Carb Cycling for Muscle Mass

By Darren Bain

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 Achieving significant hypertrophy (muscle mass) gains and fat loss at the same time can be
tricky business. As you now know carbs can essentially make us fat if not consumed in the
correct amounts and at the 'right' times, but on the flip side are essential for gaining muscle.
Insulin is a very important hormone for muscle - it is very anabolic. It is responsible for
transporting amino acids and the amount of glucose to the muscle cells, the more of these 2
key components you get to your muscles the more you will grow. Insulin ensures an anabolic
not catabolic (muscle breakdown) state.

Your head is probably spinning; I can hear you thinking you’re telling me in the Introductory
Metabolic Switch Nutrition Plan to consume no carbs now you're telling me to consume
carbs?
Let me be clear the most important thing to drop is body fat, the leaner you are (of course
'healthy' lean) the healthier you will be. I can guarantee you this a male at 20% will not have
the same estrogen type problems at 10%. So if you are carrying too much fat your first
priority is to drop the fat and the best way to do this generally is low carb as per the
Introductory Metabolic Switch Plan. Once you drop the fat then you can look to a more
hypertrophy focused plan such as this, remember the leaner you are the more carbs you can
consume.

For individuals wanting to pack on the muscle you need carbs. This is where it gets tricky and
a well structured carb cycling routine is necessary to achieve a lean but muscular physique.
There's one thing that all physique enhancement specialists agree upon the more body fat you
have the fewer carbs you should consume. This goes both for the quantity and frequency of
the carb intake. The leaner you are the more carbs you can have on a day-to-day basis and the
more frequent carb-ups you should use. If you're carrying high amounts of body fat you will
need to stay away from carbs as much as possible and following the metabolic switch plan and
‘cheat’ meal(s) guideline will produce a better result for your health and body composition.
Once you get lean you can then move over to the Carb Cycling Plan.

The structure of this plan will help you gain maximum muscle mass without gaining too much
fat at the same time.
There is many different ways and reasons to structure the inclusion of carbs for optimal
results, one thing all the experts agree on is that getting the carb balance right is the key to
long term success. Dr Lonnie Lowery an expert in physique enhancement and nutrition states
that “incorporating carbs will help physiologically, psychologically and with thyroid
maintenance, leptin maintenance, anti-catabolism, glycogen replenishment and performance
boosts”.

Summing Up
To ensure maximum muscle mass is achieved you need carbs and a fair amount. On the other
hand if you are carrying too much body fat eating them at the wrong times in excessive
amounts will increase body fat.

What do you do then?

Introducing the carb cycling method

This method involves not consuming many carbs and fats together , consume carbs when your
body is most insulin sensitive, which is post weights sessions and first thing in the morning.

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It's quite simple; you essentially have 3 meals with carbs and 3 without. Christian
Thibaudeau recommends carb cycling in a format of a high carbs, moderate carbs and low
carb days. These days are split relative to you training schedule.
We are going to use this high, moderate, low carb format but with my modifications and daily
allowances and recommendations.
The weights sessions with the highest volume and demand warrant the high carb days, you
are allowed 2 high carb days per week; these will be referred to as your “priority sessions”.
Two -Three other training days will be “moderate carb” days and non training days will be
“low carb” days.
Carbs from your veggies don't count towards the daily allowance, except for the starchy ones
like potato.

Exceptions
If you are not gaining muscle at the rate at which you desire add an extra high carb day, if you
are gaining fat cut out the high days or reduce the amount of carbs on the high carb days.
If you are female I recommend not completing the high carb day and use the medium day as
your high day.

The tables below are for trainees who train in the afternoon after work, the tables can be
easily adjusted to suit the time of day you train.

High Carb Day

You want to be having your carb intake for the first part of the day as your insulin sensitivity
is higher in the first part of the day as opposed to later in the day. This will maximize muscle
glycogen storage and minimise fat storage by having your carb intake early rather than later
in the day - This means carbs for breakfast including fibre.

Why Fiber?

Fiber blunts post-meal insulin and glucose levels, slower and lower production of insulin by
the pancreas, provides a sensation of fullness, decrease LDL (bad cholesterol) & will help
eliminate Xenoestrogens. Aim for 30grams of fiber per day in divided doses…Word of
warning; implement slowly.

Carb Intake Summary:

Consume More Carbs...

• Upon awakening

• Immediate Post Workout

• 60-90 Minute Post-workout

Because carbs and fat both provide energy, it's important to manage the amounts of each that
you consume. Remember fat intake should be low in these meals to avoid providing your body
with too much available energy at one time, which would cause some energy to be stored as
body fat.

This means as carb intake goes up, fat intake should come down, and vice versa.

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To work out your protein requirements is quite simple: Shoot for 2g of protein per kg of
bodyweight.

High Carb Day Template

Meal Protein Carbohydrates Added Healthy Fat

1 20-50g 100g <5g

2 20-50g 100g <5g

3 20-50g 0g <5g

4 Immediately Post 20-50g 70g <5g

Workout

5 (60-90 minute 20-50g 100g 0g

Post Workout)

6 20-50g 0g <5g

REMEMBER DON'T SKIP YOUR POST WORKOUT DRINK!

Getting quality protein and carbohydrates into your system immediately post workout is
crucial, within 30 minutes is recommended. This is referred to as the “window of
opportunity”. The ability to replenish glycogen stores decreases by 50% if you wait two hours
after training to refuel the body.

Medium Day

The focus remains on your medium day to ensure your carbs are consumed at the right times
in the allocated amounts, just in a reduced amount:

 Breakfast

 Immediate post workout

 60-90 mins post workout

Fat intake is increased a little on this day to accommodate the meals where carbs are low.

