When our workouts are an aesthetic goal, we generally like to keep the fat at bay and enjoy an aesthetic body for as long as possible. Today I will explain all about cycling carbohydrates.
When the goal is to keep the fat at bay or attempt to gain muscle gaining the least fat, more importantly, so pinpoint control diet, which is what will determine not get or our goals.
Adjusting the diet to our goal
First, we note that, depending on our aesthetic objective (gain muscle mass, maintain weight or lose fat), our diet and total calorie intake are what will determine we get one or the other objective.
We can have a workout routine focused hypertrophy, strength, endurance, power or even circuits that make us burn plenty of calories, but if we do not control diet, will not achieve or increase muscle or lose fat. We will not tire of repeating that stage not mark the type of training, but the diet to follow.
It is important to be clear about our goal, because if the goal is to gain muscle, we must always follow a high-calorie diet. Yes, unless we hurry the process and be bodybuilders, is not recommended gain weight no matter how exaggerated the composition of this increase.
We all have a genetic potential and by the training that we do each week will be able to generate a number or other muscle, thereby gaining weight without measure is not a good option.
Why cycling carbohydrates and what is it?
First, I’ll note that any macronutrient is to blame for not lose fat. What causes do not lose fat or fat will we increase caloric excess and poor food choices. Mention this because I see many anticarbohidratos movements in networks and pro-ketosis that seem too extreme.
That said, if we start from a significantly overweight or high fat percentage is not necessary to perform a complex strategy cycling carbs with setting a suitable diet and macronutrient, usually by reducing carbohydrates and some fat, it will suffice to reduce our weight slowly and healthily.
However, if you already have a fairly low percentage of fat and increasing costs us a little more to lose fat (remember that is not equal to lose 15% to 14% body fat to lose 7% to 6 %), making this strategy can bring good results.
The act of conducting a carb cycling helps us especially to maintain good hormonal balance, particularly insulin and leptin. These two hormones are very important when it comes to maintaining our muscle mass and lose fat.
Muscled body eating salad
Carbohydrate cycling benefits
When we talk about making a carb cycling, we refer to perform day in which we will have a high carbohydrate intake combined with other days that are quite low in carbohydrates. Perform these variations have a number of benefits:
Increased leptin: increasing periodically and limited consumption of carbohydrates, our body gets to have enough for the activity we want energy. When we have low leptin levels, we are lowest in energy and cost us any activity. If we are always in a low calorie diet we suffer from this lack of energy and that will not be positive we have the goal to have.
Induces muscle building: another benefit is performing day carbohydrate loading is that it leads to the creation of muscle mass (if we train hard, if you’re going to be sitting and doing endurance sports, this case is more complex that is given). A constant caloric deficit does not help build muscle mass, that we should be very clear that if our goal is to gain muscle mass, we will have to gain fat in the process naturally, much as we use such strategies, but will try to win the minimum.
That said, there are many ways to make the cycling carbs, but I will list some possible types that each can bring to your life in terms of that interests you:
- 5 down days and two high-this is the preferable if the primary goal is to lose fat while maintaining lean mass as possible. It’s simple, five days in which we reduce carbohydrates and two days in which we increase. If possible, it would be convenient to use two high carb days to train hard.
- 5 high days and two low: when our goal is to gain muscle mass, minimizing the fat we accumulate, this strategy is quite good. Although there are materialized 5 high days and two basses, most convenient is if we train four days a week, make those 4 high carb days and 3 low resting, trying to keep on aggregate in the week a caloric surplus.
- A high day and another low-another option is to alternate, a high carb day followed by another low-carb, easy and simple
- As a rule, but would have to study each particular case and every lifestyle (not the same one who works in a chair for eight hours as someone who should be in constant motion during his eight hours of work and further training) the high and low days would be as follows:
- High carb day: about 4 to 5 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight.
- Low Carb Day: If our goal is to lose fat, 50 to 100 grams of carbohydrates a day would be enough if we are to gain muscle, not less than 1g or 1.5g per kg of body weight.
I explained all methods, I want to emphasize that the source of carbohydrates for me is key, and it is always advisable to choose sources of complex carbohydrates that provide us with energy, trying not to abuse the refined carbohydrates.
