Carb Cycling: Lose Fat And Build Muscle At The Same Time?

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Everyone knows you can't build muscle and lose fat at the same time, right? Learn how to maximize carbohydrate intake so you have a chance at adding mass while leaning out.
Brad Borland is a strength & conditioning specialist, cancer survivor and the founder of WorkoutLab.
Are you tired of training your butt off to add every ounce of muscle you possibly can and then turning around and dieting it all off? It’s an extremely daunting task to try and pack on some muscle and build an impressive physique all the while risking losing it all for the sake of getting lean.
No matter what time of year it is, getting and keeping a lean, muscular physique is the goal of most people reading this. But how do you go about accomplishing what seems to be just beyond your reach?
You want to build muscle and lose fat. Period!
You’ve probably heard the old saying that you have to choose between gaining muscle and losing fat. The two just can’t be done simultaneously - the local gym know-it-all thinks he is just “telling it like it is.”
This belief is so vested in gyms everywhere that no one even attempts to prove it wrong. Let it be written, let it be done!
What if I were to tell you that it’s not only possible but easy to execute requiring just a little planning and know-how? Can you build some appreciable muscle while losing that extra baggage in the meantime? Heck yeah! Just don’t tell your local gym know-it-all.

The Breakdown​

The giant 800-pound gorilla in the room is diet. Everyone knows they need to manipulate their eating habits, but few actually take the necessary action required to significantly create change. Below is a breakdown of the three vital macronutrients that encompass this plan to build muscle and strip away fat and finally reveal your vision of one impressive physique.
Protein: What can’t be said about the importance of proper protein intake that hasn’t already? Comprised of the building blocks of protein, amino acids are crucial to the growth and development of muscle tissue, protein synthesis, and even fat loss. This plan calls for you to eat approximately 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight.
Let’s take a sample individual that weighs 200 pounds. This would equate to 200 to 300 grams. Starting on the low side is recommended when beginning the diet. Good sources are red meats, chicken, fish, eggs, beef jerky, Greek yogurt, low-fat cheese, and protein powders.
Fat: Essential for not only heart, circulatory and joint health, healthy fat is essential for hormone regulation which will subsequently help with fat loss and muscle growth. The days of fat being the bad guy are over. However, since fat has over twice the calories as protein and carbohydrate careful consideration must be taken with amounts.
Fat in this diet will be used to offset any calorie restriction from carbs as they aid in energy and satiety. Good sources include avocado, all kinds of nuts, olive oil, natural peanut and almond butters, sunflower seeds, and egg yolk.
Carbohydrate: Carbs will be your X factor during this diet. By manipulating its intake, carbs will have a significant effect on insulin levels, blood sugar, and energy all the while creating a fat-burning, muscle-growing experience. Careful consideration will be taken regarding consumption amounts and training days and intensity.
Strategically cycling throughout the week will keep your furnace burning and give you just enough to build lean muscle mass. Good sources are white and brown rice, white and sweet potatoes, 100% whole wheat bread, Ezekiel bread, vegetables, some fruits, and whole-grain pasta.

Let’s get it on!​

Now, let’s delve into manipulating these macronutrients to our advantage. Burning fat and building muscle is the name of the game so let’s take a look at how each of these plays its unique role in the diet.
Protein intake will remain relatively unchanged throughout the diet. The only caveat would be to increase it slightly if gains are stalling. A good route to take is to go from 1 gram per pound of bodyweight to 1.25 grams. You can further increase this to 1.5 grams if you still feel you need to kick start your muscle-gaining efforts.
Fats will vary slightly relative to carb intake. Your baseline will be .25 grams per pound of bodyweight or roughly 20-30% of total daily calories. So, for our 200-pound individual example, he will need 50 grams per day as a baseline. On low-carb days, you can increase healthy fats by 50% to curtail any loss of energy and to preserve hormone function for those intense workouts.
Carbohydrates will be the most manipulated macronutrient on this diet plan. You will have low, medium, and high carb days depending on the number of training days and intensity levels. A low day will consist of an intake of .5 grams per pound of body weight. Your low days will be rest days from the gym and cardio-only days (or light activity).
A medium day will consist of an intake of 1.5 grams per pound of body weight and they will fall on regular training days for the upper body. High carb days will take you to 2.25 grams per pound of body weight and be reserved for high-intensity workouts such as a heavy leg day or a prolonged and intense bout of weight training such as a full-body routine or extra HIIT training.
The low days will force your body to tap into its fat stores for energy. After a length of time, your metabolism will start taking a hit and need a few extra calories to rev back up. Medium and high days are installed to help refuel glycogen stores and get the furnace burning once again and help support muscle gain.
Let’s look at our example from above one more time
200 pounds of body weight:

• Low carb day: 100 grams
• Medium carb day: 300 grams
• High carb day: 450 grams

Troubleshooting:

• If fat loss is stalling after a few weeks, add in a few more low and/or medium carb days.
• On low carb days, don’t forget to increase healthy fats – but just slightly.
• If you feel muscle gains are plateauing, increase protein to 1.25 and then 1.5 later on.
• If you have sensitivity toward carbs limit your high carb day to one day per week and increase fats.

Muscle-Building, Fat-Torching Sample Diet Plan​

The following amounts are approximated for a 200-pound individual.

Low Carbohydrate Days​

Meal 1​

• 3 eggs and 4 egg whites
• ½ cup oatmeal (dry measure)
• Cinnamon for taste
• 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter

Meal 2​

• 2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed in water or 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1.5 ounces of almonds

Meal 3​

• 6-8 ounces of meat, fish, or chicken
• Green salad with 3 tablespoons of olive oil dressing

Meal 4 (pre-workout)​

• ½ of an apple or banana
• 1 scoop of whey protein powder mixed in water

Meal 5 (post-workout)​

• 2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed in water

Meal 6​

• 6-8 ounces of meat, fish, or chicken
• Broccoli, green beans or peas or green salad with ½ avocado

Medium Carbohydrate Days​

Meal 1​

• 3 eggs and 4 egg whites
• 1 cup oatmeal (dry measure)
• Cinnamon for taste
• 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter

Meal 2​

• 2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed in water or 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 ounce of almonds
• 1 apple

Meal 3​

• 6-8 ounces of turkey with two slices of wheat bread and 1 tablespoon of light mayonnaise
• Green salad with 2 tablespoons of olive oil dressing

Meal 4 (pre-workout)​

• 1 banana or apple
• 1 scoop of whey protein powder mixed in water

Meal 5 (post-workout)​

• 2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed in water
• 8 ounces of Gatorade

Meal 6​

• 6-8 ounces of meat, fish or chicken
• Broccoli, green beans or peas or green salad with ¼ avocado
• 1 cup of wild rice cooked

High Carbohydrate Days​

Meal 1​

• 3 eggs and 4 egg whites
• 1 ½ cup oatmeal (dry measure)
• Cinnamon for taste
• ½ tablespoon of natural peanut butter

Meal 2​

• 2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed in water or 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 ounce of almonds
• 1 apple

Meal 3​

• 6-8 ounces of fish
• Green salad with 2 tablespoons of olive oil dressing
• 1 ½ cup of wild rice cooked

Meal 4 (pre-workout)​

• 1 banana or apple
• 1 scoop of whey protein powder mixed in water

Meal 5 (post-workout)​

• 2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed in water
• 12 ounces of Gatorade

Meal 6​

• 6-8 ounces of meat, fish or chicken
• Broccoli, green beans or peas or green salad with ¼ avocado
• 1 medium sweet potato