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Sample Medium Day

Meal Protein Carbohydrate Added Healthy Fat

1 20-50g 40g <5g

2 20-50g 0g 5g

3 20-50g 0g 15g

Immediate Post 20-50g 50g 0-5g

Workout

60-90mins Post 20-50g 50g 0g

Workout

6 20-50g 0g 5-10g

Low Day

Fat intake is higher on this day, due to carbohydrate allowance being low.

Low day is to be for non training days.

Sample Low Day

Meal Protein Carbohydrates Added Healthy Fat

1 20-50g 35g <5g

2 20-50g 0g <5g

3 20-50g 0g 10g

4 20-50g 0g 10g

5 20-50g 0g 5-10g

Carbohydrate Guidelines:

Carbs from your salads and vegetables do not go towards your high/medium/low carb day
allowance: you can have as much salad and vegetables as you require, excluding starchy vegies
like potato.
High fructose fruits are more suited to breakfast when liver glycogen is lowest rather than post
workout - remember fructose is processed through the liver rather than the muscles having
priority. Post workout we want our muscles to soak up the glucose. This means non fructose
carbs are superior for post work out.

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Muscle Mass Carb Cycling Plan

Monday: Tuesday: Wednesda Thursday: Friday: Saturday Sunday:

High Carb Medium y: High :
Day Carb Day Carb Day Low Carb High Low Carb
Day Carb Day Medium Day
Carb Day

Breakfast 2 Poached Protein 6 egg omelette Coconut milk 2 Poached Protein Coconut milk
Eggs, 2 slices Smoothie = 1 with capsicum with Eggs, 2 Smoothie = with
Supplements: sol pumpkin cup & spinach + 2 raspberries & slices sol 1 cup raspberries &
2 x fish oil, 2 x rice bread, 1 strawberries, slices rice& macadamia pumpkin strawberrie macadamia
zinc?, 4 x cup spinach 1 teaspoon pumpkin toast nuts, 10g LSA rice bread, 1 s, 1 nuts
testolibre. leaves 2 cup flaxseeds, 2 cup spinach teaspoon
cooked oats scoops WPI. 1 150g meat leaves 2 cup flaxseeds, 2 150g meat
slice sol cooked oats scoops WPI.
rice/pumpkin 1 slice sol
bread rice/pumpki
n bread

Snack Protein Shake ½ cup Protein Shake Protein shake Protein ½ cup Protein shake
on 2 cups rice almonds, 1 x on 2 cups rice on water, ½ Shake on 2 almonds, 1 x on
Supplements: milk, 10g peach. milk, 10g cup walnuts cups rice peach. water,n10g
5g creatine pshyllium pshyllium milk,10g LSA, ½ cup
husk1 x 100g turkey husk,1 x Pshyllium 100g turkey walnuts
nectarine nectarine Husk, 1 x
1 cup nectarine 1 cup
cucumber cucumber

Lunch 200g chicken Left over’s 1 cup quinoa, 1 Unlimited 200g Left over’s Unlimited
breast, green (no rice) +1/2 cup sweet greens, ½ chicken (no rice) greens, ½
Supplements: salad, ½ avocado potato, avo, 1tbl breast, +1/2 avo, 1tbl
5g creatine, 2 avocado vegetables, spoon olive green salad, avocado spoon olive
x fish oil 200g meat. oil, 300g ½ avocado oil, 300g
meat meat

Pre/Post Handful Pre/post Pre post I cup sliced Handful Pre/post I cup sliced
workout walnuts, workout workout cucumber walnuts, workout cucumber
Protocol 1xpunnet protocol. protocol 200g meat 1xpunnet protocol. 200g meat
blueberries + blueberries
pre &post + pre &post
workout workout
protocol. protocol.

Dinner 1 cup brown Unlimited 1 cup brown Unlimited 1 cup brown Unlimited Unlimited
rice, unlimited greens, 1tbl rice, unlimited steamed veg rice, greens,1tbl steamed veg
steamed non sp olive oil green salad. with 1tsp unlimited sp olive oil with 1tsp
starch veg, 300g meat. 200g salmon organic steamed 300g meat. organic
300g grass fed butter 300g non starch butter 300g
steak meat veg, 300g meat
grass fed
steak

Pre workout supplements Nitrovol x 2 scoops on 2 cups rice milk, 3 x javastim

capsules, 5 xBCAA’s capsules

During Workout Supplements 10 x BCAA capsules

Post Workout Supplements Nitrovol x 4 scoops, 5x BCAA capsules

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Recommended Supplements.

Creatine – 15g-20g 14days and then 5g per day for 8 Weeks

BCAA’S – 15 capsules throughout session.

Nitrovol

Javestim

Uber Zinc

Fish oil
Carb Cycling Summary:
Allows you to still be social. If you’ve got an event or gathering make that day a high-carb
day.
Once you become accustomed to the plan you can modify to suit; if you are not gaining
muscle at the rate at which you desire add an extra high carb day, if you are gaining fat cut out
the high days or reduce the amount of carbs on the high carb days. Pretty simple.
Carb cycling allows for variety, if you don’t feel like a certain meal feel free to substitute it for
another as long as you stick to the allocated substrate guidelines for that day and is based on
natural, unprocessed, whole food.
 Be mindful that your High-Carb is not a “whatever I feel Like, blow out day”. A packet of
chips is different to a baked potato.
 Training on an empty tank can be hard, that’s why your toughest training sessions should be
accompanied with a high day.

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