How Many Grams of Carbs per Day to Build Muscle for Hardgainers
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Believe it or not, your carbohydrate intake is just as, if not more important than your protein consumption. So if you’re asking yourself “how much protein do I need?” I recommend you also focus on calculating how many grams of carbs per day you’ll need to build muscle. The carbohydrates you consume play a huge roll in whether your body is creating muscle or breaking it down. Without the proper amounts of the correct type of carbs, your body will find it almost impossible to build and keep new muscle.
How Many Grams of Carbs per Day to Build Muscle?
The formula for calculating the amount of carbs you’ll need per day is simple.
Your body Weight (x) 2.25 = How Many Grams of Carbs per Day You’ll Need to Consume
For example:
130lbs (x) 2.25 = 292.5 Grams of Carbs per Day
Complex Carbohydrates
Now that you have calculated the amount of carbohydrates you will be consuming on a daily basis, it is very important that you are consuming your carbs from complex sources. These complex sources are slow releasing carbohydrates that give your body the proper fuel throughout the day. Consuming the wrong type of carbs can result in insulin spikes, storing fat, exhaustion, and the inability to workout at your full potential. Complex carbs are typically found in whole wheat, whole grains, and vegetables.
Example of Complex Carbs:
Brown Rice
Whole Grain Pasta
Whole Wheat Bread
Sweet Potatoes
Oatmeal
Vegetables
Ok, so you know how many grams of carbs per day your body needs in order to provide a steady stream of energy throughout the day and you are also aware of the proper sources to get your carbs from in order to avoid storing unwanted fat. Now, here is one small secret post workout tip that goes against a little of what I just talked about.
You see, when you are in the gym performing high intensity activity, your body uses both your usable and stored energy. Once both are exhausted, it starts to eat away at the muscle and protein in order to create more energy. This is a catabolic effect that you definitely want to avoid. The only way to stop this catabolic effect dead in its tracks is to consume more “energy” (simple carbs) in order to spike your insulin levels. The fast you can spike your insulin, the quicker your body can go back into its anabolic/growing state.
How Do I Avoid Post Workout Muscle Wastage?
Immediately following your workout, add a simple carbohydrate source to your post workout meal. The idea behind the carbs being fast acting is simple, the faster they act and provide energy, the faster your body will stop eating away at your protein to create the energy.
Post Workout Meal
Your Body Weight (x) .3 = Post Workout Carbs in Grams
For example:
130lbs x .3 = 39 Grams of carbs for proper post workout nutrition.
By now you should know exactly how many grams of carbs per day you will need in order to build some serious muscle mass. Not mention, you should also be aware of the one small trick that will allow you to avoid any post workout catabolism and keep you in a growing state. Following this simple formula will provide you with a steady stream of energy throughout the day including any intense physical activity. You will perform at peak levels in and out of the gym while avoiding the storage of unwanted fat.
February 16th, 2011 at 2:44 pm
Great Site and Material. Thanks for all your work!
I have gained 20-25 pounds in 2 months using your advise as well as some others, and am pretty pleased. But as a working dad with demands on time and money, it is very hard to stick to the programs very closely. So counting calories and grams of carbs or protein even seems beyond what I have time for.
As a result, while my clothes are tight in all the right areas, they are also a bit tight in my stomach now as well. I never thought I would gain weight period, so having a little bit of a beer belly is pretty strange.
So my question is, should I continue with what I have been doing (protein shakes, 5-6 meals per day, eating immediately when hungry, working out 2-3 times per week, always letting my muscles fully recover) and keep getting bigger, and then shift to a more fat-burning focused plan once I am happy with my size, or should I shift now?
In short, will it be too difficult later to shed bad weight and keep the good such that I should bite the bullet now and cut back on my intake? Or should I just keep packing on both and worry about getting more fit once the weather warms up?
Thanks again for your work!
Greg
February 17th, 2011 at 5:53 pm
Hey Greg,
First let me say great job on packing on a great amount of mass.
As for deciding between bulking or cutting at this point, its totally up to you. Im not sure how much fat you have put on around the midsection, but if its to the point where you have lost all definition, I would cut the carbs down while keeping the protein high (to keep the muscle) and perform cardio and circuit training routines 3-5 days a week. If its not so bad, id go for another 10-20 pounds before cutting. Once you get to your desired size, you can cut fat and without sacraficing muscle mass by following the proper nutrition plan.
February 17th, 2011 at 8:01 pm
Thanks Alian,
Definition is decent. I think part of my stomach problem is that there is always food in it! If I flex abs, you can see them (just not very cut).
The other question I have is the order of workouts. Everything I read places emphasis on heavy leg workouts (squats and deadlift) and I have been faithful to that, doing them first, thinking that those lifts release the most testosterone to benefit the upper body lifts later. The problem, especially since upping my sets to 10 reps at your advice, is that it leaves me really drained energy wise. If I work upper body out first, or interleaved, I won’t get as much overall weight lifted with legs. I am trying to pack my workout into a 45 minute session, but maybe I need more time to recover.
Any thoughts on this?
February 17th, 2011 at 10:06 pm
What I would recommend to you is to mix it up. Start off with squats one day, then end with squats with your next session. Because the squats can be very tiring, I would recommend just taking a little bit longer of a break in between (squat) sets to help recover. You can slowly decrease the rest period with time as you condition your body to do so.
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