From his FB Page
If you want to make significant muscular gains from year to year, you’re going to have some carbohydrate in your diet. The catch-22 is that many of those reading this put on fat just reading the word “carb”.
So what do the prone-to-pudge do? Wallow in ketogenic despair, never to eat a carb again for fear that it will turn to adipose upon ingestion? Give up bodybuilding and pursue cake-baking?
Fortunately I’m very familiar with this situation as I come from a very endomorphic background myself, and have worked with literally hundreds of individuals with similar body types. Over the years I have learned a lot of different methods to keep fat gain under control in the offseason, without limiting gains in hypertrophy.
Carbs – manage them, don’t annihilate them
You definitely want insulin release in the offseason; it’s an extremely anabolic hormone, and also extremely anti-catabolic. Couple these properties and you have an awesome recipe for muscle gain. For most people though, keeping carbs sky-high day in and day out will also result in massive fat gain. It might be fun to see the scale moving up everyday, but when you look in the mirror a few months later don’t be surprised to see a sumo lifter looking back.
Consume too few carbs though, and you won’t optimize lean gains.For those with less-than-stellar insulin sensivity, carbohydrates must be used judicially. Here are a few of my favorite ways to set up a “carb-controlled” lean gain type diet. I would recommend experimenting with each to find your personal optimal setup.
*Note: These diet approaches assume that you are relatively lean to begin with (visible abs and a lean lower back). If you’re still on the softer side of things, prioritize fat loss first before using one of these approaches (modified versions of these methods are great ways to get there too, though). When you’re leaner you have better nutrient partitioning and are less likely to store extra calories as fat. You’ll always have the genetic hand y ou’re dealt (i.e. insulin sensitive or not, more endomorph than ectomorph, etc.) but you’ll set yourself up for much better success by getting lean first.
Method 1 – The Targeted Approach
Much like a TKD or “Targeted Ketogenic Diet”, this approach keeps carbs only around workouts (pre, during, and post). The rest of the day will be zero to trace carbs (from vegetables and nuts) and off days will typically be zero to trace as well. This diet keeps insulin very quiet at all times except around the workout.
For most, setting protein somewhere around 1.5-1.75 per pound of LBM and fat at about .5-.75g per pound of LBM is a good starting point. For the peri-workout nutrition, keep total carbs to around 1g per pound of LBM.
For an individual with 200 pounds of LBM this might look something like this:
Off days: 325g protein, 125g fat (2425 calories, not including incidentals)
Training days: 325g protein, 125g fat, 200g carbs (3225 calories, not including incidentals)
Remember though that these are just a baseline to work from. After a week or two on the diet you may find that you need more or less carbs (or more or less protein and fat) to make suitable progress. As with any diet approach, nothing is set in stone and you’ll need to experiment, monitor, and adjust as needed to keep things headed in the right direction.
Method 2 - The Modified Carb “Backloading” Approach
This approach works best for those who train in the afternoon or evening. It’s similar to the method above, but keeps carbs to just post workout and the hours following (typically for however many hours you’re awake after training). If you eat 3 meals after training, add carbs to all 3 meals. Starting values would be the same as with the approach above, but the carbs would be limited to only the post workout meals (rather than pre, during, as well as post). For example if you have 200 grams of carbs total for the day, you could add 65g each to the 3 meals following your workout.
The Modified Carb “Backloading” Approach allows for fat to be used as the primary fuel source up to and through the workout.
Method 3 – The “Moderate” Approach
With this approach you have protein, fat, and carbohydrate at almost all meal, the exception being postworkout where you omit fat, and the last meal of the day where you omit carbs. All other meals will include all 3 macronutrients – with an emphasis on protein and fat, and a low to moderate amount of carbohydrate. This may sound a bit counter-intuitive a bit at first, but by combining all three macros you get a much slower, steady release from the carbohydrate, thereby keeping insulin levels very controlled. Fat is omitted postworkout when you want faster digestion, and carbs are omitted in the last meal of the day because there is typically no need for an energy source then (unless you recently trained, in which case you would still keep carbs in that final meal).
