Carb Cycling | The Keto Diets whilst Working out at the Gym

Carb Cycling, Using The Keto Diet whilst Exercising at the Gym

When it comes to weight loss, there's no one-size-fits-all approach. You need to find a plan that you can commit to and one that fits your lifestyle. Carb cycling is a popular dieting method among the fitness community that is often used with the ketogenic diet to burn fat and improve muscle tone, but is it the right choice for you? Here's what you need to know about carb cycling and weight loss.

What is Carbohydrate Cycling?

Carb Cycling is a type of cyclical ketogenic diet and to state it scientifically: The idea behind carb cycling is that it allows the body to access glycogen in order to repair muscle, tissue damage and improve other bodily functions in the short term, whilst sticking to a low carb keto style diet.

Glycogen is the storage form of glucose in the body, which is converted into energy when needed by muscles or the brain. The body's stores are limited, and when your in ketosis your body will have zero glucose stores, by alternating between periods of high- and low-glycogen intake, you can provide your body with a quick and temporary supply of glucose to maintain a healthy body.

Carbohydrate-cycling can be an effective dieting approach for some people, but results will vary depending on the individual, and can be affected by your sensitivity to carbohydrates. It also might not be suitable for someone whose needs and lifestyle don't fit the carbohydrate-cycling approach.

 

Why Carb Cycle? 

When your on a strict no carb (very low carb diet) / Keto Diet your body is essentially going to have a very small carb intake and have no glucose stores, and when you work out you will need those glucose stores and carbohydrates in general to repair any muscle damage and prevent muscle fatigue.

Working out without carbs in your diet is likely to cause excess aches and pains, low muscle growth performance and reduced energy levels, it can even lead to more serious problems from bad muscle fibre repair and won't allow you to get the most healthy lifestyle post weight loss. 

 

Low Intensity Exercise - The Good News

The good new is your body is perfectly capable of synthesising glucose from proteins when they are used for energy during a process called gluconeogenesis. The word gluconeogenesis literally means "making new sugar" so as long as you workout in a low impact method undertaking only light exercise a few times a week, you should be OK

The problem why you can't do anymore exercise than this is because the process of gluconeogenesis is slow and energy wasteful, which is good for loosing weight but bad for times when you need glucose such as after and during exercise. 

High Intensity Exercise - The Bad News

Your body isn't going to be able to create enough glycogen stores during gluconeogenesis for high impact or HIIT workouts, weight or strength training workouts, you are simply not going to repair your muscle fibre damage enough, leading to aches and pains, low muscle growth performance and reduced energy levels, it can even lead to more serious problems from bad muscle fibre repair 

You have probably heard people go on and on about protein shakes for muscle growth, well guess what glucose is just as important in muscle repair. 

Using Carb Cycling for High Intensity Exercise

If you do however want to incorporate some time at the gym and undertake High Intensity Exercise when on a Keto Diet, then it is possible with carb cycling, well kind of, you won't be able to lift weights at the gym 5 days a week, but, by going between 2-3 times it should be possible to continue strength training or high impact cardio with carb cycling. 

 

How to Undertake Carb Cycling?

Carb cycling can be done for weight loss, to manage blood sugar levels, or to improve athletic performance.

There are many carb cycling approaches out there that simply don't work for low carb diets, you can have a two day break from keto or from eating carbs and expect your body to not leave ketosis in-between.

You only really have one choice for keto and it also included exercise on the day.

The 6 Day approach

Example: 

Keto - under 40g's of carbs daily
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday

High Carb Day
Sunday

You are going to pick one day on the week to have a cheat day, and give yourself 6 days in-between of eating no carbs, this one day will give your body enough carbs to repair muscle damage and improve other bodily functions that require carbs.

The caveat of this is two things, firstly eat lots of carbs, healthy carbs, and try and include lots of probiotics (keto will starve gut bacteria good and bad so try and help the good one the cheat days)

The second thing is exercise or go to the gym, what happens with all those carbs if you don't use them your glucose levels will replenish and mess up your ketosis for a few days, so try and burn some of those carbs up.

 

The 4 Day approach

Example: 

Keto - under 40g's of carbs daily
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday

High Carb Day
Friday

Keto - under 40g's of carbs daily
Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday

High Carb Day
Wednesday  

For people who are very active or want to utilise the gym more, you can get success with a 4 day on and 1 day off approach

You are going to undertake keto for 4 days and then have a cheat day on the 5th day and repeat, this is beneficial add improved energy levels and muscle growth, but you have to get it just right and not overeat or under eat on carbs on your cheat days.

