Best carbs for bodybuilding hands down are those that are easy to count the calories for as well as those that don’t spike your insulin levels to the roof.
Carbs are a necessity if your goal is to build muscle while working out and lifting weights.
There’s a reason you don’t see yoked guys on keto. You need glycogen to fuel muscle contractions during workouts as well as to replenish your glycogen stores so you can rest and recover.
There’s also scientific research linking a low carb diet to lowered testosterone levels, something that would clearly hinder muscle growth.
If you’re still not convinced, check out this interview with Mitch Muller on why the ketogenic diet is not optimal for bodybuilding long-term.
Best carbs for bodybuilding that are easy to count
The best carbs for bodybuilding are both easy to count and low-glycemic, meaning they help contribute to more stable blood sugar levels because they won’t spike your insulin as much.
Everyone knows what the good carb sources are i.e. whole grain bread, sweet potatoes, brown rice etc. but the problem is, carbs are notoriously a pain in the ass to count calories for.
Which is what led me to compile this short list of the best carbs for bodybuilding that are easy to count and will undoubtedly help you to reach your bodybuilding goals.
1. Weetabix cereal
Weetabix cereal is a good, cheap, organic whole grain cereal that comes with two individually-wrapped rows of cereal biscuits. Each cereal biscuit is 60 calories and you can easily count them up without having to go through the trouble of weighing anything on a food scale. It’s not that weighing your food is extraordinarily difficult, but in the long-run, what comes easiest is typically what you’ll end up doing, especially as our personal lives gets more and more hectic over time.
I like mine with some unsweetened Ripple protein milk. You can also crumble them up and sprinkle them on top of your yogurt, which is also good.
2. Organic pre-sliced whole grain bread
I get the Dave’s Killer Bread company line of products, usually the thin-sliced whole grain bread that’s 70 calories per slice, although they do have the thicker one too. It tastes good and its good quality, so you don’t have to worry about consuming a bunch of preservatives.
I use mine to make turkey and cheese sandwiches, cheese sandwiches and Valencia peanut butter and apple butter sandwiches.
3. Dave’s Killer Bagels
Dave’s Killer Bread company also makes really good bagels that are 260 calories per bagel plus they have 13 grams of protein!
I butter them up in the morning for breakfast, or make sandwiches with them.
4. Brown rice cakes
I get the Lundberg Brown rice cakes because they’re organic, they’re damn good, and only 90 calories per rice cake. I usually have these more as a treat because they come in different delicious flavors and satisfy the sweet tooth, while still being very low in sugar.
5. Brown rice
Boil up some brown rice in a pot and you’ll have plenty of servings you can scoop up with your measuring cup and come out with the same number of calories each time.
1 cup of cooked brown rice equals 216 calories, so with that measuring cup, you can quickly assess how much you’re eating, making your meal prep that much faster and easier.
Technically, you can do the same thing with cooked oatmeal because of the uniform size of the grain, but not many people I know are too enthusiastic about eating cold oatmeal.
The point is, with brown rice, it’s faster and easier to count calories using your measuring cup than it is pasta or sweet potatoes, for example.
What are your favorite carbs for bodybuilding?
I’d love to hear from you. Call in the voicemail line at 917-267-8590 and let me know what your go-to carb sources are.
Your training partner,
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