Research

Hormonal

Ingesting carbohydrates or carbohydrates combined with protein during resistance exercise offsets muscle glycogen decrements, reduces markers of muscle damage, and promotes greater training adaptations (strength and muscle cross-sectional area) compared to placebo.

If your resistance training session is long (over 40 minutes), consider drinking a carbohydrate solution (6% concentration) during the workout. This helps maintain your energy levels and reduces muscle damage, leading to better strength and muscle gains over time.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Ingesting CHO alone or in combination with PRO during resistance exercise increases muscle glycogen, offsets muscle damage, and facilitates greater training adaptations after either acute or prolonged periods of supplementation with resistance training.
Chad M. Kerksick et al. · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2008

Why this rating

Supported by multiple studies (Refs 37-41, 40, 60).

Source

International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: Nutrient timing

Chad M. Kerksick et al. · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2008

DOI 10.1186/1550-2783-5-17

narrative_reviewCited 465×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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