Insulin is by far and away one of the most misunderstood hormones in the world of fitness. There are camps of people who truly blame it for all of the worlds obesity problems, and there are others who view it as nothing more than a hormone that shuttles nutrients around.
The answer, as always, lies somewhere in the middle.
Before we can dig into how to increase your insulin sensitivity, we need to know why this is important. Insulin is one of the master hormones in the body. It governs a number of metabolic processes, and is typically viewed as a nutrient storage hormone.
When glucose levels rise the body responds by increasing insulin levels, which serves the purpose of shuttling glucose around and delivering it to needy cells within the muscle, liver, and others. Along the way it brings other nutrients with it.
And this is where knowing about insulin can be super important when it comes to building muscle and dropping fat.
When you’re more sensitive to insulin, you have greater potential for fat burning, and building muscle mass is far easier, because the body is primed to store nutrients in the exact way that you need.
So, here are 4 ways to manage your insulin levels.
Manage and time your carbs.
This is by far and away the most obvious tip, but that’s because in my coaching business I still talk to people every single day who get this wrong.
Your body is going to be far more receptive to carbs, and therefore insulin, right around training times. So this means it’s highly beneficial to try and get most of your daily carb intake in the pre and post workout window.
Shoot for roughly 25% of your carbs pre workout, about 50% post workout, and then save the rest for the end of the day.
Chromium.
This is one of the most underrated supplements when it comes to helping people manage their insulin, but those who know what the hell they’re doing know that over time this can play a massive role.
Chromium is a mineral that drastically improves insulin sensitivity so much that in some cases it’s been shown to reverse Type 2 diabetes. So if your goal is to build more muscle, burn less fat, or just live a better life, then chromium is a supplement you need to be using.
Taking anywhere between a range of 200 – 600mcg seems to be the sweet spot for most people.
Alpha Lipoic Acid.
Otherwise known as ALA, this is a powerful supplement that can do a great job in helping you manage glucose and insulin levels by helping make the body more sensitive to glucose when it shows up.
However, you need to be aware that there are two types of ALA. Essentially they have different isomers, one is r-ALA, and the other is I-ALA. The r-ALA has been shown repeatedly in studies to work wonders, so make sure that’s the one you’re going with.
Vanadium.
Another mineral, much like chromium, that helps with overall insulin sensitivity by making the body react more favorably to glucose when it shows up in the body.
This originally showed up on the market in some pre workout supplements because it promised to deliver a bigger pump than you normally get, which is partially true because it allows you to hold more glycogen.
Of course, that’s really just because you’re more sensitive to insulin.
Give these a try, bros. Your physique will be far better for it.