Are Low Carb Bodybuilding Diet Plans A Detrimental Muscle Building Technique?

One of the most important factors in achieving bodybuilding excellence is muscle definition, which is directly linked to body fat percentage. In the hunt for the perfectly defined physique, bodybuilders need to consider various diet methods, and carbohydrates receive substantial criticism in the bodybuilding world, with articles regularly written on how carbohydrates lead to greater than necessary body fat levels, and because of this widespread negativity, many bodybuilders pursue muscle building with a higher fat, lower carbohydrate approach, with hopes of maintaining a reasonable body fat percentage. But is there a point where carbohydrate consumption can decline excessively, reaching a point where muscle gains become very difficult, if not impossible? For those riding the current bodybuilding bandwagon, the answer to this question would seem to be no, but the truth is often substantially different than what regularly promoted bodybuilding notions are saying.

Excessive carbohydrates will cause body fat percentage to rapidly rise, blurring muscle definition, and many battle a portly stomach and love handles due to larger than necessary carbohydrate consumption. But dipping carbohydrates to extremely low levels with the hope of bypassing the common bulge battle is a common blunder, as even though body fat will certainly decline using such a method, the possibility for muscle gain will follow an inversely proportional pattern, with dramatic reductions in future muscle mass improvements, to the point where no further muscle gains will soon be possible. Of course, a bodybuilder not only has the goal of controlling body fat percentage, but also excelling in muscle gain, therefore bringing carbohydrates to either extreme will diminish one of the two goals, leaving the bodybuilder with an angry, unproductive experience while attempting to produce a reasonable balance between muscle mass and low body fat percentage.

What proponents of the anti-carbohydrate diet plan fail to realize is that muscle gains relies upon carbohydrates to fuel individual hormones in the body, namely insulin, which offers impressive anabolic properties, leading to substantial muscle increase, but also fueling quick body fat accumulation when implemented improperly. Since insulin is directly linked with carbohydrate consumption, in order to achieve the most impressive muscle gains, carbohydrates must be present in the diet, but to suppress body fat gains, both the level of carbohydrates and time of the day in which such nutrients are consumed must be correctly implemented in order to offer muscles sufficient carbohydrate nutrients for muscle gain, while greatly reducing the negative impact on body fat levels.

In addition to increasing insulin for anabolic impact, carbohydrates offer an immediate energy source, and since the body must generate explosive output during weight training workouts for muscle gain, carbohydrates offer this energy source for maximum effort. When adopting a low carbohydrate diet plan, the muscles are unable to generate maximum torque during each weight training set, and therefore muscle building is negatively impacted, and already built muscle is also at risk of being lost. Those who follow low carbohydrate diet plans tend to lose weight training workout motivation, as inadequate carbohydrates can negatively impact mood and motivation, leading to very poor weight training performance, which directly impacts muscle building in an extremely negative way.

Another detrimental factor when adopting a reduced carbohydrate diet philosophy is metabolic reduction, and although initially a low carbohydrate diet plan may cause body fat to decline and produce greater definition, the prolonged impact of such a diet will not only burn muscle, but will also attack metabolism (the level at which the body burns calories), which means that you will require a lower food intake to maintain a certain body fat level. As a result, fat percentage will begin to climb when food reaches the required quantity for muscle building due to this metabolic slowdown, and the net result is a more noticeable fat level than will occur through properly balancing protein and fat with carbohydrates.

When your goal is to improve muscle mass and definition, please reject the misconception suggesting that carbohydrates are the harmful enemy that hampers success, as by eliminating this vital nutrient from your weight training diet regimen, you will produce far less muscle mass and definition than is otherwise possible, but by implementing carbohydrates at specific times and in correct quantities, you will allow the body to gain muscle mass without the customary body fat surge that accompanies popular weight gain diet routines. Carbohydrates, when used correctly, are one of the several fat loss and muscle building secrets to success!

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Comments

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 at 7:14 AM, by Body builder
It is really a informative post as you have mention about the importance of carbohydrate....What are are the food item through which we can get more proteins????

http://www.aboutbuildingmuscle.com/

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 at 11:45 PM, by Francesco Castano
Thanks for the compliment! I provide you with the exact protein and carbohydrate foods to use for muscle growth as part of my MuscleNOW.com program, but some excellent sources of protein include lean meats, fish and egg whites, with egg based powders providing a healthy and effective protein source for those who are seeking portability and convenience.

I recommend avoiding whey powders due to MSG (which poses a health risk), and instead use egg based protein powder that does not contain additives or sweetening (such as what you will find at www.IncrediBody.com). I share an excellent egg based protein shake combination with my MuscleNOW clients that is delicious, easy to prepare, and extremely healthy.

Also, hemp seeds (found at www.IncrediBody.com) are a little known complete protein source that offer impressive health benefits.

If you have any questions, please email me at the address you will find at my www.MuscleNOW.com web site, and I will be glad to respond.

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