Do You Need Carbohydrates to Build Muscle?

If you were asked what it takes to build muscle, you’ll probably say that you need protein. This is common knowledge and it’s not wrong. Protein is important, after all our muscles are made of protein, and our body requires an adequate amount of protein in the diet in order to build up muscle mass. But protein alone won’t do. Carbohydrates are a different kind of crucial macronutrient that is relevant while attempting to gain muscle, and their significance will be further examined here.

Carbohydrates Provide Energy 

Many people see carbs as the enemy, and that can be a common misconception. Yes, highly refined carbohydrates and sweets hardly do the body any good, but that’s not all carbs. 

We have two types of carbs: simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are the ones that most nutritionists will advise you to avoid, but they may come in handy before intense workout sessions since they can cause a rapid spike in energy. 

Complex carbohydrates that are found in whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables get broken down into glucose in the digestive tract. Glucose then travels through the bloodstream and moves into cells, where it can be used for energy immediately or stored in our muscles and liver as glycogen, a form of sugar that can be used for energy in the future. 

Carbohydrates for Building Muscle

Carbohydrates are often said to be a non-essential macronutrient. Our bodies don’t technically need them, and can derive the energy sources that carbohydrates provide from fats and proteins. That said, ensuring you have the energy your body needs to function and repair is pretty essential to achieving muscle gains, or muscular hypertrophy.

Carbohydrates play a significant role in muscle development in two ways. Firstly, the body requires a lot of energy to power through high-intensity workouts. By preventing you from feeling fatigued during your strength training workouts, carbs will allow you to train longer and harder, resulting in adequate muscle tearing. Secondly, after exercising, torn muscles need to be repaired. Protein and glycogen are needed for that muscle repair to take place. 

 How Many Carbs Do You Need and When Do You Need Them?

The rate at which our glycogen stores are used depends on the activity. For example, if you are doing a light-intensity exercise, you only need 3 to 5 g of carbs for each kg of your body weight. This means, if you weigh 150 pounds (Approx. 68 kg), you will need roughly 204 g to 340 of carbs daily. If your workouts are more intense and last longer, then your carb requirements will increase. If you exercise for more than an hour every day, you will need to consume 6 to 10 grams of carbs for each kg of your body weight. If you weigh 150 pounds, your daily carb requirements will increase and range between 408 g and 680 g.

When you eat carbohydrates, you also impact athletic performance and muscle building.  It’s important to consume complex carbs a few hours before an intense workout so that glycogen stores are full enough to fuel the training. After exercise, it’s important to consume complex carbs to replenish those glycogen stores for later use, and to ensure there is enough glycogen to be used in the muscle repair process after your workout.

How Low Carb Diets Affect Muscle Growth?

The human body is a complex system. It needs a lot of things for proper function, but it’s capable of making some of them on its own when they are missing. This is the case if we are on a so-called low-carb or no-carb diet, diets where you lower or fully cut carbohydrate intake. If you are on this kind of diet and exercising, the body is missing one of the main nutrients, a.k.a carbohydrates, which starts a process called gluconeogenesis. 

Gluconeogenesis is when the body forms glucose from new sources to compensate for the lack of glucose from carbohydrates. When this happens, the body turns to sources like fats and proteins to fill this need. Breaking down protein starts from the muscles, meaning the body breaks down muscle protein to make more glucose, causing them to waste away. The body does so to access the amino acids (the building blocks of protein). The amino acids are then broken down into glucose and used for energy. Regular carb intake helps to prevent this process by encouraging protein sparing, which means they conserve muscle tissue by providing energy instead. When carbs are present, the body will use carbs first and foremost for energy. When carbs aren’t available, muscle gains that you have worked so hard to achieve can be lost.

Effects of High Protein Intake on the Human Body  

Trying to avoid ‘consuming’ muscle, people who are on low-carb or no-carb diets, require high protein intakes by almost doubling the recommended daily allowance for protein. High protein intake will give you enough protein to maintain your current muscles as well as provide a source for your body to convert in order to repair the muscles that have been broken down during your workout. However, some studies associate high-protein diets with an increased risk of heart disease and heart failure. Research has also linked high protein diets, primarily those with lots of animal protein, to an increased risk of certain cancers, including colorectal cancer, as well as negative effects on bone, liver, and kidney health. 

Conclusion

YES, we do need carbs to build muscle. While protein is what actually goes into the muscle tissue - the process that enables this to occur is highly regulated by carbohydrates. Carbs as a primary energy source, serve the following functions, all of which are critical to optimal muscle protein synthesis a.k.a the process of building muscle. Carbs are the body’s preferred source of fuel for exercise. If you have enough carbohydrates to fuel your workouts you’ll work longer and train harder, which means you’ll generate a stronger stimulus for the body to add muscle. Carbs also ensure that you will spare existing muscle tissue from being consumed as fuel - this is especially important in situations where you are in a calorie deficit - you want to make sure your carbs are high enough to spare the burning of existing muscle tissue for energy.

In the end, it’s all about eating a balanced diet. Carbs, protein, and fat all contribute to optimal bodily function.