Carb supplements have been shown to help the body send and receive nutrients such as amino acids, which assists muscle growth.
Also, when consuming a good quality carb supplement either before, during, or after exercise. It will provide more energy, enhancing your strength whilst promoting quicker recovery – allowing you to make faster progress.
This article will run through the pros of carb supplements for bodybuilders. Why you shouldn’t neglect carbs, and the best carb supplement for bodybuilders in 2020.
Table of Contents
Why Bodybuilders Shouldn’t Neglect Carbs
The following effects can be felt when not eating (or supplementing) with enough quality carbs for bodybuilding:
Less muscle growth
Carbohydrates make up the large bulk of calories needed to build muscle. Therefore, by reducing your carbs when bodybuilding (for growth) – you’re seriously limiting your body’s potential to increase cellular growth.
This is due to the way your body releases certain hormones when carbs enter your bloodstream. Such as insulin, the growth hormone, which shuttles carbs and nutrients into your working muscles.
Reduced performance
Your body’s most preferred fuel source is glycogen. This comes from the carbohydrates you consume.
Therefore, if you don’t provide your muscles with its main fuel source (carbs) then your performance will be reduced, thus limiting your muscle building/bodybuilding potential.
Brain fog
If you’ve ever walked into the gym in a daze, where you’ve struggled to get into the ‘zone’ then this could have been due to a lack of carbs.
Again, as discussed above, carbs are your most preferred fuel source for the body, including your mind.
By supplying your mind with enough carbs before/during/after exercise, you’ll be able to increase focus for the ‘mind-muscle connection’.
Longer recovery times
Carbohydrates shuttle nutrients around your body, including amino acid delivery post-exercise. During this anabolic window, it’s vital that you send nutrients into your muscles after exercise.
Therefore, if you limit your carbs, your body won’t have enough energy to support muscle growth and repair adequately.
Carb Supplement Benefits for Bodybuilding
Bodybuilders need carbs in order to increase energy production, cellular growth, and amino acid delivery such as l-leucine which is the major muscle-building amino acid.
Muscle Growth
During bodybuilding, you’re effectively tearing down muscle fibres. If you don’t give your body enough of the right nutrients to fuel muscular activity or to aid in muscle repair, cellular growth will be limited.
Your muscle fibres are made up of numerous myofibrils which contain sarcomeres, which is the basic contractile unit of muscle. (I)
Each unit of muscle requires amino acids for repair and growth. Carbohydrates help by sending nutrients into the muscles thanks to the release of insulin, which is secreted from your pancreas once carbs are ingested.
RELATED: Carbohydrates, Glycogen and Post-Workout Recovery
When using a carb supplement, it signals for insulin to be released. This rise in insulin (a growth hormone) allows for more nutrients to shuttle throughout your bloodstream. These nutrients can then be absorbed by your muscles.
One process that’s important for bodybuilders is the stimulation of muscle protein synthesis MPS. Muscle protein synthesis is the release of amino acids into the bloodstream, and into the muscles to help repair torn muscle fibres.
Studies show that when consuming carbs with amino acids either before, during or after exercise – they allow for the mechanisms of MPS to be enhanced, allowing you to recover at a faster rate. (II)
Increased Energy
Your body needs large amounts of stored, or readily available energy to lift weights with purpose. When looking to increase strength and size, or to maintain strength levels, carbohydrates play a vital role in this process.
To explain; carbohydrates get converted into blood glucose. Glucose is sent around your body (into your muscles) with the help of insulin.
This precious blood glucose will be used immediately for energy, or it will be stored in your muscles and liver as glycogen. Any excess will be likely stored as body fat.
Lastly, muscle contractions rely heavily on carbohydrates to create ATP adenosine triphosphate. This is because during bodybuilding, you’re using mainly carbohydrates as an energy source, which is required to fuel short bursts in explosive energy – a.k.a. ATP production. (III)
RELATED: What to Eat Before a Workout: Performance and Recovery
Each muscle contraction uses large amounts of carbs – making carb supplements a popular option when looking to up the intensity in the gym. More intensity means more growth and strength gains.