Starting values for this approach would again be similar to above (1.5-1.75g protein per lb of LBM, .5-.75g fat per lb of LBM, and .75-1g carbohydrate per lb of LBM).
A male with 200 pounds of LBM eating 6 meals per day might have a setup something like this:
Meal 1: 55g protein, 25g fat, 30g carbs
Meal 2: 55g protein, 25g fat, 30g carbs
Meal 3: (POSTWORKOUT): 55g protein, 50g carbs
Meal 4: 55g protein, 25g fat, 30g carbs
Meal 5: 55g protein, 25g fat, 30g carbs
Meal 6: 55g protein, 25g fat
Again, this approach can be modified as needed (by adding more or less carbs) depending on your individual response and needs.
Food Choices
Stick to healthy whole food “bodybuilding foods” for these diet approaches, such as the following:
Proteins: Eggs, Lean Beef, Chicken Breast, Turkey Breast, Fish, High Quality Protein Powders like those at
Fats: Extra virgin olive oil, Macadamia nut oil, avocado, almond butter, fish oils, coconut oil, nuts
Carbs: Oats, rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, sprouted grain bread, fruit. For postworkout, a quickly digesting carbohydrate powder would be suitable.
The Need to Refeed
You might find that using one of these approaches leaves you feeling a bit depleted after a week or so. Rather than increasing carbs on a daily basis, what you might want to do is implement a weekly refeed of some sort – usually either a high carb day or a high carb meal, designed to fully replenish glycogen stores and give the metabolism a bit of a boost. Some elect to replace this weekly refeed with a cheat meal, which serves a similar purpose but also allows for any cravings to be quenched, and also serve as a social outlet. Be careful with refeeds though – utilized improperly they can be a great way to pack on fat. Use them judiciously and monitor whether they are having a positive or negative effect on your physique and training.
Bottom line: Carbs are not evil, but they are a double-edged sword. They can contribute greatly to anabolism (muscle-building) and anticatabolism (prevention of muscle breakdown) but they can also inhibit fat burning as well as store fat. Manage them properly with one of the approaches outlined above to make sure you’re maximizing their benefits and minimizing their detriments.
If you want to make significant muscular gains from year to year, you’re going to have some carbohydrate in your diet. The catch-22 is that many of those reading this put on fat just reading the word “carb”.
So what do the prone-to-pudge do? Wallow in ketogenic despair, never to eat a carb again for fear that it will turn to adipose upon ingestion? Give up bodybuilding and pursue cake-baking?
Fortunately I’m very familiar with this situation as I come from a very endomorphic background myself, and have worked with literally hundreds of individuals with similar body types. Over the years I have learned a lot of different methods to keep fat gain under control in the offseason, without limiting gains in hypertrophy.
Carbs – manage them, don’t annihilate them
You definitely want insulin release in the offseason; it’s an extremely anabolic hormone, and also extremely anti-catabolic. Couple these properties and you have an awesome recipe for muscle gain. For most people though, keeping carbs sky-high day in and day out will also result in massive fat gain. It might be fun to see the scale moving up everyday, but when you look in the mirror a few months later don’t be surprised to see a sumo lifter looking back.
Consume too few carbs though, and you won’t optimize lean gains.For those with less-than-stellar insulin sensivity, carbohydrates must be used judicially. Here are a few of my favorite ways to set up a “carb-controlled” lean gain type diet. I would recommend experimenting with each to find your personal optimal setup.
*Note: These diet approaches assume that you are relatively lean to begin with (visible abs and a lean lower back). If you’re still on the softer side of things, prioritize fat loss first before using one of these approaches (modified versions of these methods are great ways to get there too, though). When you’re leaner you have better nutrient partitioning and are less likely to store extra calories as fat. You’ll always have the genetic hand y ou’re dealt (i.e. insulin sensitive or not, more endomorph than ectomorph, etc.) but you’ll set yourself up for much better success by getting lean first.
Method 1 – The Targeted Approach
Much like a TKD or “Targeted Ketogenic Diet”, this approach keeps carbs only around workouts (pre, during, and post). The rest of the day will be zero to trace carbs (from vegetables and nuts) and off days will typically be zero to trace as well. This diet keeps insulin very quiet at all times except around the workout.
