One of the most important elements in achieving bodybuilding success is muscle definition, which correlates with body fat percentage. In the hunt for the perfectly defined physique, bodybuilders contemplate various diet techniques, and carbohydrates receive a fair amount of criticism in bodybuilding circles, with articles regularly written on how carbohydrates lead to excess body fat levels, and because of this overwhelming negativity, many weight lifters pursue muscle gain with a higher fat, lower carbohydrate approach, with hopes of sustaining a reasonable body fat level. But is there a point where carbohydrate consumption can decline excessively, reaching levels where muscle gains become extraordinarily difficult, if not impossible? For those accepting of the current bodybuilding bandwagon, the answer to this question would seem to be no, but reality is often substantially different than what popular bodybuilding notions hold as fact. It is true that excess carbohydrates will cause body fat percentage to rapidly increase, hiding muscle definition, and many find themselves battling a portly stomach and love handles due to larger than necessary carbohydrate ingestion. But dipping carbohydrates to extremely low levels with the hope of bypassing the bulge battle is a common blunder, as even though body fat will certainly decline using such a method, the possibility for muscle gain will inversely follow carbohydrate reduction, with dramatic declines in future muscle mass increases, to the point where no further muscle building will soon be possible. Of course, a bodybuilder not only has the goal of controlling body fat percentage, but also excelling in muscle gain, therefore bringing carbohydrates to either extreme will diminish one of the two goals, leaving the bodybuilder with a frustrated, bitter experience while attempting to produce a sustained balance between muscle mass and low body fat percentage. What supporters of the low carbohydrate diet plan fail to realize is that muscle building relies upon carbohydrates to fuel certain hormones in the body, namely insulin, which is amazingly anabolic, leading to significant muscle increase, but also fueling quick body fat accumulation when utilized improperly. Because insulin is proportional to carbohydrate consumption, in order to achieve the most impressive muscle gains, carbohydrates must be available in the diet, but to suppress body fat gains, both the amount of carbohydrates and timing of such nutrients must be systematically implemented in order to provide muscles with sufficient carbohydrate nutrients for muscle size gains, while greatly reducing the negative impact on body fat percentage. In addition to increasing insulin for anabolic impact, carbohydrates provide an immediate source for energy, and since the body must generate explosive output during weight lifting workout sessions for muscle gain, carbohydrates provide this fuel for maximum training effort. When following a low carbohydrate focus, the muscles are unable to put forth maximum intensity during each weight lifting set, and therefore muscle gains are negatively impacted, and already built muscle is also at risk of being lost. Those who follow low carb diet routines tend to lose weight lifting workout motivation, as insufficient carbohydrates can adversely impact motivation and mood, leading to very poor weight training performance, which clearly impacts muscle growth in an extremely negative way. One additional detrimental factor when adopting a reduced carbohydrate diet philosophy is metabolic reduction, and although initially a low carbohydrate diet plan may cause body fat to decline and enhance definition, the long term impact of such a diet will not only burn muscle, but will also reduce metabolism (the rate at which the body burns calories), which means that you will require less food to maintain a certain body fat level. As a result, fat percentage will begin to climb when food reaches the required quantity for muscle gain due to this metabolic slowdown, and the unfortunate result is a more substantial fat level than will occur through properly balancing fat and protein with carbohydrates. When attempting to improve muscle mass and definition, please reject the mistaken theory suggesting that carbohydrates are the evil enemy that hampers success, as by eliminating this important nutrient from your weight lifting diet plan, you will experience far less muscle mass and definition than is otherwise possible, but by implementing carbohydrates at specific times and in proper quantities, you will allow the body to build muscle without the notorious body fat increase that accompanies common weight gain diet routines. Carbohydrates, when used wisely, are one of the several muscle building and fat loss secrets to success.
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