Do carbs make you stronger in the gym?
The Effect of Carbohydrate Intake on Strength and Resistance Training Performance: A Systematic Review
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Eating carbs before a workout only helps if you haven't eaten all day or if you're doing a ton of sets. If you're already fed or eating the same calories as others, carbs don't make you lift more or grow bigger muscles.
Surprising Findings
Carbs didn't improve performance in 13 out of 19 acute studies—even when taken right before lifting.
Most fitness influencers and sports nutrition guides claim pre-workout carbs are essential for strength. This study shows they're often unnecessary.
Practical Takeaways
If you lift in a fed state and do ≤10 sets per muscle group, skip the pre-workout carb snack—save the calories for later.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Eating carbs before a workout only helps if you haven't eaten all day or if you're doing a ton of sets. If you're already fed or eating the same calories as others, carbs don't make you lift more or grow bigger muscles.
Surprising Findings
Carbs didn't improve performance in 13 out of 19 acute studies—even when taken right before lifting.
Most fitness influencers and sports nutrition guides claim pre-workout carbs are essential for strength. This study shows they're often unnecessary.
Practical Takeaways
If you lift in a fed state and do ≤10 sets per muscle group, skip the pre-workout carb snack—save the calories for later.
Publication
Journal
Nutrients
Year
2022
Authors
Menno Henselmans, Thomas Bjørnsen, Richie Hedderman, Fredrik Tonstad Vårvik
Related Content
Claims (6)
Increased carbohydrate intake enhances intramuscular glycogen storage, thereby improving resistance training performance and volume capacity.
Eating carbs before or during a normal weightlifting session doesn't make you stronger or let you lift more reps, as long as you've eaten recently and aren't doing super long workouts.
If you're doing a really long, intense workout with lots of sets, or working out twice in one day, eating carbs might help you lift more—but only if you were hungry or hadn't eaten, not if you're eating the same number of calories from other foods.
Whether you eat a lot of carbs or very few, as long as you're getting enough calories and protein, your strength and muscle growth won't be different after 3 months of lifting weights.
Eating carbs before a workout when you haven't eaten all night might make you feel like you can lift more—but it's probably because you feel less hungry or think you're getting energy, not because your muscles actually have more fuel.