Carb Cycling

How Can Carb Cycling Help?

Yes, what is an article about building muscle without mentioning diet? Abs are made in the kitchen, right? Well, yes, to an extent. But diet is still a key factor in the making of a more muscular you. 

Carb cycling is a viable and effective option for cutting body fat. Cycling your carbohydrate intake normally calls for several days in the red and then a day or two of a serpless. This process cuts calories down for a limited time, forcing your body to burn fat, even when resting. Once your body gets wise and tries to slow down your metabolism to conserve energy due to the lack of calories you pump up the carb intake and give it a surge to kick start your fat burning furnace once again. 

1) Choose which days to be high and low carb days, e.g. lower body training days, means high carb days, other training days means low to moderate carb days and rest days means very low carb days.

2) On rest days go with 0.5-0.75g of carbs per pound of body weight. For medium exercise days go with 1-1.25g of carbs per pound and for high days of exercise, aim for 2g of carbs per pound.

3) Ensure you are getting a minimum of 1g of protein per pound of body weight. 

4) Healthy fats should consist of around 20-30% of your total daily calories. These fats wil come in handy on those low carb times when you need some extra fuel to get you through your exercises. 

Does Carb Cycling Have Any Other Benefits?

Benefits of low carb periods may include better insulin sensitivity, increased fat burning, improved cholesterol and enhanced metabolic health. High carb refeeds may also have possitive effects on hormones during a diet, including thyroid hormones, testosterone and leptin. These factors may play an important role in long term dieting success, since hormones play a key role in hunger, metabolism and exercise performance.