Bodybuilding how much sugar per day

Sugars CAN be bad if used over abundantly or with improper timing, but with proper understanding and timing we can find vast benefit from the various carbohydrates. Probably the biggest negative attached to sugars is that it is addictive. Secondary to the fact that sugars are addictive would be that they possess aside from complex carbs no nutritional value.

So we are essentially pumping our body full of something it does not generally need. Again, there is a time and place for every sugar. There are MANY purported negatives associated with sugar. For argumentative purposes many are listed below, although some are not based on solid scientific foundation:.

As you can see, the potential negatives of sugar are bountiful but these can be controlled with proper timing and moderation. Here is what we have all been waiting for, the explanation of how in earth sugars can benefit us. Complex carbohydrates are obviously a better source of energy than simple sugars, seeing as simple sugars are more of a rush and crash type of energy.

Furthermore, the only publicly touted benefit of sugar is as for flavoring. However, we bodybuilders make use of our knowledge to use sugar to our benefit. Remembering that simple sugars cause a rise in insulin, commonly referred to as an insulin spike.

The higher the GI rating of the food, the more efficient this will be. So the main benefit of sugar is it's ability to cause an insulin spike.

This leads us to our next question. Post-workout is the ideal time for an insulin spike. For our example we will use Dextrose, which is a Monosaccharides with a chemical composition of C 6 H 12 0 6. We learned earlier that an insulin spike stores glucose as energy, but now we shall expand on that. When we create an insulin spike our body draws the glucose into our muscles. Along with the glucose our body is going to draw in the amino acids we just took in via our protein shake. In addition, Insulin has also been shown to stop the process of protein breakdown a typical post-workout reaction where the body uses protein for energy.

There are also certain products which work better when combined with an insulin spike. Most creatine monohydrate products are more effective if driven into the muscles by an insulin spike. The idea is basically that you are allowing other nutrients to 'piggy back' on the glucose that is being transported. Aside from those simple sugars, bodybuilders should find the rest of their carbohydrates from complex carbs that are lower on the GI index.

Oatmeal, Rice, Yams, and Potatoes are just a few of the examples of 'good' carbs that bodybuilders can make use of. Probably the most beneficial move I've made in my bodybuilding lifestyle was invoking the post-workout insulin spike.

I've noticed greater gains, recovery time, and even appetite control when I make use of this sugary tactic. Aside from my post-workout insulin spike, I avoid carbs like the plague. I've found through trial and error that my addiction to sugar makes it an all or nothing game for me. I follow a ketogenic diet in which the only carbs I intake are my Post Workout Dextrose and plenty of Fibrous green veggies. However, almost all of my bodybuilding friends do make regular use of sugars and carbs in their diets, and have found much success.

When people say the word "sugar", they generally mean sucrose table sugar. Sucrose is produced in all green plants in order to store energy. There are many types of sugar, such as glucose, fructose, galactose, sucrose, and lactose. Sugar is associated with a myriad of negative health effects, one of the most well-known being excess fat storage. Simple sugars cause rapid digestion, due to a high GI, which leads to the storing of excess body-fat.

This is one of the worst things for a bodybuilder. High-sugar intake also being linked to various health-problems, which causes many bodybuilders to avoid it completely. On one hand sugar is looked down upon as empty calories that will take their toll on your health sooner or later.

On the other hand, sugar is quite affordable for those in need of cheap carbohydrate sources. It also will provide you with a great resource for the purpose of quick glycogen replenishment. Many people have heard of the health problems associated with sugar. Some of the larger negatives are:. Of course, just about everyone consumes a moderate amount of sugar on a daily basis. Do they all experience these effects at one time or another? Of course not. Most of these are due to extremely high intakes of sugar.

The problem here, is that many people nowadays do consume extremely high amounts of sugar. Other than these benefits, I do not think that sugar holds any other major helpful effects for a bodybuilder. I believe that the negatives end up outweighing the positives in any other situation. Therefore, large amounts of sugar should be limited to post-workout and after long fasts. You should absolutely not consume high amounts of sugar alone throughout the day. You should at least combine it with other foods to provide the body with a balanced macro-nutrient intake, rather than a meal made up completely of empty calories.

