By David Barr
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A funny thing happened on my
way to recent muscle growth and performance -I increased my
carb intake.
Although there's a distinct
possibility that many people are overconsuming this nutrient,
its utilization is still important for achieving your goals.
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Stalled Progress
En route to the recent Staley Summit
I was consuming stimulants for their cognitive enhancing effects,
but they had an unfortunate effect on my body. In addition to an
appetite suppressant effect (which is the LAST thing I need), they're
also great at increasing the number of Calories burned. Of course
this makes them ideal for fat loss, and I've even expanded upon
this in my "7 Stimulating Fat Loss Tips" article, but
it absolutely killed my muscle growth.
The fault of this is mine alone, and
could have been rectified by consuming more Calories, but I was
focused on research and writing and couldn't concern myself with
the recent stalled gym progress.
From Flat To Full
Upon returning to LA from Phoenix,
I took a wonderful 10-day layoff, got a lot of writing done, and
then started training again. What's been surprising is that although
the intensity hasn't been my usual 100%, my progress has been improving
steadily -in spite of even greater stimulant use. There's no question
that the layoff helped, but I still needed to account for the muscle
growth in spite of my high Caloric expenditure.
Interestingly, the only changes I've
made have been related to increasing my carbohydrate intake. I've
added more to my all of my protein shakes, especially those before
and after training. Now I'm not going to expand on pre or post-workout
nutrition, but it's clear that I haven't been consuming adequate
amounts during these times. While it's fair to say that pre-workout
carbs have always helped with my "pump", it's the post
workout glycogen storage that's the most visually noticeable.
I'd even go so far as to suggest that
in my short-term carbophobia, I was inadvertently doing a semi low
carb diet. I didn't realize it at the time, but considering the
level of muscle fullness I'm currently experiencing, the negative
effects of my suboptimal intake seem clear. I use the word "seem"
because during this low-CHO phase, I wasn't actually losing fat
-I just wasn't gaining anything. So it's possible that while my
old carb intake was simply adequate, my current consumption is optimal.
More Than A Feeling
Having a feeling of muscle fullness
is great because it's always there. Even when performing mundane
tasks, like reaching for something or bringing a fork to my mouth,
there's a strange perception that there's just more muscle volume.
If you've ever carb loaded you'll know what I mean -but this time,
it's not just a transient phenomenon.
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The last thing I've noticed
is an overall feeling of recovery. Now I understand that
this couldn't be a more generalized term (and composing
a book on that very subject has only strengthened this awareness),
but as someone mentioned to me recently, it could simply
be that my brain and (the rest of the) nervous system have
more energy. It's really helped my ability to maintain concentration,
and I can only imagine what effect this is having on my
neural recovery from training.
Conclusions
As I often discuss, if you're
not happy with your current progress then it's time to look
for a change. In my case, that change came in the form of
carbs, and it's really had a positive impact on my lifestyle.
This only serves to further the case for specificity and
personal experimentation. If you're in the need for a change,
try boosting your pre and post-workout carb intake and let
us know how it goes.
Raise your expectations. Raise
The Barr!
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About The Author
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