Carbohydrates can be the fuel that throttles your body to the finish line in a sporting event, or the energy that pushes the barbell up for one last repetition. Carbs can also be the momentary mental lapse that prevents you from outrunning a defender, or the lull in energy that prevents you from getting in a solid workout. Carbs, if not chosen properly and eaten at the right time, can in fact be bad for your workout.
Training Variations
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, even the right kind of carbs can have a negative effect on your workout, depending on the kind of workout you're having. Workouts that contain several extended medium-intensity exercises, with short bursts of high-intensity exertion, will benefit from carbs. Workouts that contain several short bursts of high-intensity exercises with extended breaks in between, typically in the powerlifting category, will be effected negatively. The reason for this is still unknown, as limited research has been done on the topic.
Complex Carbs
When exercising, the only carbs you want to bring into your body are complex carbs, also known as "good carbs," which include whole wheat pasta, 100 percent whole wheat bread and oatmeal. These carbs take longer to digest, which causes a slow and steady increase in your blood glucose levels. According to the Mayo Clinic, it's best to eat your pre-workout meal between two and three hours before exercising to allow the food to completely leave your gut.
Simple Carbs
The opposite of complex carbs, simple carbs reside in high-sugar foods such as candy, soda and juice. Your body absorbs these carbs very quickly, and while they provide a quick spike in your blood glucose level, they also bring you crashing down just as fast. If this crash happens in the middle of your workout, you could find yourself not only physically drained of energy, but also mentally lacking the ability to focus on the hundreds of pounds of iron you're holding above your head.
Caloric Content
If you're doing a cardio workout for an extended period of time, you will more than likely burn the carbs you ate beforehand. If your workouts are shorter, or more anaerobic, such as weightlifting, there is a good chance that your body will burn through only a fraction of your carb-heavy meal. Carbs contain a lot of energy, and thus, a lot of calories. The body stores unused carbs as fat for use at a later date.
References
- Iowa State University: Role of Carbohydrates
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: The Role of Carbohydrates in Exercise and Physical Performance
- National Institutes of Health: Carbohydrates
- MayoClinic.com: Eating and Exercise -- Five Tips to Maximize Your Workout
- "American Journal of Physiology"; "Deficiency of Carbohydrate"; Kosaku Uyeda et al; January 2006
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