CANADIAN PHYSIQUE ALLIANCE September/October 2021 | Page 27

are also going to be sent to muscles that need them for recovery for protein synthesis purposes . The nucleus of the cells needing recovery and healing calls on these amino acids to come to the specific area and do their job .
So we know without question we need protein , it essential , meaning we cannot manufacture it , it must be added from the outside in . Knowing the basics of protein , where do carbs fit in , are they essential ? Are they necessary , or unnecessary ?
As I stated above , essential means the body cannot manufacture . Your body can manufacture carbs , and some fats , but not protein . So for the average person starch carbs are not very necessary , absolutely not essential . The average person is better off on lower carbs and more of a protein / fat and veggie low gi fruit balance to stay lean and stave off unwanted fat gain . In most cases in regular people , carbs eaten and not readily used for exercise will be stored as fat .
For bodybuilding however , this scenerio is very different . For effective muscle growth , for triggering hypertrophy , to optimize all potential growth factors , and facilitate optimal training volume and recovery we need carbs . Some carbs , more than others , depending on individual metabolic and genetic factors . But we absolutely need them , necessary 100 %, but again not essential .
Carbs are our “ first up ” primary fuel for brain , organs etc ., and easily used source of nutrient energy . Meaning it will always be used before fat , or proteins .
Carbohydrates are broken down into two groups complex and simple . Complex meaning multiple sugar chains called polysaccharides and singular sugar chains monosaccharaides , when we eat complex carbohydrates after chewing breaking down and getting them into the stomach . Digestive enzymes , amylase breaks the carbohydrate down into oligosaccharides , a sugar chain consisting of more then 10 , when this hits the duodenum they are further converted into monosaccharides , one sugar chain , this is a lengthy process and allows for a pulsatile and regulated amount of insulin to be released . Insulin is our most anabolic and also most Lipogenic ( fat proliferation ) hormone . When we eat simple carbs they are broken down immediately into monosaccharides . As they are already a simple carb , this process is much more rapid . The key here is understanding that complex carbohydrates take longer to break down and due to the higher fibre content and multiple sugar chains they call for less insulin from the pancreas . Simple carbohydrates will stimulate a very immediate and large amount of insulin , which for our bodybuilding purposes is exactly what we need . The surge in insulin will carry the carbs in the form of glycogen to our recently trained and depleted muscle tissue . Along with this the amino acids from the protein eaten with the carbs , create the perfect environment of muscle recovery development and results .
If we were an average person or have not just trained and consumed simple carbohydrates these sugars would
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