Nutrient Delivery
Most often, carbohydrate supplements contain essential minerals such as Himalayan salt and coconut water crystals for potassium – which are required by the body to shuttle blood, oxygen and muscle-building amino acids into the muscles.
It’s been shown that sodium and potassium both play a vital role in nutrient delivery, which enhances muscle growth, energy production and recovery. (IV)
Therefore, using these minerals (with a carb supplement) assists in nutrient delivery, which enhances strength, performance, and muscle growth considerably.
RELATED: When To Eat Protein and Carbohydrates?
Another point to mention here is insulin release. As previously mentioned, insulin is released when carbs are ingested, which shuttles blood glucose around your body, and with it, nutrients – making carb supplements an essential component in nutrient delivery for bodybuilding.
Best Carb Supplement for Bodybuilding 2020
Now that we’ve taken a close look into why carb supplements are important for bodybuilding, which is the best carb supplement to buy in 2020?
The best carb supplement is Performance Lab Carb. This is due to the way it acts as a complex and a fast-acting carb source at the same time.
Furthermore, its intelligent formula will give your body energy in the gym for 2+ hours, allowing you to focus on that mind-muscle connection for extended periods of time. Which means, more quality when you’re in the gym!
Performance Lab Carb Benefits
Let’s take a closer look into the Best Carb Supplement for Bodybuilding 2020:
Performance Lab Carb contains essential minerals potassium and sodium, and one key ingredient called Karbolyn®. This is made using potato, rice and corn starch.
It’s been shown that Karbolyn® gets to work faster than sugar or dextrose, but it will also sustain energy for 2+ hours. This is thanks to the way it acts as a complex carb, yet still holding its fast-acting benefits.
This is great news because it allows for a timed release of fast-acting and slow-releasing carbs, which gives you the best strength and endurance when training.
Also, Performance Lab Carb will pull nutrients through your digestive tract as it passes through your intestines. This increases the supply of essential nutrients such as amino acids into your working muscles to assist further muscle growth.
Enhances muscle and cellular growth by supplying your muscles with quality carbohydrates, essential minerals and organic compounds.
Works faster than sugar, yet supplies a steady rate of glucose into the working muscles for 2 + hours.
Provides fast energy for intense bursts of strength and bodybuilding activity, without the crash.
Increases energy production using essential minerals.
Contains organic compounds, and scientifically proven ingredients designed for enhanced human performance.
How Much Does It Cost?
For 1kg, it costs £49.00 ($60). And when you consider the quality of this supplement, with the advanced formula, organic compounds and the performance it brings for bodybuilding, I believe it’s a good price point.
Conclusion
There you have it, a complete, scientifically designed formula that will boost your bodybuilding goals to the next level. If you thought you were doing well now, just wait until you try the Best Carb Supplement for Bodybuilding 2020 – Performance Lab Carb.
As you’ve just read, carbs play a vital role in muscular strength, endurance and muscle growth. This is due to the way your body’s most preferred fuel source is glucose and stored muscle glycogen.
By using Performance Lab Carb to load your muscles pre-training or during workouts, you’re supplying your muscles with the best nutrients and glucose currently available on the market.
Don’t take my word for it, try it out for yourself and see the results first hand.
To learn more about this supplement, read my Performance Lab Carb review. Or head straight over to their website and Buy Performance Lab Carb.
(I) “Skeletal Muscle.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Mar. 2020. (source)
(II) Wang, Wanyi, et al. “Co-Ingestion of Carbohydrate and Whey Protein Increases Fasted Rates of Muscle Protein Synthesis Immediately after Resistance Exercise in Rats.” PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science. (source)
(III) Helms, Eric R, et al. “Evidence-Based Recommendations for Natural Bodybuilding Contest Preparation: Nutrition and Supplementation.” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, BioMed Central, 12 May 2014. (source)
(IV) “Office of Dietary Supplements - Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance.” NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (source)
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