Carbs and Muscle Growth – The Ultimate Guide for Beginner’s

The Surprisingly Benefits of Carbs for Enhanced Muscle Growth and Strength!

Do You Need Carbs to Build Muscle? Let’s discover the truth behind the most-asked question in the fitness world.

For a long time, the blame for all unsuccessful fitness programs was stamped over carbs.

But, are the nutrient bad. They are quick energy go-getters, but at the same time, they can jack you up with unnecessary body weight.

In terms of fitness, people questioned for long—what’s the importance of carbs for bodybuilding?

Do You Need Carbs to Muscle Gain?

If you are into bulking, the question must have puzzled you.

If it’s still a tug of war, don’t worry. This article digs out the link between bodybuilding and crabs in the diet.

Do You Need Carbs to Build Muscle?

Carbs have a bad reputation in the fitness world. Most defend carb less or completely low carb diet for muscle building goals.

In contrast, the rest acknowledge the importance of carbs for gaining quality lean muscle.

Who is right? The one opposing. Or the ones defending.

Before you get to the answer, it’s important to know how you build muscle.

This would help you understand the importance of macros and micros in a bodybuilding diet plan.

For a muscular physique, you need to perform strength workouts.

It is the best fitness program to elevate your muscle to fat ratio. Moreover, it also increases your muscular strength. Also, it strengthens your connective tissues.

On top of that, the workout regime also slows down muscle loss because of naturally aging while elevating your bone density.

For such a training program, carbs are a prominent diet nutrient. The replenishes your body for a strength workout program to gain muscle.

Clearly, the best diet plan to build muscle is one encompassing carbs.

So, we can say you do need carbs to build muscle. But, why?

Why do You Need Carbs to Build Muscle? The Benefits

Carbs are the main part of your diet plan. Still, what’s the importance of the macro for bulking.

According to facts, it plays a key role in muscle growth.

In this section, you’ll find out why Do You Need Carbs To Build Muscle Mass. 

Carbs Fuel Your Workouts

When it comes to muscle gaining, strength training workouts are best. They help to maximize your muscle growth, strength, and endurance level.

However, with any physical activity, you require energy to get it moving. This applies to the strength training program.

Carbs are nutrients needed for muscle growth. In general, experts recommend a high-protein diet plan for muscle gain.

Nonetheless, the carbs supply you with the energy required to wrap up your workouts.

Even professional bodybuilders and athletes understand the importance of the macro. Thus, their diet always has the nutrient in a wholesome part.

This gives them easy-going workout sessions.

Carbs Refill Glycogen and Fight Off Fatigue

Your diet should include carbs in your diet for bulking. Of course, they have a key role in refilling your glycogen while reducing fatigue.

They replenish glycogen in your muscle tissue for a productive workout. It even stores them in your liver. Meanwhile, it prevents post-workout fatigue.

This leads to more productive hours at the gym. In short, the macro provides explosive workouts while ensuring everything to favor your bulking goals.

The quantity of carbs determines the benefits.

You should ask your dietician – how much carbs should I eat to gain muscle and lose fat?

They can mention the exact quantity. The benefits of carbs for muscle building are many. This makes the macros important for your muscle-building diet plan.

If you aren’t planning to jack up some quality lean muscle, don’t miss out on the nutrient.

You already know do you need carbs to build muscle and lose fat or not.

It’s time to find out in what quantity you require the macro.

How Many Carbs do I Need to Build Muscle?

You need the macronutrient for bulking. On top of that, it even maximizes your performance for further gains.

Along with the nutrient provides many benefits. Nonetheless, it is only possible if you get the nutrient in the right quantity.

So, you may wonder—

How Much Carbs Should I Eat to Gain Muscle and Lose Fat?

The daily carbs requirement varies from individual to individual.

Different determining factors like age, sex, activeness, and health can lead to variation.

In other words, you must consume this amount of carbs to achieve your fitness program.

Your carb consumption depends on your workout.

#1: For light intensity workouts, you require 3 to 5 grams of carbohydrates for each kg of your body weight.

People weighing 150 pounds would require almost 200 to 340 grams of carbohydrates daily.

#2: For long-duration intense workouts, your carbs requirement will further elevate.

If your workout duration is larger than an hour daily, the quantity of the macro, you need will be more.

You must consume 6 to 10 g of carbohydrates of your body weight. For people weighing 150 pounds, you would require almost 408 to 680 g of carbs daily.

This would help me know how much protein and carbs should I eat to gain muscle.

Knowing the number of macros required in your diet helps get the right nutrition. This further ensures you achieve your fitness goals without a fuss.

Indeed, the best muscle-building diet plan is one with carbs.

What carbs? There are many types of macronutrients. Obviously, adding the right types of carbs ensure maximum muscle growth.

What Carbs Can You Eat for Muscle Development?

For a long time, carbs were the culprit of everything gone wrong with a fitness program. Recently, this evil portrayal deflected from its path.

The above discussion shows why do you need carbs to build muscle in the first place.

Furthermore, carbs are essential for bulking. Similarly, adding the right type of carbs is of more importance.

What Types of Carbs Do You Need to Build Muscle?

Before adding carbs knowing their types is important. Indeed, it would help grab most of the macronutrients.

The classification of carbs divides it into two categories.

• Simple carbohydrate
• Complex carbohydrates

Complex carbs contain high fiber while they are larger molecules. In terms of digestion, your body takes a longer duration to processes them.

Contrarily,

Simple carbs are small molecules. They require less time for digestion. In general, the macronutrients are processed food. For instance, refined sugar and processed sweeteners.

