Let's talk carbs for a minute . . . First off, carbs are our primary source of energy that we use during training as stored glycogen in both the liver and muscles. Intense endurance training rely heavily on carbs for fuel, however strength training can also deplete glycogen levels too. So we are going to discuss how you can manipulate carb intake to enhance performance.
Benefits of Carb Cycling
Carb Cycling requires you to perform some workouts in a glycogen depleted state. This helps in promoting the creation of mitochondria (small cells that create ATP, or chemical energy for the body). Increasing the amount of mitochondria in the muscles improves energy, muscle performance, and fat oxidation.
One of the most common forms of Carb Cycling is fueling your body for the work required. It is as simple as it sounds. You will plan your carb intake based on how you plan to train for that day. So a high volume leg day that taxes the body and muscles would require a high carb day to support the training. On chest day (while still taxing, not like a leg day), you would intake a moderate carb day. On active rest days/cardio days, you would go low carb.
Using this method allows you to fuel your body appropriately for the training, avoiding carb spill over and also under-eating carbs. The other component that will help you with this style of carb cycling is to ensure you go to bed on low carbs. While more difficult for people who train in the morning, it requires carb intake before the workout, and avoiding carbs throughout the day. This will have longer effects on the mitochondria creation and fat burning capabilities.
Using carb cycling as a strategy to minimize fat gain during a bulk or maximize fat loss during a cut is a great idea, and an efficient method to help you reach your goals.
- Duhamel, T. A., Perco, J. G., & Green, H. J. (2006). Manipulation of dietary carbohydrates after prolonged effort modifies muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum responses in exercising males. American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 291(4), R1100-R1110.
- Hulmi, J. J., Laakso, M., Mero, A. A., Häkkinen, K., Ahtiainen, J. P., & Peltonen, H. (2015). The effects of whey protein with or without carbohydrates on resistance training adaptations. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 12(1), 48.
- Costa, R. J., Jones, G. E., Lamb, K. L., Coleman, R., & Williams, J. H. (2005). The effects of a high carbohydrate diet on cortisol and salivary immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) during a period of increase exercise workload amongst Olympic and Ironman triathletes. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 26(10), 880-885.
- Lane, S. C., Camera, D. M., Lassiter, D. G., Areta, J. L., Bird, S. R., Yeo, W. K., … & Hawley, J. A. (2015). Effects of sleeping with reduced carbohydrate availability on acute training responses. Journal of Applied Physiology, 119(6), 643-655.
Read more

Cold weather workouts are far more challenging as compared to summer workouts. The body loses heat faster through convective heat transfer, and it may be challenging to maintain the core temperatur...

I owe a lot to the team that supports our mission. They have helped us grow substantially year over year and have helped us spread the word of our mission and vision. UXO is bigger than me, bigger...

The essentials
Share details of your store's product selection, or share a story that speaks to your customers.
Leave a comment
All comments are moderated before being published.
This site is protected by hCaptcha and the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.