If you are in a hurry and just want to find out what the best carb powder for bulking is, then we recommend Performance Lab® SPORT Carb as the best one.
We’ve all heard that carbohydrates are “the devil” and should be avoided. If you talk to people passionate about exercise, though, you’ll hear something different.
Carbs are great for gaining larger muscles and experiencing more intense workouts, and carb powder is the best way to quickly digest carbs.
Here are the best carb powders we’ve found.
Here are the top carb powders we’ll be reviewing:
- EFX Sports Karbolyn Fuel
- Vitargo Carbohydrate Powder
- Post JYM Fast-Digesting Carb
- NOW Sports Nutrition Carbo Gain
- Performance Lab® SPORT Carb
What Is Carb Powder?
Carb powder is simply a powdered form of carbohydrates designed for mixing with drinks.
Carbohydrates, also known as saccharides, are naturally occurring sugars, fiber and starches.
There are simple and complex carbohydrates, and this distinction has a lot to do with how the body digests them.
Simple carbs require almost no digestion and enter the blood immediately, whereas complex carbs must be broken down and digested before entering the blood.
A quickly digested carb can result in a sudden, intense energy spike, whereas slowly digested carbs provide the body with steadier, sustained energy.
The best carb powder delivers a concentrated dose of carbohydrates into the body in order to provide you with that extra boost of energy during your workouts.
The energy boost isn’t the only benefit of the powder, however.
What Are the Major Benefits?
In addition to providing you with an extra dose of energy during your workouts, using carb powder to supplement your carbohydrate intake can have other beneficial effects on the body.
Increased Overall Performance
There are different types of carb powder, and they work best at different times during the workout.
Some are better if taken before a workout; some are best taken during a workout, and some are designed for post-workout consumption.
That’s because the base carbs used in them are different and provide different benefits.
When taken together, though, they’ll give you an overall performance boost at each stage of your workout.
You’ll receive a nice, quick energy boost from pre-workout powders. That’ll get you pumped and ready to work.
When those start wearing off, you might start flagging a little; that’s where intra-workout carb powders pick up the slack, sustaining you for the long, steady haul.
Taken together, they’ll provide you with what you need for a sustained, high-intensity workout.
Speedy Recovery
Carb powder taken after your workout acts to replenish your energy.
It helps eliminate that post-workout drain and can help alleviate muscle soreness and stiffness by replacing the wasted muscle glycogen spent during your exercise routine.
In short, it’ll have you feeling good again in no time.
Can Help Build Larger Muscle and Retain the Gains
Without delving too deeply into the science behind it, experts agree that being specific about the type of carbs you consume before, during and after a workout is an important part of reaching your bodybuilding and fitness goals.
Furthermore, carb powder can help you maintain higher levels of testosterone production while exercising, which is key to building muscle.
Finally, because of the glycogen-replacing effects mentioned above, carb powder can also be extremely instrumental in helping you keep the gains you’ve managed to achieve.
Working hard at the gym is only half the battle.
The right carb powder after a workout can aid in muscle repair, recovery and growth.
Are There Disadvantages?
First and foremost, if you’re diabetic or have some other condition that causes carbs/sugars to affect you adversely, you don’t need to take carb powder.
Beyond that, though, there are a few other things to consider.
Won’t Help You Burn Calories
When looking for the best carb powder, it should be because you’re hoping to bulk up and add more muscle to your frame.
Carb powder isn’t going to help you lose weight or burn calories.
Carbs provide your body with an energy boost, which actually prevents your body from using stored energy reserves (i.e. – burning calories/excess fat stores to release energy).
Carb powder isn’t a weight-loss supplement.
Detrimental to Growth Hormone Release
Studies have also shown that carbohydrates can have negative impacts on the release of growth hormone, so if your goal is to stimulate higher growth hormone production, protein powder is the better bet.
Things to Consider Before Buying a Carb Supplement
The first thing to consider is whether or not carb powder will help you reach your specific goals.
If the goal is weight loss, for example, it’s not the best option.
If you’re looking for increased stamina, better overall performance, bigger muscle and quicker recovery times, though, carb powder is probably going to be a good choice.
Carbohydrate Base Types
Your next consideration concerns what types of carb powder are best for you. There used to be three main kinds of carbohydrate bases:
- Dextrose
- Maltodextrin
- Waxy Maize
Each had its own advantages.
Dextrose provides quick energy; maltodextrin provided a more constant energy source, and waxy maize had a larger molecular structure than both and could be digested even more quickly than either.
Now, however, companies are using a wide variety of different bases, and it’s up to you to decide which one suits your needs.
The Top Carb Powder Reviews
EFX Sports Karbolyn Fuel
EFX Sports uses karbolyn as the base for its powder. Karbolyn is a relatively new carbohydrate base that consists of several monosaccharides linked by glycosidic bonds.
This gives them a large, branching structure that allows karbolyn to be absorbed through the stomach much more quickly than any of the “standard three” original bases.
This is great for pre-workouts because it allows you to carb load mere moments before starting as opposed to having to start an hour or so early.
EFX Sports Karbolyn Fuel also provides you with quicker recovery times as well. There are no sugars, stimulants or gluten in the product either.