The caveat of this is two things, firstly eat lots of carbs, healthy carbs, and try and include lots of probiotics (keto will starve gut bacteria good and bad so try and help the good one the cheat days)

The second thing is exercise or go to the gym, what happens with all those carbs if you don't use them your glucose levels will replenish and mess up your ketosis for a few days, so try and burn some of those carbs up.

 

What is a cheat day? 

We have talked a lot about cheat day a lot in this article but what is it, well its a trendy way of saying a day off, or a break, or simply put a day you can eat carbs. 

 

What are the Benefits of Carb Cycling? 

The benefits of carb cycling and undertaking a low carb diet are many. It can help you lose weight, improve fat burning ability, repair muscle damage better, increase energy level, improve athletic performance and help to avoid insulin resistance.

Carb cycling helps to maintain the muscle mass that you have already built up whilst reducing body weight, this is because undertaking the Keto Diet without working out can be bad for muscle mass and you will loose both fat and muscle during the keto diet, hence exercising and undertaking carb cycling can help to stop loosing muscle mass.

It also allows you to enjoy carbs once or twice a week which makes the keto diet a little les boring and a lot more flexible for meals out whilst, helping your body to repair quicker from exercise improving your exercise performance and anaerobic exercise output.

Another massive benefits for gym goers if the insulin control, on your cheat days your insulin is going to spike very high which can bring massive gains to your metabolism and exercise results on those days, almost like a super boost. It goes without saying though that, for sedentary people insulin spikes may be undesirable and you should consult with a qualified doctor or practitioner before giving carb cycling a try. 

 

What are the Negative's of Carb Cycling? 

Carbohydrate cycling, while effective for certain people, comes with a few risks that might not make it the best choice for everyone. If not done correctly, or for extended periods of time, carb cycling can lead to some health problems.

The main risks are:

Carb cycling can have an effect on your energy and how you perform.
On days when you eat fewer carbs, you might have less energy—especially if you're used to running on carbs. That's because carbs are the body's preferred source of fuel. So when you don't have them, you might not perform as well at the gym and you might feel tired throughout the day.

Carb cycling can have negative effects on your mood. The restrictive calories and/or carbohydrates can cause serious problems with our mental health and mood. Brain fog, irritability, and moodiness are common side effects of low carbohydrate intake. Carbohydrate intake has also been shown to increase serotonin levels, so when they are absent you may feel even worse.

If you're cutting down on carbs or following a low-carb diet, you may be at risk for digestive problems. When you reduce your intake of wholegrains, fruits, and other fibrous foods, you may experience constipation or other serious digestive issues. To prevent these problems, make sure to eat enough fibre on your higher carb days. Aim for 25g of fibre per day.

 

What does the Keto Diet Look Like

Whilst we are talking about carbs lets have a quick look at the Keto Diet

A typical ketogenic diet involves reducing your total carbohydrate intake to less than 40 grams a day. The amount of carbohydrates can be as low as 20 grams a day for best results but this is generally to low for gym use.

In general, popular ketogenic resources suggest getting 70-80% of your daily calories from fat, 5-10% from carbohydrates, and 10-20% from protein. Although you can add in more protein and reduce fat levels to compensate for quicker results 

Conclusion 

Everyone is after an easy option these days and why not, and who doesn't want a diet that works with them, When choosing a diet its important that it is sustainable for you and your body. What works for one person, might not work for another person.

The best way to find an effective diet is by experimenting with different methods until you find the right one for you.

Carb cycling is only one approach to a low carb diet offering great fat burning, fat loss and weight loss. We urge you to do your own research on this topic so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not this approach is best for your needs.

But if your already thinking of a Keto Diet, or undertaking a keto diet carb cycling can be a great addition to it.

Article originally written as a targeted ketogenic diet for the Keto Supermarket Store 

 

MORE OF OUR ARTICLES ON EVERYTHING FITNESS

Can You Workout Whilst Pregnant? | What Exercises are Safe During Your Pregnancy?

Working out and Training When Pregnant? - What Exercises can you undertake during your Pregnancy? When your pregnant your body has to go through a of changes

 

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT US

The Home Fitness Store was born with the vision of providing Quality Gym and Exercise Products for your Home Gym Setup. We have since expanded this to provide quality Gym Clothing and Activewear in a great and vast stylish range.

Learn more about our Large Range of Gym Equipment and Men's and Women's Active on our About Us Page