For most, setting protein somewhere around 1.5-1.75 per pound of LBM and fat at about .5-.75g per pound of LBM is a good starting point. For the peri-workout nutrition, keep total carbs to around 1g per pound of LBM.
For an individual with 200 pounds of LBM this might look something like this:
Off days: 325g protein, 125g fat (2425 calories, not including incidentals)
Training days: 325g protein, 125g fat, 200g carbs (3225 calories, not including incidentals)
Remember though that these are just a baseline to work from. After a week or two on the diet you may find that you need more or less carbs (or more or less protein and fat) to make suitable progress. As with any diet approach, nothing is set in stone and you’ll need to experiment, monitor, and adjust as needed to keep things headed in the right direction.
Method 2 - The Modified Carb “Backloading” Approach
This approach works best for those who train in the afternoon or evening. It’s similar to the method above, but keeps carbs to just post workout and the hours following (typically for however many hours you’re awake after training). If you eat 3 meals after training, add carbs to all 3 meals. Starting values would be the same as with the approach above, but the carbs would be limited to only the post workout meals (rather than pre, during, as well as post). For example if you have 200 grams of carbs total for the day, you could add 65g each to the 3 meals following your workout.
The Modified Carb “Backloading” Approach allows for fat to be used as the primary fuel source up to and through the workout.
Method 3 – The “Moderate” Approach
With this approach you have protein, fat, and carbohydrate at almost all meal, the exception being postworkout where you omit fat, and the last meal of the day where you omit carbs. All other meals will include all 3 macronutrients – with an emphasis on protein and fat, and a low to moderate amount of carbohydrate. This may sound a bit counter-intuitive a bit at first, but by combining all three macros you get a much slower, steady release from the carbohydrate, thereby keeping insulin levels very controlled. Fat is omitted postworkout when you want faster digestion, and carbs are omitted in the last meal of the day because there is typically no need for an energy source then (unless you recently trained, in which case you would still keep carbs in that final meal).
Starting values for this approach would again be similar to above (1.5-1.75g protein per lb of LBM, .5-.75g fat per lb of LBM, and .75-1g carbohydrate per lb of LBM).
A male with 200 pounds of LBM eating 6 meals per day might have a setup something like this:
Meal 1: 55g protein, 25g fat, 30g carbs
Meal 2: 55g protein, 25g fat, 30g carbs
Meal 3: (POSTWORKOUT): 55g protein, 50g carbs
Meal 4: 55g protein, 25g fat, 30g carbs
Meal 5: 55g protein, 25g fat, 30g carbs
Meal 6: 55g protein, 25g fat
Again, this approach can be modified as needed (by adding more or less carbs) depending on your individual response and needs.
Food Choices
Stick to healthy whole food “bodybuilding foods” for these diet approaches, such as the following:
Proteins: Eggs, Lean Beef, Chicken Breast, Turkey Breast, Fish, High Quality Protein Powders like those at
Fats: Extra virgin olive oil, Macadamia nut oil, avocado, almond butter, fish oils, coconut oil, nuts
Carbs: Oats, rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, sprouted grain bread, fruit. For postworkout, a quickly digesting carbohydrate powder would be suitable.
The Need to Refeed
You might find that using one of these approaches leaves you feeling a bit depleted after a week or so. Rather than increasing carbs on a daily basis, what you might want to do is implement a weekly refeed of some sort – usually either a high carb day or a high carb meal, designed to fully replenish glycogen stores and give the metabolism a bit of a boost. Some elect to replace this weekly refeed with a cheat meal, which serves a similar purpose but also allows for any cravings to be quenched, and also serve as a social outlet. Be careful with refeeds though – utilized improperly they can be a great way to pack on fat. Use them judiciously and monitor whether they are having a positive or negative effect on your physique and training.
Bottom line: Carbs are not evil, but they are a double-edged sword. They can contribute greatly to anabolism (muscle-building) and anticatabolism (prevention of muscle breakdown) but they can also inhibit fat burning as well as store fat. Manage them properly with one of the approaches outlined above to make sure you’re maximizing their benefits and minimizing their detriments.