{"id":41191,"date":"2015-07-06T07:15:16","date_gmt":"2015-07-06T11:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=41191"},"modified":"2021-05-14T03:17:07","modified_gmt":"2021-05-14T07:17:07","slug":"carbohydrates-pre-post-workout-carbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/carbohydrates-pre-post-workout-carbs\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Ultimate Guide to Pre and Post-Workout Carbohydrates"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Can\u2019t imagine a world without carbs? Whether it\u2019s the Ketogenic, Dukan or LCHF diet<\/a>, sometimes it seems like everyone is jumping on the low-carb bandwagon. But if you\u2019re dedicated to seeing gains at the gym, upping your running mileage or HIITing it hard<\/a>, cutting carbs might be the last thing you want to do. \u201cNothing makes me want to bang my head into the wall more than when I hear people promoting low-carb diets for performance,\u201d says strength coach Tony Gentilcore<\/a>, C.S.C.S., co-founder of Cressey Sports Performance. \u201cCarbs are what fuels that performance, and what allows you to really burn calories and build muscle.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>3 HIIT Workouts to Take to the Beach<\/a><\/p>\n

That\u2019s because carbohydrates<\/a> \u2014 whether they\u2019re floating around in your blood as glucose or stored in your muscles and liver as glycogen \u2014 are your body\u2019s favorite fuel for high-intensity exercise, says Susan Kleiner<\/a>, Ph.D., R.D., author of Power Eating<\/em> and a sports nutrition consultant to top NFL, NBA, and Olympic athletes.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s why carbs are your friend, not your enemy.<\/p>\n

Why Low-Carb Diets Hurt Performance<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Ready to crush some treadmill sprints? Well, willpower<\/a> alone won\u2019t get you there. The secret sauce that will take your workouts to the next level is, you guessed it, carbs. When you train really hard, above 70 percent of your VO2 max<\/a> (a measure of the peak amount of oxygen your body can take in and use in a minute), about 80 percent of your energy comes from glucose and glycogen, Kleiner says. This doesn\u2019t just apply to marathoners, either. A recent study published in Sports Medicine<\/em><\/a> showed that carbs boost not only marathon performance, but high-intensity interval training as well.<\/p>\n

When your brain is deprived of bagels and other good stuff, it flips into self-protective mode and restricts the amount of carbohydrates your muscles can use. After all, your brain wants to make sure it gets all of the carbs it needs, too. About 90 percent of its energy comes from carbs. The result: Your workouts plummet. Plus, since you\u2019re so low on energy, they still feel grueling. \u201cWithout carbs, you perceive that you\u2019re training at a high level, but your actual energy level output is low,\u201d Kleiner says. Your performance and results go nowhere fast.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> What Happens to Your Body When You Skip the Gym<\/a><\/p>\n

And quite frankly, low-carb diets can make athletes feel like crap. \u201cThe low-carb diet craze has been a boon to my practice,\u201d Kleiner says. \u201cPeople come into my office in droves trying to figure out what\u2019s wrong with them. They say their performance is going down. They say they are training harder but getting softer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How to Fuel Your Workouts with Carbs<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Not everybody needs to carbo-load like they\u2019re Meb Keflezighi<\/a>. The amount of carbohydrates you need depends on how hard you\u2019re exercising. If you\u2019re going for a light jog, you don\u2019t need a ton of carbs. But if you\u2019re running long distances, performing weight lifting workouts or even doing a 20-minute HIIT session<\/a>, you\u2019re going to need some carbs in the tank, Kleiner says.<\/p>\n

Your formula for success: Most active people should eat about two grams of carbs per pound of body weight every day, whether they\u2019re vying for improved performance or weight-loss, she says. After all, to burn the most calories and fat during your workout, you need to run faster, lift heavier, and jump higher than you did before.<\/p>\n

That being said, not all carbs are created equal. Throughout the day, aim to consume carbs with a low glycemic index (GI); they\u2019ll provide sustained energy rather than spiking your blood sugar. Choose whole food sources<\/a> of carbohydrates, like fruits, non-starchy vegetables, and whole grains, Gentilcore says. Your picks should be rich in fiber<\/a>, and it\u2019s always smart to pair them with lean protein and healthy fats.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 6 Easy Tips for Clean Eating on a Small Budget<\/a><\/p>\n

90 Minutes Before Your Workout<\/strong><\/p>\n

About 90 minutes before a tough workout, it\u2019s time to fuel up. At minimum, you need to eat one gram of carbs per kilogram of your body weight per hour of planned exercise, Kleiner says. So, if you weigh 68 kg (that\u2019s 150 pounds), multiply that by how much time you\u2019re spending working out that day. Hitting the gym for an hour and a half? You\u2019d need a total of 102 grams of carbs.<\/p>\n

If You\u2019ve Only Got a Half-Hour\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

When you\u2019re looking for a quick fix of fuel<\/a>, forget about whole grains. Reach for white bread, pretzels, white potatoes without the skins or bagels \u2014 you know, the refined carbs you typically try to avoid, Gentilcore says. \u201cThe more refined, the faster it will empty from stomach,\u201d Kleiner says. Opt for carbs that are high GI, meaning they will significantly raise your blood sugar, and also quickly empty from your stomach into your bloodstream. After all, you can\u2019t use that potato for energy until you\u2019ve digested it \u2014 and running with a full stomach just sucks, she says.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Carb Loading for Runners: How to Prep for Race Day<\/a><\/p>\n

Now is also the time to bust out your sports nutrition drinks<\/a>, blocks and gels. They can spike your blood sugar quickly, and without putting a lot of stuff in your stomach. Take them about 30 minutes before hitting the gym and periodically throughout hour-plus endurance workouts<\/a>. And, in case you were wondering, when you spike your blood sugar heading into exercise, your body doesn\u2019t store the sugar as fat. It gets used as pure, calorie-burning, muscle-building energy, Kleiner says. Score.<\/p>\n

What to Eat After a Workout (Hint: More Carbs) <\/strong><\/h3>\n

You dominated your workout and you\u2019re feeling like a sweaty beast (in the best way possible). Now what? Well, you need even more carbs \u2014 paired with protein<\/a>, of course, Gentilcore says. Apart from helping your body restock its glycogen stores so you aren\u2019t energy-drained for the rest of the day, carbs can help you build muscle. According to research<\/a> in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, <\/em>insulin, which your body releases when you eat carbs, helps protein build muscle more effectively.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How to Choose the Best Protein Powder for You<\/a><\/p>\n

Embrace your inner kid and grab low-fat chocolate milk, Gentilcore recommends. Like commercial recovery beverages, it boasts a 4:1 carbohydrate-to-protein ratio, which is ideal for muscle recovery. In fact, research<\/a> from Central Washington University shows that drinking it immediately after exercising and again two hours later is optimum for muscle synthesis. Likewise, Gentilcore advises scheduling your next meal<\/a> \u2014 armed with non-starchy, fiber-rich carbs \u2014 to fall within an hour or two after you finish up a workout. Dig in, you deserve it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cutting carbohydrates from your diet won’t do your workouts any favors. Here’s how to fuel up on carbs to maximize your performance. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":41194,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,7,18],"tags":[201,51,222,71,341,342],"class_list":["post-41191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diet-nutrition","category-health","category-weight-loss","tag-carbohydrates","tag-food-choices","tag-low-carb","tag-nutrition","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2indoor-cycling"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41191"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41191\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}