Decembulk is fast approaching and that means you’re going to be eating…a lot.
Arms, legs, shoulders, backs, and chests will grow, biceps veins will pop, and lactate burning will be welcomed.
All in a day’s work, if you ask me.
When you are eating above your maintenance calories (like in Decembulk), you always run the risk of gaining fat. You also have the opportunity to build muscle. In order to get the best results, you want to maximize the ratio of muscle to fat gained. Although, I’ve seen many people build muscle and lose fat while working towards Decembulk. The method to get the best results is to know when to eat carbohydrates.
Carbs: Friend or Foe
Carbs are great because they help you build tons of muscle via insulin release, but too much insulin release combined with too high of a caloric intake and your waist will be getting bigger instead of your arms. A happy medium needs to be found.
Because of this, I’ve built a sort of continuum of times to eat carbohydrates. If you are afraid of gaining fat, stick with Level 1. The higher you go up in levels, the higher the chance of fat accumulation, but the more likely you will be able to gain muscle.
Each Level builds upon the last. For example, if you are in Level 3, it means you are also doing Level 1 and Level 2.
After I introduce you to the continuum, I will then tell you how to use it to your advantage.
Level 1 – Ingest carbs during your workout
The time when your body is less likely to store carbs as fat is during your workout. I’ve also found this to be one of the most potent ways to build muscle without getting fat. The best type of carb here is highly branched cyclic dextrin due to its quick digesting properties. The second best type of carb is Waxy Maize.
Level 2 – Ingest carbs within 1 hour after your workout
After your workout, your body is looking to recover and build more muscle. That means less fat gained. Rice is a great carb source here.
Level 3 – Ingest carbs within 1 hour before your workout
This is something I’ve debated about for a while, but once I implemented it with myself and my clients, I was sold. If you have tough workouts where you are lifting anything above 8 reps, this this will be a life saver.
Lately, I’ve been using John Meadows recommendations of the following:
- 40 Grams Protein from whey isolate
- ½ cup of oats (dry measure)
- 10 Grams Fat from nut butter
The carbs help fuel your workout, and the added fat helps to release the carbs slower and more sustained throughout the workout.
Level 4 – Ingest carbs in the evening
This is also known as carb back loading. Basically, eating carbs at night will refill your glycogen stores so you are able to get through tough workouts the next coming days. Any type of carbs are fair game here, but I recommend at least 80% of them to be natural or “clean”.
Level 5 – Ingest carbs in the afternoon
The next level of progression is start eating carbs in the afternoon. Essentially, you are still slightly backloading your carbs, and saving the mornings for burning fat.
Level 6 – Ingest carbs in the morning
The final level means you will be starting to eat carbs in the morning and continuing through the rest of the day. If you are a skinny ectomorph, then you will have no problem eating carbs in the morning. Some very lean mesomorphs are able to be at this level as well, but find that the only carbs that work well form them are berries, squash, and pumpkin. Experiment with different carb sources with different amounts of fiber.
How to Use the Continuum
If you find that you gain fat easily, then stick closer to the lowest levels. This is typically where most endomorphs will reside. Conversely, if you are always able to stay very lean, then you can possibly climb up through the continuum up through the highest levels.
Everyone else will be in the middle.
You’ll find that the leaner you are, the more you are able to handle carbohydrates, and the higher you can climb through the levels of the continuum.
Generally, I like to stay between 11-13% bodyfat, and this allows me to be within level 4. I love this level because I get to eat tons of carbs and still stay lean (can you say “sushi”?).
Play around with it this Decembulk and let me know how it goes.
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