A critical factor in achieving bodybuilding success is muscle definition, which is directly linked to body fat percentage. In search of the perfectly defined physique, bodybuilders contemplate various diet techniques, and carbohydrates receive a fair amount of criticism in bodybuilding circles, with articles regularly written on how carbohydrates lead to excessive body fat levels, and because of this overwhelming negativity, many bodybuilders pursue muscle building with a higher fat, lower carbohydrate approach, with hopes of maintaining a reasonable body fat percentage. But is there a point where carbohydrate consumption can decline excessively, reaching levels where muscle gains become extraordinarily difficult, if not impossible? For those who ride the current bodybuilding bandwagon, the answer would seem to be no, but the truth is often substantially different than what popular bodybuilding notions will have us believe.

There is truth to the claim that excessive carbohydrates will cause body fat percentage to rapidly rise, hiding muscle definition, and many battle a rotund stomach and love handles due to larger than necessary carbohydrate ingestion. But stripping carbohydrates to extremely low levels with the hope of bypassing the common bulge battle is a serious blunder, as even though body fat will certainly decline using such a technique, the possibility for muscle gain will follow an inversely proportional pattern, with dramatic declines in future muscle size improvements, to the point where no further muscle building will soon be possible. Obviously, a bodybuilder not only has the goal of controlling body fat percentage, but also maximizing muscle gain, therefore bringing carbohydrates to either extreme will diminish one of the two goals, leaving the bodybuilder with a frustrated, bitter experience as he or she attempts to produce a sustained balance between muscle size and low body fat percentage.

What supporters of the low carbohydrate diet philosophy fail to realize is that muscle building relies upon carbohydrates to fuel individual hormones, especially insulin, which offers amazing anabolic properties, leading to massive muscle increase, but also fueling quick body fat accumulation when utilized improperly. Since insulin is proportional to carbohydrate consumption, in order to produce the most dramatic muscle gains, carbohydrates must be present in the diet, but to suppress body fat gains, both the amount of carbohydrates and time of the day in which such nutrients are consumed must be correctly implemented in order to provide muscles with sufficient carbohydrate nutrients for muscle size increase, while minimizing the negative impact on body fat levels.

In addition to stimulating insulin for muscle building impact, carbohydrates provide an immediate source for energy, and since the body must generate explosive output during weight lifting workouts for muscle gain, carbohydrates provide this energy source for maximum training effort. When following a low carbohydrate diet, the body is unable to put forth maximum torque during each weight lifting set, and therefore future muscle gains are negatively impacted, and already built muscle is also at risk of being lost. Those who follow low carbohydrate diet plans tend to lose weight lifting workout motivation, as a lack of sufficient carbohydrates can adversely impact motivation and mood, leading to very poor weight lifting workout performance, which directly impacts muscle growth in an extremely negative way.

Yet another detrimental factor with a low carbohydrate diet focus is metabolism decline, and although initially a low carbohydrate diet regimen may cause body fat to decline and produce greater definition, the prolonged impact of such a diet philosophy will not only burn muscle, but will also attack metabolism (the speed at which the body burns calories), meaning that you will require a lower food intake to maintain a specific body fat level. As a result, fat percentage will start to increase when food reaches the required quantity for muscle building due to this metabolic slowdown, and the unfortunate result is a more noticeable fat level than will occur when properly balancing protein and fat with carbohydrates.

When your goal is to enhance muscle size and definition, please reject the mistaken theory suggesting that carbs are the harmful enemy that hampers success, as by eliminating this critical nutrient from your weight lifting diet plan, you will produce far less muscle size and definition than is otherwise possible, but by implementing carbohydrates at specific times and in proper quantities, you will allow the body to build muscle without the customary body fat increase that accompanies popular weight gain diet plans. Carbohydrates, if used correctly, are one of the few fat loss and muscle building keys to success!