potato haha

And how's that going. How much of a difference in terms of muscle are you seeing? Are you keeping fat gains to a minimum?

Originally Posted by ovidiu

if i were you i'd have my liver and kidneys checked

Are you serious? Why would you say that? I'm concerned.

It seems like I'm totally desensitized to carbs providing energy. Whenever I have a good pre-workout meal consisting of oats and whey an hour before my workout, I always have had the worst workouts. Absolutely no energy and I feel weak as ever. Anyone?