Why You Should Supplement Fast Carbs After Exercise

Why You Should Supplement Fast Carbs After Exercise

Supplementing with fast carbs after exercise helps ensure that your efforts don’t go to waste

Fast Carbs

Fast carbs have a high glycemic index

They are absorbed and digested quickly, leading to a rapid spike in insulin levels.

A high insulin level benefits you by significantly increasing protein synthesis

This can shift you from a muscle-wasting state to a muscle-building state

Slow Carbs

Slow carbs have a low glycemic index

They are made of long chains or branched chains of simple sugars, which must be broken down into simple sugars by enzymes during digestion and are absorbed slowly

This prevents dramatic fluctuations in blood sugar levels.

If you feel tired and sleepy after exercise, it’s because your glycogen stores have been depleted

Eat slow carbs before exercise and fast carbs after exercise

This helps with muscle synthesis and prevents muscle loss

Consuming fast carbs after exercise stimulates insulin release, which counteracts cortisol and promotes muscle repair

After exercise, cortisol levels rise, and cortisol promotes the breakdown of proteins, muscles, and fats

Consuming protein (meat, eggs, dairy, legumes) post-exercise provides the building blocks for muscle repair

Consuming fast carbs (white rice, white bread, bananas) stimulates insulin secretion and rapidly replenishes depleted glycogen stores

Carbohydrates are also essential for fat loss

Many people mistakenly believe that not eating after exercise, or avoiding carbs, will prevent their hard work from going to waste

Excessive energy intake is a major cause of fat accumulation! Eating appropriately after exercise won’t waste your efforts

If you don’t consume carbs after exercise, your body will break down muscle protein for energy, leading to muscle loss → decreased basal metabolic rate → making fat loss even harder

At this point, you would have to work harder with minimal results

How Much Should You Consume After Exercise?

Consume 0.5g/kg of body weight in fast carbs within 30 minutes after exercise

Whether your goal is weight loss, muscle gain, or increased strength, you should not only consume protein but also an appropriate amount of carbohydrates after training