What we all want is to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. By the way, this is the supreme discipline in bodybuilding. But don't worry: You don't have to become a bodybuilder to make the Carb Cycling Diet work for you.
Have you ever heard of carb cycling? This form of nutrition is supposed to help us burn body fat efficiently.
Simply change the diet and already the muscles grow and the fat melts. But is it really as simple as everyone says? What is behind it?
We tell you everything you need to know about the Carb Cycling Diet.
You'll learn in this post,
- what Carb Cycling means,
- the phases of the Carb Cycling diet,
- the best tips for everyday life with this form of nutrition,
- for whom Carb Cycling is suitable,
- what the advantages and disadvantages are and
- how healthy this diet really is.
First of all, let's get straight to the point: It is impossible to lose fat and build muscle at the same time. You have to choose one and pursue the goals one after the other.
When building muscle, you need to consume more calories than your body needs. It needs the extra energy to build muscle mass.
And if you want to reduce fat, you need to eat fewer calories than your body needs. Then it starts to lose body fat.
So much for the theory.
In practice, however, there are ways to achieve both at the same time. One possibility is the Carb Cycling Diet.
With this type of diet you can lose fat and build muscle.
Carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, rice and potatoes, have the great advantage that they make you satisfied and full. In addition, they provide a varied menu and can be varied endlessly.
Unfortunately, they cause weight gain when consumed without restraint. Low carb diets, on the other hand, promise to curb cravings. The carb cycling diet shows that there is another way. This is not a new trend sport, but a clever nutrition strategy.
Table of contents
Carb Cycling - What is it?
The diet was developed by American fitness and nutrition coach Chris Powell. If the term "Carb Cycling" is translated into German, it means "cyclical carbohydrate intake". And that already explains the whole process of the Carb Cycling diet.
The process is quite simple: the focus of this diet is placed on an alternating rhythm of the intake of carbohydrates. This should lead to a faster burning of fat and simultaneous building of muscles.
In short, you eat less carbohydrates on some days and more on other days throughout the week.
The days are divided into low carb, medium carb and high carb.
The purpose of this specific diet is to gain lean muscle mass and at the same time boost fat loss.
The best part is that by flexibly consuming carbohydrates, your body never runs the risk of converting excess energy into fat.
The carbs you eat are used efficiently to build your muscles.
Carb Cycling Diet Phases
Carb cycling is distinguished between three phases:
Phase 1: Low Carb
On such a day, you consume only about 75 % of your total calories. This means you eat less than your basal metabolic rate and are therefore in a caloric deficit.
If you weigh 60 kg, are 160 cm tall and have a normal performance metabolism of 2,000 kcal daily, you will only consume 1,500 kcal on such days. Since you are in a calorie deficit, your training should be light (maintenance training).
2nd phase: Medium Carb
On medium carbohydrate days, eat as many calories as your power metabolic rate.
You consume the same number of kcal as you burn. So if your performance metabolism is 2,000 calories, then you also consume 2,000 kcal on such a day.
In such phases you don't do any training and allow your body a little time to regenerate.
Phase 3: High Carb
On the High Carb day you consume 125 % of your performance turnover, i.e. 25 % more than you normally burn.
If your basal metabolic rate is around 2,000 kcal, you will consume 2,500 kcal on such days. Due to the calorie plus, a hard workout to build muscle is called for on these days.
The days always change in a cycle.
Your Carb Cycling diet can look like this
- Monday: Low Carb
- Tuesday: Low Carb
- Wednesday: High Carb
- Thursday: Low Carb
- Friday: Low Carb
- Saturday: Medium Carb
- Sunday: High Carb
Some athletes also swear by a daily alternation between low, high and medium.
No matter how you plan your carbohydrate intake, it is important that you link your training plan to it.
On low carb days, moderate training is always a good idea. On high carb days you train intensively. Since the calorie plus gives you a lot of strength, your muscles are built up and challenged particularly effectively.
On high carb days, you should primarily train large muscle groups. They can then recover on medium carb days.
Three important tips to perform carb cycling in everyday life
1. pay attention to the quality of the carbohydrates!
High carb does not mean that you can eat without restraint on such days. If you want to implement the concept properly, then pay attention to sustainable energy sources. Stay away from rolls, white bread and the like.
The largest part of your diet should consist of long-chain carbohydrates on such days. This not only keeps you full longer, but also keeps your blood sugar level constant.
Healthy carbohydrates include legumes, oatmeal, quinoa, bananas, brown rice and buckwheat.
2. keep an eye on the total calories!
On high carb days you may increase your normal metabolic rate, but you should not overshoot the target. Always ensure a calorie deficit on low carb days.
All in all, the weekly balance is what counts, and you should always keep an eye on it. Even if it can be a bit annoying to weigh and calculate everything, that's the only way it really works.
3. proteins must be on the menu!
Although the Carb Cycling Diet revolves around carbohydrates, protein building blocks should not fall by the wayside either.
In order for your muscles to grow, the body needs protein. Therefore, it is important to eat enough protein on days with increased carbohydrate intake.
