Integrating the right kinds of carbohydrates at the right times throughout your day can help you pack on the muscle mass faster when involved in bodybuilding exercises. Protein is also essential for building and repairing muscle tissue, but carbs are what give you the energy to hit your weight training program with intensity.

In order to maximize muscle gain and reduce fat, you need to properly integrate carbohydrates into your muscle building diet. This consists of eating the proper amounts of the right kind of carbs at key times during the day.

Carb Tips to Build More Muscle and Reduce Fat Stores

Eat High Fiber, Complex Carbs

Complex carbs digest more slowly and at a steadier pace than simple sugar carbs, providing a more consistent and longer lasting supply of energy during workouts. Glycogen is produced from carbs that promotes the release of insulin used as a major anabolic hormone for muscle development. Since complex carbohydrates break down slowly, they keep your insulin and blood sugar levels balanced which, in turn, reduces the body’s need to store fat as well as combats fatigue. The fiber in foods helps muscles to better absorb amino acids which are used by muscle tissue to grow and repair. Eat such foods as potatoes, whole grain products, oatmeal, and brown rice.

Consume Carbs in Small Amounts, More Times During the Day

Many bodybuilders, especially beginners, tend to remain with a “three large meal-a-day” mindset. However, eating large amounts of carbs within only 2 or 3 meals causes spikes in insulin production which, in turn, causes fatigue and promotes fat storage. It is better to create a bodybuilding diet that utilizes smaller portions of carbohydrate foods at more frequent periods throughout the day (5-6 small meals about every 2 hours). This will level out your insulin production and prevent your body from storing it as fat. The result: more energy! Also, high intensity training sessions considerably drop your blood sugar. Therefore, you should include a carb meal directly after training in order to replenish the used insulin and keep it from spiking. This will also help to maintain a positive anabolic state which is essential for unhindered muscle growth. If you fail to replenish used insulin, you can send your body into a catabolic state where it will break down muscle tissue in order to replenish used energy.

Include Protein with Your Carb Meals

Protein digests slowly as well, helping your body maintain a higher metabolism for a longer period of time. Eating protein with carbohydrates reduces the amount of fat which the body may try to store. Carbs also assist with the transportation of the amino acids made from protein to your muscle cells causing them to grow and repair more efficiently and rapidly.

Eat Fruit Strategically

Don’t rely on fruits for your carb needs except during strategic times. Fruit contains mostly sugar in the form of simple carbs which burn up rapidly and tend to cause insulin levels to spike. Therefore, only eat fruit at times during the day when you want quick energy. For example, fruit eaten first thing in the morning will help get you moving, fruit eaten 20-30 minutes pre-workout will give you an extra energy burst, and fruit eaten directly after your workout will assist with rapid restoration of used glycogen.