Carbs and Carb Timing

[RobCor]

Basic info: 27 y/o, 215lbs, 5'11''. BF around 15%ish.

Best work sets: Squat 295lbs, Press 155lbs, Bench 240lbs, Deadlift 320lbs, Clean 182.5lbs.

I'm not on any particular diet at the moment. I just try to eat a ton of meat with some starchy tubers/veggies/rice mixed in at certain times. Also fat from peanut butter/olive oil/meat/milk. I do, admittedly, try to control my carb intake as described below to avoid gaining fat.

I forget how, but I came across this article today, and am forced to reconsider my carb intake. I generally consume carbs on the day of my workouts, at lunch usually, and no other times. I eat lunch at about 1PM and lift at about 6:15PM. Pre- and Post-workout, I have a 16oz protein shake with whole milk. About an hour after the post-workout shake, I have a bunch of meat. Usually either a couple of burgers or as much chicken as I can fill myself with.

With that in mind, see below, from the article I linked above:

The carb-up should begin immediately following training. A delay of even 2 hours between the end of training and the start of the carb-up causes glycogen resynthesis to be 47% slower than if carbs are consumed immediately. (10,12). Ideally you should consume a large amount of liquid carbs immediately after training. A good rule of thumb is to consume 1.5 grams of carbs/kg lean body mass, with approximately one half as much protein, immediately after training and then again two hours later. Additionally the consumption of carbohydrates prior to (and even during) the workout prior to your carb-up will lead to higher rates of glycogen resynthesis, most likely as a result of higher insulin levels when the carb-up begins (1,10). It is recommended that individuals consume a small carbohydrate meal approximately 1-2 hours prior to the training session that precedes the carb-up.

By not eating carbs during this period post workout period, am I curtailing my body's efforts to recover? Are post workout carbs that important? Have I been an idiot with my carb intake?

Any sage advice is welcome.

[Ron_Hendrix]

From 70'sbig.com...

http://www.70sbig.com/blog/2011/03/why-you-need-carbs/

Basically, you need carbs to remain in a anabolic state, depriving yourself of them by following something similar to what Lyle recommends (note: I haven't read the article, so Lyle may not actually say this, but in general he recommends limiting carb intake for body recomp purposes) is not going to help you become as strong as you potentially could be. If you are not worried about being as strong as possible and want to cut some body fat, then be prepared to lose some strength, otherwise, follow the advice Justin gives in the link and you'll be fine. Just my 2 cents.

[RobCor]

Very interesting, Ron, thanks. I didn't know that insulin was key to remaining in an anabolic state. I wonder if fruits are just as good as, say, starchy tubers at keeping insulin levels up.

[LudwigVan]

Most fruits are going to provide you with carbs more slowly than other options, although I guess blending them would help. I think the presence of fat in your PWO shake slows down protein absorption, so I wouldn't use whole milk then. Use skim milk and toss some chocolate syrup in there, or buy non-fat chocolate milk. I make my PWO shake with 2 scoops of waxy maize, a fast carb, one scoop of protein, and water.

[Oran]

What Lyle suggests, and others like DiPasquale (sp?), is carb loading. Deprive your body of carbs for a few days then load up on carbs for a day. This is very anabolic. Some people thrive on it, others not so much. I managed to improve my lifts dramatically while eating close to zero carbs during the week and loading up on the weekends.

Another benefit is that your body starts to prefer fat for energy so when you want to cut, just cut out the fat from your diet and your body will easily turn to your bodyfat for energy.

[OCG]

Another benefit is that your body starts to prefer fat for energy so when you want to cut, just cut out the fat from your diet and your body will easily turn to your bodyfat for energy.

Umm, the human metabolism doesn't quite work that way.

[Oran]

Dr. Mario DiPasquale says differently. It's possible that I'm not explaining it properly, but I think that's the general idea behind the "Anabolic Diet".

[Ron_Hendrix]

Lyle doesn't suggest carb loading for extended periods of time while you lift heavy three times a week, if memeory serves me correct I think he recommends two lifting sessions a week, one of them being a heavy lifting session and the other a depletion workout/ I can't remember the specifics of UDP or some of the other programs he has put out there so I could be off...in any event, carb loading is fine when someone's goal is body recomp, it's flirting with disaster when your primary goal is getting stronger with LP and progressive overload. And your body will only prefer fat for energy when your burning ketones and your glycogen stores are depleted, as soon as you intake carbs your body will replenish your glycogen stores so when you wanna do some heavy lifting, you have the available stores to do so. Relying on ketones for energy during anaerobic exercise could net in sub par results over the long run. Just my two cents though...if you've got information that proves otherwise, please share.