Low Glycemic Index (GI) Carbohydrates: Why Are They Good For Bodybuilding?

Low GI carbs have been a term used for a while now, and it's important to understand what it means.

Why? Because it will help you to maintain a muscular body and not put on fat.

Which means better results from your bodybuilding efforts.

Let's see what it's all about...

Low GI carbohydrates

When you have a low GI carb food such as green vegetables or certain types of rice such as Basmati or Japanese short gain, the carbohydrates are absorbed gradually.

Therefore the glucose level in your bloodstream gradually goes up and then gradually back down to baseline.

High GI carbohydrates

On the other hand a high GI carb such as white bread and sugar is absorbed quickly. As a result the glucose level in your blood stream spikes up.

For the body to get the blood sugar levels back down again, it produces a spike of insulin. And insulin is a hormone that causes you to store fat. Which means its harder for the body to burn fat.

That's why so many diets are based on having low GI foods, and in fact many celebrities swear by having no crabohydrates at all after 6pm because that's when the body's metabolism slows down as well. So you avoid any GI effect at this vulnerable time.

So there you have it, this is how glycemic index foods work, and why low GI is important for muscle gain and fat loss.

The exception to this is during the post workout snack or meal, but we'll get into this later.