Sugar is good for post-workout when you want to replenish your muscles quickly. Insulin drives nutrients into the muscles. The reason why it is most helpful to do this post-workout, is because that is when the muscles are lacking it the most.

On the other hand, the post-workout "window of opportunity", really lasts long enough that it makes a very small difference, if any, to consume sugar in place of another lower GI carbohydrate source. Oatmeal has recently become very popular for this purpose and should not cause a decrease in gains, while at the same time is very helpful for overall health.

You can also replace oatmeal with just about any complex carbohydrate, such as bran, wheat germ, barley, maize, buckwheat, and cornmeal. Post-workout I believe anywhere from grams may be consumed. There are some people that are "sugar-sensitive" which could even lower that amount to 25 grams and still see major benefits.

If you don't know whether or not you are "sugar sensitive", a good way to tell would be to check whether or not you are bloated after consuming a moderate amount of sugars. Sugar throughout the day should be minimized, but I do not believe it needs to or should be avoided like the plague.

Keeping the limits around grams of sugar per meal I would recommend, but there are ways you could enjoy sugar while lowering the GI in order to minimize fat gain and other issues. All of these have been shown to lower the GI of other foods consumed within the same meal. A lower GI means a lessened insulin spike, which will cause less fat gain while at the same time maximizing overall healthiness of the meal.

Low GI foods are also more filling and keep you full longer, giving you less urges to go and "pig out" on all of those sugary foods. If you would like to find a good replacement for regular table sugar, as far as taste goes, I believe honey is a great substitute.

It contains many anti oxidants and other health benefits that table sugar does not. You can add this to many foods, such as putting it on top of your oatmeal or mixing it with your peanut butter. I used to consume sugar post-workout with my protein and creatine shake. It did make a positive difference by means of glycogen replenishment.

However, my fat levels made a noticeable increase within weeks of adding sugar to my post-workout arsenal. I believe you can replace the sugar with oatmeal or some other complex carbohydrates, in order to decrease fat-gain and other problems, while still replenishing muscle glycogen to the optimal levels.

Always make sure to combine the post-workout carbs with some protein preferably whey! Sugar is in a lot of our products. But what exactly is it? Sugar is a white crystalline carbohydrate used as a sweetener and preservative. But what does that exactly mean? Well, sugar is the simplest form of carbohydrates that is dissolved very rapidly. Be aware, though, that for protein to reach your muscles it must be in your system. Your post-workout snack, then, needs to include both simple sugars and protein.

Used at other times, though, this same dietary approach could make you gain body fat instead. Remember, insulin is a storage hormone so anything that isn't immediately needed will be stored — often as body fat. Show Search Form Search Search. USA Canada International. Login Account. Back Back. Shop All Shop All.

View All View All. Many bodybuilders think they can safely eat more sugar because they consume more overall calories, but the AHA's guidelines apply to everyone -- sugar is not a nutrient, so your intake is not weight- or activity-dependent.

Bodybuilders like to use the "restocking glycogen" excuse for drinking a sugary shake after a tough workout. While sugars do provide the insulin spike that helps speed protein and carbs to your muscles to initiate repair, the sugar itself is unnecessary. If you use a sugar-free shake with the right mix of carbs and protein for your particular situation, your body will produce all the sugar it needs from the carbohydrates.

In fact, a turkey sandwich on white bread may just be a better post-workout snack than the most expensive protein shake. Although whole-grain bread is better for general use, the white bread provides simple carbs that digest quickly and that your body can immediately turn into the sugar it needs, while the turkey provides the protein.

Bodybuilders who eat clean generally don't suffer as much deprivation during a cutting phase. One of the main tenets of clean eating is avoiding sucrose, or table sugar.

