What is carb cycling?

Carb Cycling is used by many bodybuilders and fitness athletes to prepare for contests and shows. Some athletes even use it as a maintenance diet or even a body recomposition diet.

It's a strategy for bulking up while keeping your body fat down. “Most men who are trying to build muscle tend to gain some fat too." says Mike Roussell. Ph.D.. a nutritional consultant in State College. Pennsylvania. That's like taking one step forward and one step back. Carb cycling, by contrast. "is like taking two steps forward and one step back" See, when you eat more carbohydrates than you need for fueling your metabolism, your body turns the carbs into glucose and shuttles it off to your fat and muscle cells.

This causes your belly to grow along with your biceps. That's where carb cycling kicks in: You boost your carb intake on days you exercise and cut back on days you don't With this strategy, your body must draw on its stored energy reserves for power, which means you'll be burning fat To give carb cycling a spin, use this menu: On workout days, eat a balanced carb-fat-protein diet, emphasizing high fiber carbs like beans, whole grains, and fruit On rest days, go with leafy greens and fibrous vegetables, and keep your carb intake under 100 grams.