Another great article by Clay Hyght. I REALLY like his stuff: How Bodybuilders Should Eat - T Nation Content - COMMUNITY - T NATION. He talks about protein, fat and carbs, timing, high/medium/low days and even gives sample templates for each day, here’s the medium day example:
Some scattered thoughts on carb cycling as we could easily write a novel here (which I usually do anyway lol). Carb cycling is an efficient way to keep fat at bay while bulking, or to keep metabolism running best as possible while cutting. Low days are typically “off” days, or cardio days, when you don’t need a ton of carbs to get through the day. Medium days are average training days, and the high day(s) are typically for bigger muscle groups like legs/back, OR some folks put high days on the days they work the weak points they want to bring up.
Some folks also like to do the same nutrition every day, so when they make an adjustment, it’s the same adjustment for each day. Personally I like carb cycling on a diet, because it maintains a high day(s), vs if you do the same thing each day. If you have the same nutrition each day, when it gets really low cals/carbs, EVERY day is going to be extremely tough, vs carb cycling which certainly has those very tough days, but it gives you more wiggle room to control high and medium days to suit your needs. Towards the end of a prep, those high days (or refeed days) are absolutely essential to remind your body it’s not going to die, and they help keep the fat burning/metabolism going.
In the off season, personally I’m not doing as much carb cycling, I have training day nutrition, and off day nutrition. Off day nutrition is less calories than training day, and carbs stop after meal 2 as referenced in the Clay Hyght article above. Meals 3-6 are P+F meals.
On nutrient timing:
We usually hear that getting the overall macros for the day is priority numero uno, and it certainly is, BUT, for those who can achieve that (how hard is it really?) I think nutrient timing is the next level. How many pros do you hear saying nutrient timing doesn’t matter? None.
The overall theme with nutrient timing is somewhat “eat for what you’re about to do” in terms of carbs and fats. Protein intake should be evenly spread throughout the day, divided up evenly between your meals. I get 180g protein per day, between 6 meals, so each meal has 30g protein.
Carbs and fats in terms of numbers are more individualized and found through trial and error, as well carb sources (higher/lower GI). Some folks can get lean on lots of carbs, some need minimal carbs, some have to resort to Keto to get ready for the stage. One quick example, a client of mine used to be diabetic, isn’t anymore, but is very insulin sensitive as confirmed by tests from his doctor. Additionally, his entire family pretty much is diabetic, so his genes aren’t helping him. His weight loss plateaud for a while, until we adjusted his carb sources. We didn’t even adjust his carb numbers, just his carb sources to all high fiber/low GI, and the weight loss kicked in again.
Typically, high carb AND high fat meals should be avoided (i.e. pizza or something) as the potential for storing fat is much higher. If you have a meal higher in carbs, fats should be minimal. If a meal is a P+F meal, carbs should come from veggies, or be relatively minimal, like a piece of fruit or something.
Higher GI carbs (sugars, rice, bagels, PLAZMA) are best around the workout window as they spike insulin the most and have the greatest potential for fat storage if they’re not utilized. When you train, the insulin spike is optimal, which is why Plazma or higher GI carb source is best. Some folks who might have super speedy metabolism (jerks) have more wiggle room with carb sources. Generally, lower GI carb sources are recommended for other times of the day, like oats, brown rice, fruit, ezekiel products, etc. The GI of a carb source does lower considerably when you factor in the protein and/or you’re eating with the meal which slows digestion, but I think for those who are not blessed with raging metabolism and are trying to keep fat at bay or are in a diet/prep, timing and carb source management are essential.
These carb cycling and nutrient timing guidelines, similar to bodybuilding training guidelines, are the “basics” and what works best for an individual may be slightly different, and the only way to know that is through trial and error, and truthfully, a contest prep. I learned a metric ton of information about my body and how I respond best to various macro breakdowns and nutrient timing, carb sources, etc. My off season has been extremely productive because of it, and I know my next prep will be too.
Might be a good excuse to hop on board @Yogi1’s idea for a contest style prep! Who Wants To Have A Friendly Comp Next Year? - #58 by Lonnie123