"Complex carbohydrates are always best, except, again, after a workout where you could take simple (sugar) carbohydrates to get an insulin spike. But at other times doing this is not very beneficial because insulin is a storage hormone and it's going to shunt everything into the muscle"

Dorian Yates is contrasting the everyday value of complex carbohydrates with the strategic use of simple sugars around training. Complex carbs, oats, brown rice, legumes, whole fruits and vegetables, digest more slowly, deliver fiber and micronutrients, and keep blood sugar and energy steady. For most meals, that steadiness supports appetite control, mood, and metabolic health. Spiking blood glucose with sugary foods outside of training windows tends to be counterproductive: insulin rises quickly, drives nutrients into storage, and can leave you with an energy dip and more hunger soon after.

Training changes the equation. Resistance or intense endurance work depletes muscle glycogen and makes muscle tissue temporarily more insulin sensitive. In that short window, a rapid rise in insulin from simple carbs helps shuttle glucose back into muscle to refill glycogen. When paired with protein, insulin also supports muscle protein synthesis by driving amino acids into cells and suppressing breakdown. That’s why many athletes use fast carbs, dextrose, ripe fruit, or even milk, post-workout. The same sugar surge that would be unhelpful at rest becomes useful when muscles are “primed” to soak up nutrients.

There are nuances. Insulin is a storage hormone for all tissues, not just muscle, and outside of a training context a big sugar hit can favor fat storage if energy needs are already met. You don’t need pure sugar after every workout; a balanced meal with mostly complex carbs plus protein will also replenish glycogen, just more gradually. The harder and longer the session, the more a faster carb source may help; the lighter the session, the less timing matters. For most people, emphasizing complex carbs most of the time, ensuring adequate protein, and saving quicker-digesting carbs for demanding training days strikes a sensible balance between health, performance, and body composition.