e two-hour period following your workout — often considered the postworkout window of opportunity — your body and muscles are very receptive to simple sugars. Increasing your insulin levels at this time by consuming simple carbs can refill your depleted muscle glycogen stores and help you recover and feel revived from an intense workout. Some experts believe that 60%–80% of your glycogen replenishment (carbohydrate storage and replacement) needs to take place within 1–3 hours after you finish training. In other words, the quicker you can get carbohydrates into those hungry muscles, the better your chances of having a great workout the next time. But remember, this is the only ideal time to eat simple carbs. At all other times, complex carbs will help you sustain energy levels that deliver a steady flow of glucose to the muscle. Carbohydrates should make up 50%–60% of your daily calories. As with proteins, space your carbs evenly throughout the day’s meals. A good ratio is 2–3 grams of carbohydrate to 1 gram of protein in your two postworkout meals and 1–1 1/2 grams of carbohydrate to 1 gram of protein in your other meals. I mention two postworkout meals because one should be consumed immediately at the gym, usually in drink or bar form, while the other should come about 60–90 minutes later in the form of a meal. These two meals should represent 30%–45% of your total calories and carbohydrates for the day. Beginners can benefit from this tip used by many advanced bodybuilders: Try consuming approximately half a gram of carbohydrate per pound of bodyweight in each postworkout meal. If you eat a higher-carb preworkout meal (60–90 minutes before training), adjust your other meals’ ratios to balance out your daily percentages. Some great sources of complex carbohydrate include whole-wheat pasta, oatmeal, brown rice, beans, corn, green and yellow vegetables, shredded whea...
