This article will show you how you can accelerate results on the carb cycling MANS diet.
The information herein is especially relevant for 2 types of people:
- Ectomorphs – naturally very skinny people
- People who can feel sluggish on a low-carb diet
There are 2 strategies described in this post:
- Increasing your daily carb level on weekdays
- Having a mid-week carb-spike
Who Is This For?
Everyone can try these strategies and assess the results but this info is especially relevant for (real) skinny guys or girls. These people can handle more carbs without the lipogenic (body-fat creation) effects.
It’s also very useful who those who take longer to become ‘fat-adapted‘. These people can feel tired towards the end of their low-carb period when their glycogen reserves are used up. Let’s say that you find your Thursday and Friday workouts aren’t up to par – this is for you!
(1) Increasing Carbohydrate Intake
The first strategy involves increasing your daily carbohydrate intake during the low-carb section. I recommend you do this in 10 gram increments. So for example, next week you’ll eat 40 grams of carbs every day. Keep doing this until you find yourself with an abundance of energy and successful workouts.
Also consider using these extra to carbs to ‘bracket’ your workouts i.e. split them before and after your weight-training sessions.
Remember that with the MuscleHack Anabolic Nutritional Strategy you are encouraged to find your own lowest carb threshold level i.e. the lowest amount of carbs you can take and still feel great and perform well in the gym, if that’s 55 grams a day, so be it.
If you find yourself having to consume over 70 grams of carbohydrate per day, you should consider a switch to the Glycemic Load Anabolic Diet (GLAD).
(2) The Mid-Week Carb-Up
To help replenish glycogen stores and fuel muscle-building workouts, it is a good idea for some people to introduce a mid-week carb-load. One great way of doing this is to commence eating carbs in the evening – around 6pm on Wednesday, until you go to bed. If you workout around this time, take some post-workout glucose and continue to consume carbs until bedtime.
There are other ways you can try also:
- An all day carb-up on Wednesday ( you may want to shorten your weekend carb-up a bit with this)
- A Morning Carb-Load. A Very High Carb Breakfast (pancakes and syrup? 🙂 ), then returning to low carb.
- A High-Carb Post-Workout Shake. For example, around 60 grams of glucose in your post-workout shake (for those who only need a slight lift in energy)
- Pre and post workout carbs. Simply carb-up before and after your Wednesday workout, then return to low-carb.
You’ll have to experiment with timing and amounts to see what works best for you, but the end goal is always the same:
Ensuring you have just enough carbs for maximum gym performance while maintaining maximum fat-burning
Your buddy,
Mark McManus
Why does increasing fat intake help?
If fat was lowered, wouldn’t the body have to use it’s own stores?
What happens to all the dietary fat if it isn’t stored?
Does insulin produced from protein digestion cause fat to be stored?
Mark,
In your opinion,which is the more effective method for recomp:
to drop bodyfat below 10% and THEN work to increase weight/muscle mass, or to bulk up and THEN cut to drop bodyfat?
Specifically, my goal is 170 lb. at 10% bodyfat. Currently, I’m 156 lb. at 15% bodyfat.
what about it your not skinny? and your a little heavier how would this all change for this type. say a a girl who is 180llbs and 5’7? the diet is it going to be less carbs or what?