Carb Cycling - YES OR NO and why?

Sarah0866

I've read quite a few articles and books that refer to carb cycling as a good option for retaining lean mass while cutting fat. Thoughts, anyone? Or even results you've had?

djsupreme6

it may be different for females of course but I done this and it worked great for me..I was also doing Insanity at the time but in combination with cycling kept my energy up and I never had those worn out or tired feelings...and I never felt soreness

jacksonpt

Here is Alan Aragon's thoughts...

Q: What are your thoughts about low-carb diets and carb cycling in general?

A: This is a huge question – it really depends on the individual. My underlying philosophy is to consume the maximal amount of carbs that won’t get you fat. Or put differently, consume the maximum amount of carbs that will still allow you to progress towards your goal. I recommend this from the standpoint of maximizing performance and mood. With that said, some people with speedy metabolisms and high training volumes do great on high carbs, while most desk-bound folks with low training volume do better on low carbs. Others will fall somewhere in the middle; there’s no universally effective carb intake prescription. Still there are other populations such as competitive bodybuilders who need to mix the extremes of undercarbing with overtraining (by normal standards) in order to achieve the desired look for the contest day. Carb cycling, when done methodically to match the differing training/non-training demands of each day, can be a very effective way to alter body composition. Random carb cycling without regard to variations in output, on the other hand, can be counterproductive.

So from that, it sounds like it isn't necessary for the average person, but for someone with very specific goals who is already very fit it can be beneficial if done right (i.e. planned and paired with a proper training plan).

MelodyAnn323

Great and informative answer, jackson!

Sarah0866

Here is Alan Aragon's thoughts...

Q: What are your thoughts about low-carb diets and carb cycling in general?

A: This is a huge question – it really depends on the individual. My underlying philosophy is to consume the maximal amount of carbs that won’t get you fat. Or put differently, consume the maximum amount of carbs that will still allow you to progress towards your goal. I recommend this from the standpoint of maximizing performance and mood. With that said, some people with speedy metabolisms and high training volumes do great on high carbs, while most desk-bound folks with low training volume do better on low carbs. Others will fall somewhere in the middle; there’s no universally effective carb intake prescription. Still there are other populations such as competitive bodybuilders who need to mix the extremes of undercarbing with overtraining (by normal standards) in order to achieve the desired look for the contest day. Carb cycling, when done methodically to match the differing training/non-training demands of each day, can be a very effective way to alter body composition. Random carb cycling without regard to variations in output, on the other hand, can be counterproductive.

So from that, it sounds like it isn't necessary for the average person, but for someone with very specific goals who is already very fit it can be beneficial if done right (i.e. planned and paired with a proper training plan).

Thanks! I'm alternating between low, moderate, and high days, and lifting on my moderate and high days, with my more intense lifts (typically my leg day because that's brutal) on my high carb days..love the insight

jacksonpt

FWIW, and this is a heavily debated topic on here, IMO you don't burn many cals while lifting (assuming it's heavy lifting). As such, there's probably no need to "carb up" for lifting.

What are you carb intakes on your low, moderate, high days? How low is low, how high is high?

jimmeezwyf

I carb cycle every couple months. I feel so good after but any longer than 3 days at 20 grams of carbs is enough. After 3 days I slowly up my carb intake till day 14 when I'm back to a normal carb intake. It's more of a detox for me or it's good to break a plateau

Sarah0866

My low days, I stay under 50 grams...my moderate days, I take in 125 g (1 g per pound of bodyweight), and my high days I take in 175-200 g. ..I know I've read a lot of back and forth about whether it's necessary to carb up when lifting, so I've tried both approaches, and both have worked so far so long as I ate clean.