In athletics, performance is everything. Weight-training, general physical preparedness (GPP), and practice are very taxing to the body and burn massive amounts of carbohydrates and calories. Without sufficient nutrition, an athlete can become catabolic, recovery is hindered, and performance begins to suffer. One of the easiest ways to add carbs and calories into your diet is in liquid form during training. However, this is where it can get tricky. Traditional “work-out” drinks have high-glycemic index (GI) carb sources; be it dextrose, sucrose, maltodextrin, etc. they all have the same problem: insulin response. High-GI carbs elicit a surge of insulin in the bloodstream, which is beneficial for a short period of time, but, inevitably, there is the dreaded crash.

Insulin, Glucagon, and Blood-Glucose Levels

Whenever carbs are consumed, the level of glucose in the blood rises. This rise is dependent upon the source of carbohydrates, but the pancreas produces insulin to balance the blood-glucose levels. Just like everything in the body, there is an ideal range of blood-glucose levels and insulin’s job is to bring this level down when it has gotten too high. When you consume a vast quantity of high-GI carbs and send blood-glucose levels soaring, the pancreas releases a torrent of insulin, resulting in hyperinsulemia. However, what goes up, must also go down, and, if blood-glucose goes too far down, and the body becomes hypoglycemic, then the pancreas releases glucagon to increase the blood-glucose levels. The source of glucose is usually amino-acids, which are converted through gluconeogensis, which is less than desirable.

Avoiding The Conundrum

A great and easy way to avoid this situation is using a low-GI carb source while training. However, most low-GI carbs are not really workout food; I highly doubt that many find the notion of eating a bowl of oats during training as desirable. Alas, there is a solution to this and it is called SuperCarb. Using a carb source that is both simple and low-GI, SuperCarb can be added into any pre/peri workout concoction and increase its efficacy. Best of all, SuperCarb mixes like table sugar, but is only about half as sweet.

Supplementing with SuperCarb

Adding SuperCarb to your supplementation is very easy. For example, if you are one of the many people that use an amino-acid/protein supplement while training, then adding 2-4 tablespoons of SuperCarb will help to not only keep blood-glucose stable during training, but it will help to reduce recovery time and increase endurance. After training, it is also important to have a protein/carbohydrate serving and adding SuperCarb to this will not only avoid the blood-glucose fluctuations, but will also reduce the potential for fat storage that come along with high-GI carbs. If you have a competition looming, then SuperCarb is also a great option to use for your “carb-loading.” For example, in Mixed Martial Arts, it is very common for a fighter to cut 10-15 pounds through water and carb depletion. Obviously, it is imperative to replace that which has been lost, but shotguning massive quantities of food is not a wise idea. Adding Supercarb to an electrolyte and amino-acid drink is a fantastic way to not only replenish the lost fluids, electrolytes, and glycogen, but it is also easily digested and does not leave the bloated sluggish feeling associated with high-GI carbs.

So quick re-cap, SuperCarb is ideal for:

• Minimizing catabolism during training
• Enhancing recovery and endurance
• Replenishing glycogen