In order to optimize your meal plan once protein and fat needs have been addressed, you also want to look at carbohydrates. Since carbs are the only non essential macronutrient in theory, there is no true minimum from the perspective of general health. You could survive without any carbs. But as you can imagine, this is not a good idea. for athletes chronically dipping too low in carbohydrate intake will lead to poor workout performance, poor direct and indirect muscle growth, and more fatigue over days and weeks due to glycogen depletion. Thus, if minimal values are not met, especially for extended periods, you will not grow as much muscle as you could.

Now the optimal intake of carbohydrates can be based on a variety of factors. In order to figure out exactly how much carbohydrates you need, we would have to do a lot of blood tests and other measurements. Fortunately, even without knowing your exact measurements, we can still narrow in on a range using only two Measures bodyweight and training intensity. As you can see from the table, your carb intake will increase with training intensity. The harder your workouts, the more carbs you will need to consume to fuel your muscles. Now what are light, moderate and hard workouts.

Light workouts will usually be around 30 minutes or less and a workout with less than 10 working sets if you're lifting weights, moderate workouts or anything between 30 and 60 minutes and more than 10 working sets. If you're lifting weights. Hard workouts are anything more intense than a moderate workout. So whether that means longer workouts or more working sets. Just remember that this isn't an exact science, so you'll have to decide for yourself where you lie on the scale. I personally always like to train very intensively even if it's only for 45 minutes, which is why I still consume my carbs according to the hard workout category.

Now before we go on To the next lesson, let's talk about one more thing. Can you eat too much carbs? This is a very difficult question not only because carbs have been vilified in recent years by many popular diets, such as the Paleo or Atkins diet, but also because too much will differ from individual to individual and on the type of carb you consume. As a general rule, for most active people and athletes, there does not seem to be such a thing as an excessive carb intake, so long as minimal protein and fat intakes are met. We know from studies done with endurance runners and vegetarians, that diets very high in carbohydrates can be very healthy in the long term. What this assumes, though, is that you get your carbs from quality sources such as rice, quinoa, oats, and potatoes.

These are all complex carbs that do not lead to a sudden spike in insulin levels, which is the case for simple carbs like candy and sugar. What this means is that if you exercise a lot and need the extra energy Then you can consume large amounts of carbs as long as you get them from complex carbs and you also meet your minimal protein and fat needs. Also, keep in mind that some people's stomachs simply don't react well to a high carb diet. They will feel bloated and full and somewhat tired throughout the day. For all these people, I recommend to keep the carb intake at the level in the last table and reach any outstanding calories to healthy fats.