And how can we make it easier to bulk up quickly and leanly? However, our expertise is in building muscle, gaining strength, and improving body composition, not on the effect that our diets have on our general health. We recommend speaking to a medical professional, such as a registered dietitian, before making drastic changes to your diet.

Sugar is our default source of fuel. When we eat carbs, they break down into a type of sugar called glucose, which is what the cells in our bodies use for energy. Our muscles and liver store this sugar in the form of glycogen, our blood vessels transport it around as blood sugar, and our brain even runs on sugar. If we stop eating carbs, though—either by fasting, starving, or eating a very-low-carb diet—then we can no longer use sugar as our default fuel source. That would cause us to undergo a process called ketosis, which allows us to use fat as our main source of fuel.

This is the foundation of the ketogenic diet. The more glycogen we have in our muscles, the longer we can train before our muscles start to get fatigued. With higher-volume hypertrophy and bodybuilding workouts, though, it can help to have muscles that have more glycogen in them. There are a few reasons for that:. So glycogen is sugar, and glycogen is great. However, our bodies can get glycogen out of most carbohydrates.

In fact, we could easily get all the glycogen we need simply by consuming starches, such as rice, potatoes, and pasta. Furthermore, not all sugar can even be turned into glycogen. So, keeping in mind that consuming added sugar in excess is a bad idea, there are also some potential benefits to keep in mind. The first benefit is that consuming sugar is a good way to keep your muscles full of glycogen. This is why some bodybuilders like to sip on sugary drinks while working out.

If you have a pre-workout drink that has carbs in it, better for those carbs to be in the form of easily digested simple sugars such as glucose or simple carbs such as maltodextrin. The problem is that oats are rich in fibre, which is healthy, yes, but also makes them harder to digest. The same idea is true with energy drinks, pre-workout drinks, and even fruit juice.

You get the carbs without demanding much of your stomach. If lifting suppresses your appetite and jams up your digestive system which seems to be quite common for us , you might still be able to have a protein shake with some simple carbs in it either during or after your workout. This one is pretty easy to answer. Calories can make you gain weight, and sugar does contain calories. So yes, increasing your sugar intake could certainly drive you into a calorie surplus, which could result in weight gain.

Depending on your lifestyle, a certain proportion of that weight gain will likely be fat. Is sugar more fattening than other sources of calories? On the other hand, many other experts, such as Dr James Krieger and Dr Spencer Nadolsky, are much less concerned about the harms of added sugars in the context of people who are lean, active, and healthy. After all, most research shows no harm from consuming even fairly large amounts of sugar in people who are active and have a good body composition.

Not all foods have the same impact on us while bulking up. It just so happens that sugar and carbs in general tend to go along fairly well with lifting weights. There are certainly pros and cons to the different types of sugar that you consume, just not necessarily for the reasons you might assume.

With something like a cherry pie, there are probably cherries and eggs in there. Your body can still break them down and get calories out of them. And as ectomorphs struggling to eat enough to build muscle, calories are exactly what we need more of. There are also many sources of sugar that are rich in vitamins and minerals, such as fruits, dairy, and honey.

For example, the fibre found in fruit can help with digestive health, which can be very helpful while bulking up. Fruits and vegetables contain indigestible fiber, which absorbs water and expands as it passes through the digestive system. This can calm symptoms of an irritable bowel and, by triggering regular bowel movements, can relieve or prevent constipation study.

The bulking and softening action of insoluble fiber also decreases pressure inside the intestinal tract and may help prevent diverticulosis study. This can make it easy to blend fruits into smoothies. Dried fruit is also quite nutritious while being extremely calorically dense, which is great for us skinny guys who are having a hard time eating enough calories to gain weight.

However, when someone is skinny, the situation is reversed, and foods that help us gain weight can actually be quite helpful. Still, some experts believe that even the sugar found in fruits can be a problem. Keep in mind that this study had the participants adding in calories, bringing the participants into a slight calorie surplus and causing them to gain body fat. Anyway, for us ectomorphs sometimes these things are backwards.