Positive effects Carb Cycling
How can it be that alternating carbohydrate intake stimulates fat burning?
First and foremost, carbohydrates ensure that your body is supplied with sufficient energy. Especially in a training phase, this energy supplier is important. The energy is only converted into fat if you do not exercise enough.
On high carb days, you must place special emphasis on training large muscle groups. This way your body uses enough energy and does not convert the carbs into fat. It uses the carbs to build muscle. Carb cycling tricks your metabolism, so to speak, so that it runs at full speed even on days with few carbohydrates.
Many athletes have the problem that when they are in the muscle building phase, they gain fat mass.
But if you rely on the carb cycling approach, you can avoid this. Not only does it speed up your metabolism, but it also permanently burns excess fat.
For whom the Carb Cycling diet is suitable
Carb cycling has two goals: Muscle building and weight loss with simultaneous fat reduction.
This diet is suitable for all strength athletes who are not afraid of calculating and weighing.
It will be easy especially for those who already have experience in creating training and nutrition plans.
Only if you manage to stick to the meals and the phases, you will see success.
Carb Cycling diet is not intended for people who are just starting to exercise.
Amateur athletes who enjoy exercising and want to keep fit are not the target group for carb cycling. The effort involved is simply too high.
Carb Cycling Application
In order for fat reduction, weight loss and muscle building to take place at the same time, it is important to pay attention to the dietary rules.
These are the main rules and tips for high and low calorie days.
10 nutrition rules for carb cycling
1. it is best to eat five meals throughout the day.
2. you should eat breakfast in the best case half an hour after getting up.
3. the remaining 4 meals should be distributed in a 3-hour rhythm.
4. to get the metabolism going, drink a glass of warm water with lemon directly after getting up.
5. on days with an intense workout, you need to eat enough carbohydrates to build muscle mass.
6. make sure to eat protein and healthy fats every day.
7. on non-training days and days with moderate training, few to no carbohydrates end up on your plate.
8. good sources of protein are eggs, dairy products, legumes or meat.
9. drink at least 2.5 liters of still water daily.
10. to boost your metabolism even more, you can schedule a "cheat day" where you really fill up your energy reserves.
Tips for days with high carbohydrate intake
The first two meals on these days should consist of simple sugars, like lots of fruit.
In addition to sufficient carbohydrates, it is also important to eat enough protein during this phase.
You eat more calories, but still eat very healthy.
Train one hour after you have eaten carbohydrates. This way you have enough strength for the workout.
If your body fat percentage is over 20 %, you shouldn't schedule an entire Cheat Day. One cheat meal per week must be enough.
With a body fat percentage between 15 and 20 %, you should include more low carb days each week until your body fat percentage is below 15 %.
Tips for days with low carbohydrate intake
Replace carbohydrates with green vegetables such as kale, lettuce, cucumbers, spinach or broccoli.
Keep your hands off too much fructose (fruit) and, as with the other phases, eat at 3-hour intervals to keep your blood sugar levels steady.
It's important not to overdo your workouts on days when your carbohydrate intake is low.
Advantages and disadvantages Carb Cycling
As with all diets and nutritional concepts, there are both pros and cons to carb cycling:
Carb Cycling Advantages
On carbohydrate-rich days, you boost your metabolism. By replenishing the glycogen store in the muscle, you get short-term and quick energy for the workout.
You can build muscle and burn fat at the same time.
By permanently alternating between many and few carbohydrates, you achieve a consistently improved fat burning.
You feel stronger and have more energy.
With Carb Cycling you will become leaner and more defined at the same time.
Disadvantages of the Carb Cycling Diet
Creating the plan takes a long time and is complex.
High computational cost, as exact calorie requirements must be met.
Due to the amount of planning and calculation required, Carb Cycling is not suitable for beginners.
It is very difficult to incorporate the Carb Cycling diet into a normal daily routine.
How healthy is Carb Cycling?
If you decide to follow this diet concept, it is not only important how many calories you eat, but also what kind of carbohydrates you eat.
If you really want to lose weight, you shouldn't immediately reach for spaghetti, pizza or toast on high-carbohydrate days. Rather, reach for rich whole grain products.
So far, there is no scientific evidence of actual success of this diet. Only one study from 2013 has proven that regular low carb days in combination with a healthy diet and sufficient exercise can lead to great weight loss results.
The health benefits of this concept are to counteract the slowed metabolism. In addition, insulin secretion is controlled and remains constant in the long term.
Our conclusion
All in all, Carb Cycling brings a decisive advantage: On days with a calorie plus, the body also has more strength to lift more weight. This leads to faster muscle growth.
If you build more muscle, your body automatically burns more calories, which in turn helps burn fat.
Even on days with a very low intake of carbohydrates, your metabolism runs at full speed. Since it receives fewer calories in such phases, your body falls back on the fat reserves. As a result, even more fat is burned.
But for you to really implement this concept, you need a lot of time for planning. In addition, you need to strictly adhere to nutritional plans.
For those who do not want to become bodybuilders or professional athletes, we do not recommend the Carb Cycling Diet.
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