The negative impact of high glycemic index foods on health is undeniable. Options such as pizza, bread, tacos, rice, spaghetti, sweets and sugary drinks quickly raise blood glucose levels, triggering harmful effects on your metabolism and putting your health at risk.
However, there is an incredibly effective tool that can completely change the way your body processes sugar after consuming these foods: strength training.
Why train before a high GI meal?
Muscle glycogen depletion and metabolic priority in recovery: During training, your muscles use glycogen (the form in which glucose is stored) as their primary source of energy. After training, glycogen stores are low and the body prioritizes its recovery along with muscle repair. Therefore, the carbohydrates you consume after exercise are directed almost exclusively to restore these stores and support protein synthesis by interacting with amino acids, rather than accumulating in the bloodstream or being stored as fat. This metabolic process helps prevent high spikes in blood glucose and contributes to a more efficient recovery.
Activation of GLUT-4 transporters: Training activates glucose transporters known as GLUT-4 in muscle cells. These transporters move to the surface of cells without the need for insulin, allowing glucose to enter the muscles directly to be used or stored as glycogen. This process is highly efficient and helps prevent blood glucose levels from rising excessively when you eat afterwards.
Increased insulin sensitivity: Exercise temporarily increases insulin sensitivity. This means your muscles absorb glucose from the blood more efficiently, reducing the need for your pancreas to release large amounts of insulin to balance your blood sugar levels.
High energy expenditure: Intense training, especially strength training, significantly increases caloric expenditure, not only during the session, but also after it has finished. This phenomenon, known as EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption), maintains high caloric consumption during recovery. As a result, your body prioritizes the use of carbohydrates you eat later to replenish energy reserves, thus avoiding excess blood glucose.
Why is strength training the best option?
These processes are also observed in other types of training; however, they become significantly more pronounced in strength training due to the high level of mechanical and metabolic stress it generates. By recruiting primarily type II muscle fibers and working with progressive loads, strength training causes a deeper depletion of muscle glycogen stores, thereby maximizing its metabolic impact.
What does this mean to you?
This phenomenon is a metabolic benefit that you can take advantage of, using this post-workout state to consume carbohydrates more safely and with less concern about blood glucose spikes or fat accumulation.