Despite what the zero-carb diet gurus say, if you want a great physique, you need carbohydrates. The physiology on this topic is straightforward, building a great physique requires intense exercise four to six days a week. To train intensely and recover effectively from these intense workouts, your body needs energy, lots of readily available energy. Carbohydrates are the only fuel that can fulfill this requirement.
Protein and fats in the diet can and do supply energy via conversion to energy-yielding substrates. However, to meet the high demands of athletic performance, these are very inefficient processes.
Carbohydrate is the only macronutrient that is biochemically able to meet the energy requirements of intense exercise. Muscle glycogen (the storage form of carbohydrate) is the primary fuel of intense exercise. Research over the last 30 years has shown that exercise intensity is governed by the amount of glycogen stored in muscle. Low-carb diets do not allow for the incorporation of carbohydrate sources that serve to effectively replenish muscle glycogen.
Although active people need carbohydrates, I don’t believe that a high-carb diet is required to restore muscle glycogen levels after intense training. Be sure to read my reports on carb selection.