There are, however, limited size and flavor options, and this one isn’t as effective at providing a constant source of sustained energy as some of the others.
The powder also didn’t mix as well as we’d like.
Pros
- Super fast initial energy boost.
- Takes only moments to carb load.
- Spectacular recovery times.
- Features karbolyn base, which is easily absorbed.
Cons
- Doesn’t sustain constant energy well.
- Limited flavor and size options.
- Doesn’t always mix well.
Vitargo Carbohydrate Powder
The base for this powder is also a relatively new carbohydrate known as vitargo. Like powders with a karbolyn base, vitargo really packs an excellent energy punch.
Vitargo Carbohydrate Powder absorbs quickly and spikes the insulin to levels that are optimal for high-intensity workouts.
It also replenishes the body’s glycogen rapidly, which makes it an excellent post workout powder.
Furthermore, like some (but not all) karbolyn-based powders, the sustained energy levels aren’t quite as high as some of the other mixes out there.
There are several different flavor and size options from which to choose, but despite that, the product is expensive.
Furthermore, though the product claims to be sugar-free and vegan-friendly, we tasted a lot of sugar and felt a little bit of a sugar crash (not terrible, but noticeable) after the initial surge wore off again.
Pros
- Quickly absorbed.
- Great for pre-workout energy boosts and post-workout recoveries.
- Lots of flavor options.
- Mixes well.
Cons
- Expensive.
- Doesn’t sustain energy well.
- Causes some people to “crash” after taking.
Post JYM Fast-Digesting Carb
Post JYM Fast-Digesting Carb was one of the few options that legitimately tasted good rather than just bearable; the lemonade flavor is quite enjoyable.
The energy boost with this product wasn’t as quick or as hard-hitting as the karbolyn- or vitargo-based products, but it came quickly enough and provided a nice, even boost of energy that wasn’t as hard on the back end when it was wearing off again.
JYM is really great as a post-workout carb powder.
It was probably the most effective, aside from maybe the Performance Lab Sport brand, at replenishing the body’s glycogen stores in a lightning fast time frame, which also makes it one of the best for maintaining muscle gains.
It also provided the fastest recovery time.
Pros
- Affordable.
- Tastes great.
- Good source of initial energy with no “crash.”
- Excellent for post-workout recovery.
Cons
- Not as quickly absorbed as others.
- Initial energy surge isn’t as powerful as others.
NOW Sports Nutrition Carbo Gain
NOW Sports Nutrition Carbo Gain is by far the most affordable option on the list, and there are several different container sizes from which to choose.
There are no flavor options. The only flavor is “unflavored,” and it doesn’t quite live up to that. There’s definitely a flavor, and while it isn’t awful, it’s not exactly pleasant either.
The product is easy to digest and absorbs rapidly, although a small percentage of our team complained of bloating after using it for a sustained period of time.
The powder mixes relatively well, and while the initial energy burst isn’t comparable with that of the other products on the list, this one far surpasses most of them in terms of a sustained energy level during workouts. It’s also one of the better options for adding weight to your frame.
Just be careful to balance out your macros, or that weight could become more flab than muscle.
Pros
- Best at sustaining energy levels.
- Can quickly add mass to the body.
- Very inexpensive.
- Mixes easily.
Cons
- Caused bloating in a small percentage of users.
- Doesn’t taste great.
Performance Lab® SPORT Carb
Performance Lab® SPORT Carb is another karbolyn-based product, and it provides many of the same great benefits as the EFX Sports option – incredible initial energy surge, spectacular glycogen-replenishing properties for post-workout recovery and quick absorption rates that make “carbing up” fast and easy.
Unlike the EFX Sports brand, though, Performance Lab® SPORT Carb also provides a rather nice constant, stable source of energy during workouts as well.
We didn’t notice much flagging while using this product.
There’s no caffeine or other additives in the powder, and all the ingredients are 100% natural. It mixes very well in water, and the taste – while not unflavored as described – isn’t terrible.
The price is a little on the high side, but it certainly isn’t the most expensive brand on the market, and overall, we found it to be quite beneficial in terms of facilitating energy-sustained, effective workouts.
Pros
- Great initial boost of energy.
- Great source of constant energy during workout.
- Excellent for post-workout recovery.
- All natural.
Cons
- Somewhat expensive.
- Doesn’t taste great.
Our Pick
Any one of these five products could be considered a contender for the best carb powder out there.
However, when it came right down to it, we ultimately chose Performance Lab® SPORT Carb as the best carb powder because of its “best all-around” formula.
It uses a karbolyn base, which is one of the most easily digested carbohydrate bases, for a quick absorption rate and powerful energy surge and a rapid recovery time after workouts.
Unlike its karbolyn-based competitor, EFX Sports, it also provides a nice sustained flow of energy as well, perhaps because of its pharmaceutical grade, all-natural ingredients.
There are no harmful additives, and the powder mixes almost instantly and doesn’t leave a grainy consistency or terrible aftertaste, although the “neutral” flavor isn’t quite as neutral as advertised.
All-in-all, this was our choice for the best carb powder for bulking because the benefits-to-downsides ratio was just too heavily skewed towards the benefits side.