You should limit the consumption of simple carbs, refined, or added sugars.

This recommendation is applicable for everyone wanting to bulk up. These foods offer empty calories.

This means they are high in calories while having a low nutritional profile. You need to avoid these foods to avoid when building muscle.

Instead, your diet should include complex carbs for daily carbs requirements. They are the best carbs for muscle growth.

The Best Sources of Complex Carbs Are

• Cereals
• Whole grains
• Quinoa
• Oatmeal
• Brown rice
• Whole barley
• Whole-wheat bread
• Whole-grain crackers

You can add more fibers. Moreover, complex carbs are present in many fruits, veggies, legumes, and whole grains.

In other words, your diet should mainly rely on complex carbohydrates.

What Happens If I Cut Carbs for Muscle Development?

You must have heard it at times, cutting carbs can help build muscle. This may have made you think to eliminate the macronutrient completely from your diet plan.

If you think so, you aren’t alone. Many wanting to lose weight and gain muscle has thought about it.

The assertion behind the claims is the thought that it can induce fat loss. Indeed, reserve fat would break down for energy.

Eventually, they will lose weight and build muscle by performing strength workouts.

However, eliminating carbs from your diet plan can promote weight loss.

At the same time, don’t forget carbs supply energy for productive workouts.

• It even replenishes the glycogen necessary for muscle growth. On top of that, it decimates fatigue for further muscle gaining benefit.

In short, cutting out carbs entirely won’t work for a strength workout.

Moreover, you may even suffer from different nutritional deficiencies.

It is best to consult with your doctor before making any dietary alteration. Or, you can talk to your nutritionist to plan your diet plan for bulking.

They would recommend the best quantity of the nutrient required for bulking. Also, they would suggest the best carbs source for your fitness requirements.

Do you need carbs to build muscle or not and in what quantity?

They would provide an apt answer. Now, let’s find out what is the best time to eat carbs before or after workout.

What is the Best Time to Eat Carbs for Muscle Growth?

Oftentimes, people are doubtful if having a nutrient at a certain time is more beneficial.

That’s why people question what is the best time to eat carbs.

Here, the answer is in terms of muscle growth. Let’s find out when should you eat carbs for muscle growth.

When it comes to bulking, carbs are an essential source of calories. Fortunately, a few studies have studied its importance in terms of timing for muscle gaining.

A few studies found that having carbs with protein a few hours before hitting the gym provides a positive result.

• It increases protein synthesis, the process determining your muscle gaining results.

Studies: Trusted Source, Trusted Source

Another study suggests consuming protein post-workout is beneficial at promoting protein synthesis as having protein along with carbs.

Studies: Trusted Source, Trusted Source, Trusted Source, Trusted Source

As mentioned, for resistance workouts, your body requires carbs for fueling.

Indeed, so a high-carb pre-workout meal or snack will elevate your performance at the gym. Plus, the macronutrients have a protein-sparing effect.

Your body prefers using carbs for energy instead of proteins. As a result, your body uses protein for other requirements.

For instance, muscle building. This is only possible when your carb intake is higher.

Consuming carbs post-workout slows down the digestion of protein after a workout. This further promotes muscle growth.

Nonetheless, for most, having enough healthy complex carbs throughout the day is more important to gain muscle than timing.

Are Carbs More Important than Protein for Building Muscle?

Muscle-building foods make up most of the diet plan for bulking.

The link between protein and muscle growth is well-known. Without protein in your diet, it is impossible to gain muscle.

There is no point asking— do you need protein to build muscle.

However, the question here is the most important muscle-building nutrient. What’s it? Protein or carbs?

Let’s understand…

When it comes to muscle building, protein is of prime importance.

It is the main building block of cells helping you to repair and build muscle. Amino acids are building blocks of protein, which are chains of smaller molecules.

The human body creates non-essential amino acids. However, you also require essential amino acids.

These are present in animal-based food containing protein.

As protein has the main role in building muscle, it isn’t responsible for muscular energy.

In other words, protein helps in the muscle building, rebuilding, and repairing processes. However, carbs are more important than protein when it comes to bulking.

As they fuel you with intense energy required for productive workouts.

Without a functioning training program, it is impossible to achieve any fitness goal, let alone bulking.

Do You Need Carbs to Build Muscle?

The discussion on the importance of carbs for muscle building ends here. At last, let’s wrap up the argument with an overview.

The Final Words

Carbs have long been portrayed as evil demons for fitness goals. However, recently, this common perception has taken a U-turn.

The macronutrient plays a key role in determining your muscle-building results.

First, it supplies you with sufficient energy required for explosive workouts.

With greater workouts, it is impossible to achieve any fitness goal. It even replenishes your glycogen stores to support muscle-building processes.

On top of that, it reduces post-workout fatigue. This helps in greater workouts. It even supports muscle repair and rebuilding.

To get maximum benefits of the nutrient, you need to consume its right quantity.

The amount varies depending on your workouts.  For this take help in the above section.

Carbs do benefit your bulking goals, but only when you take the right source.

For fitness goals, eliminate simple carbs from your diet. They are only empty calories. Instead, have complex carbs, they make you energetic and offer many benefits.

Lastly, protein has a key role in bulking. Still, without carbs, you won’t have enough energy to sustain muscle building training program.

Thus, your muscle-building diet plan should include enough of the nutrient in your diet.

READ MORE: A Complete Guide to Carb Cycling Diet for Weight Loss and Bulking