Carbohydrates are an energy currency of our body. Particularly with CrossFit as it is HIGH-Intensity! We can store carbohydrates as glycogen (multiple glucose packed together) in our liver as well as in our skeletal muscle, right at the source of muscle contraction!
Your starchy foods like rice, potatoes, oatmeal, flour, and pasta are great options as they are broken down into glucose. The simplest carbohydrate!
Dairy products also have carbohydrates in the form of lactose, which can be broken down into glucose.
And Fruit! Which has fructose, the carbohydrate the liver preferentially likes to use.
In order to PERFORM and RECOVER our BEST, we need to ensure we have an adequate supply of carbohydrates before and after we workout!
If we can replenish your energy stores that were depleted during exercise, you are increasing your chances for MAXIMUM recovery. If your body doesn’t have the materials it needs at hand, it will take them from other stores in your body (breaking things down, not building them up). Secondly, post workout your body is VERY insulin sensitive, meaning it will be quick to shuttle and utilize those carbohydrates in your bloodstream compared to at rest where they might stay in your bloodstream longer (not a positive).
Carbohydrates post workout can also help reduce cortisol that might have gone up after your workout, and reduce your overall inflammation in your body. Refuel, reduce stress, and lower inflammation will ALL help OPTIMIZE how you feel the following day. If you are recoverying better recovery, maybe you can workout harder the following day or get to the gym more frequently → more gains.
HOW many to have??
PRE workout Carbohydrates: Maximize your available Fuel, workout harder
0.2 grams of protein per kg of body weight and 0.4 grams of carbohydrate per kg of body weight 30-45 minutes before your training!
→ if you are someone who can’t eat solid food before you workout, a liquid carbohydrate and protein powder is a great option.
Liquid carbs – gatorade, waxy maize, cyclin dextrin, Juice!
BCAA’s can also be used as your protein source pre-workout
POST workout Carbohydrates: Maximize your recovery
Within 1-2 hours of your workout:
→ 0.8 grams of carbohydrate per Kilogram of body weight paired with 0.4 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.
That’s a healthy dose of carbohydrates, you can get away with closer to 0.6 grams per killogram, especially on less intense days!
This can be in the form of a recovery drink, or whole food…or a combo!
