Jenn Metz Review: Carbs Before a Workout: Can It Help?

Like me, do you wonder about whether carbs are helpful or hurtful in pursuit of health and weigh-managment?  I came across this great article with helpful information to answer my dilemma and wanted to SHARE ...

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Carbs Before a Workout: Can It Help?

While a popular belief is that carbs are the enemy, it’s just not the case, especially when it comes to working out. Carbs Before a Workout: Can it Help? In fact pre-workout carbs can help, and if you’re looking to improve your athletic performance, they’re a potent ally.
Fat is not the only macronutrient used for fuel, carbs are a primary source as well. Providing your body with proper carbohydrates will fuel your body through exercise, as well as aid in recovery and muscle gains. The body stores both fat and glycogen for fuel sources. Glycogen is stored in lower quantities. Low-to-moderate levels of exercise will utilize fat as fuel, but exercising at higher levels of intensity causes the body to shift its energy source from fat to glycogen. That’s one reason regularly including proper carbohydrates in your diet is an essential part of athletic training.

CARBS BEFORE A WORKOUT: CAN IT HELP?

“Carbohydrates are…the main fuel source to ingest for optimal recovery allowing for high volumes and intensity of training in subsequent bouts,” writes Dr. Jon Bartlett, Ph.D. College of Sport and Exercise Sciences at Victoria University in Melbourne.

Carbs Before a Workout: Can It Help? Yes it can if it is a carb source that will provide proper energy levels versus a spike and later drop in energy. The three main sources of carbohydrates are starches, sugars, and fiber. If you eat a lot of starches and sugars, you get the spike and drop in energy. If you eat more complex carbs mixed with some more starches or grains you will get a more even energy expenditure. When you eat carbs your body stores glycogen for energy use.

When you exercise, your body uses these energy stores and the glycogen is pulled into the muscle to be used as fuel. If you are not getting high quality carbohydrates for fuel your levels will be low. If your levels are low, this will create low energy. For an example, if you’ve gone on a long bike ride or a long run or pushed through a long exercise class and suddenly lost your energy or felt like you hit a wall, you’ve experienced what it feels like to have depleted your available glycogen stores. 

In research, Van Loon found that simply eating carbs during exercise can help delay when you might hit that wall. A review by the American Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine showed that consuming carbohydrates prior to and during exercise “has been shown unequivocally to extend endurance performance.”

HOW MANY CARBS DO YOU NEED?

The body cannot store glycogen in large quantities. If you are consuming the proper calories within your daily nutrition you could do about 90 minutes of hard effort on your glycogen stores. The nice thing is your body can replenish this store fairly quickly and easily. Plus, as you get fit, your body becomes more efficient at storing and utilizing glycogen. 

So the real answer to Carbs Before a Workout: Can It Help, is yes if in the right amount. It varies based on the exercise that is being done. The recommendation is typically 30-60 grams per hour of exercise (up to two hours). Go beyond two hours, and you might need to up it 60-90 grams.  It really comes down to the need for balance to provide the most efficient energy

SO HOW DO YOU CREATE THAT BALANCE?

Carbs Before a Workout: Can It Help? This may become a balancing act. It is about choosing high quality foods and/or supplements that provide real food carbohydrate sources in the proper ratios to keep the energy levels and recovery optimal for performance. For some this can be hard if there is not a great understanding in how to balance food to make this happen. So the suggestion is to eat balanced meals but also supplement with high quality supplements that already have the balance created for you. One of the best nutritional supplement lines on the market is the Beachbody Performance Line. This line provides high quality pre-workout, during workout, post workout, and night recovery that will truly give you that edge to take your workouts to the next level.

Here is the thing, if you are working out regularly, ignore the headlines suggesting you need to go low-carb. Carbs Before a Workout: Can it Help Your Workout? YES IT CAN! If you give your body the fuel it needs, keep a clean portioned nutrition plan, use high quality supplements you’ll feel better during your workouts and be more likely to see results if you do.

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