Why do we need to consume carbohydrates to increase muscle mass

Muscle building requires the intake of carbohydrates, as carbohydrates are key substances for muscle synthesis and energy supply. Carbohydrates mainly provide training energy, promote protein utilization, maintain insulin levels, help muscle recovery, and avoid muscle breakdown during the process of muscle building.

1. Provide training energy

High intensity strength training is the foundation of muscle building, and carbohydrates are the most direct energy source for the body. When conducting resistance training, muscle glycogen is rapidly consumed as a reserve energy, and sufficient carbohydrate intake can ensure training intensity and duration. Lack of carbohydrates can lead to premature fatigue during training, affecting the degree of micro damage to muscle fibers and ultimately reducing the muscle building effect.

2. Promote protein utilization

Carbohydrates stimulate insulin secretion, helping amino acids enter muscle cells. Insulin, as a synthetic metabolic hormone, can reduce protein breakdown and enhance muscle absorption and utilization of proteins. If the intake of carbohydrates is insufficient, some proteins will be forced to participate in energy supply, resulting in the waste of proteins that should be used for muscle synthesis.

3. Maintaining insulin levels

Moderate insulin levels are crucial for muscle building, as they not only promote the transport of nutrients to muscles, but also inhibit the catabolic metabolism of cortisol. Consuming carbohydrates after training can quickly increase insulin levels and create a hormonal environment conducive to muscle synthesis. Long term low-carbon diet may lead to decreased insulin sensitivity, which in turn affects muscle building efficiency.

4. Help muscle recovery

After training, the synthesis of muscle glycogen requires the participation of carbohydrates. Adequate intake of carbohydrates can accelerate the recovery of glycogen reserves and shorten muscle repair time. Research shows that timely supplementation of a mixture of carbohydrates and protein after training can promote muscle protein synthesis more effectively than supplementing protein alone.

5. Avoid muscle breakdown

When the body lacks sufficient carbohydrates, muscle proteins are broken down through gluconeogenesis to provide energy. This phenomenon is particularly evident in low carbohydrate diets, which may lead to the depletion of hard-earned muscle mass. Maintaining a reasonable proportion of carbohydrate intake can effectively protect muscle tissue from decomposition.

During muscle building, it is recommended to choose low glycemic index complex carbohydrates such as oats, brown rice, whole wheat bread, etc. These foods can provide sustained and stable energy release. Before and after training, it is advisable to increase the intake of fast absorbing carbohydrates such as bananas and white bread. At the same time, attention should be paid to the ratio of carbohydrates to protein. It is generally recommended to consume 4-6 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight and adjust according to the training intensity. A reasonable carbon water cycle strategy can also help break through the muscle building plateau period, such as increasing the carbon water ratio on high-intensity training days and appropriately reducing it on rest days. For individuals with a predisposition to obesity, fat accumulation can be avoided by controlling total calories and selecting high-quality carbohydrates.