1 00:00:00,760 --> 00:00:05,000 Speaker 1: Welcome to Fitness Disrupted, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:08,720 --> 00:00:14,520 Speaker 1: I am Tom Holland and this is Fitness Disrupted. Fit tip. 3 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:20,840 Speaker 1: What is carb cycling? This maybe another one of those 4 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:24,200 Speaker 1: terms you have heard. Maybe you have friends who tell you, Hey, 5 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:30,360 Speaker 1: I'm carved cycling. You're going, what the heck is that? 6 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:36,440 Speaker 1: And real simply it is yet another example of a 7 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:43,240 Speaker 1: term that is making something that's really simple sound complex 8 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:47,400 Speaker 1: and it's not. And let me just back up a 9 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:51,480 Speaker 1: little bit. When I first started doing endurance races, running marathons, 10 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:55,280 Speaker 1: doing triathlon, especially the longer distance iron Man distance, even 11 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:58,680 Speaker 1: half iron Man distance, they used to talk about carving up. 12 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:01,800 Speaker 1: You've probably heard of that more than you've heard carbs cycling. 13 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:05,720 Speaker 1: So carbo loading is something that people still do for 14 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 1: endurance races because carbohydrates are our bodies preferred energy source 15 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 1: and you're trying to fill up the tank. You're trying 16 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 1: to fill up the tank as much as you can, 17 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:19,120 Speaker 1: and that is going to help performance in endurance races. 18 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:23,240 Speaker 1: But years ago, they used to deplete your carbs. So 19 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:25,000 Speaker 1: what you would do was a couple of days out 20 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:28,679 Speaker 1: from the race. There are different techniques, but generally within 21 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:31,160 Speaker 1: a week and it was generally a few days out 22 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:34,120 Speaker 1: from the race you would deplete your carbs, so you 23 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 1: would cycle your carb intake. You would actually just cut 24 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:39,240 Speaker 1: out as many as you could and you would train 25 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:42,480 Speaker 1: really hard, and it was brutal and it was miserable. 26 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:46,160 Speaker 1: Because your body's preferred energy stores or carbohydrates, you basically 27 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:49,160 Speaker 1: are training on no fuel. And the theory was that 28 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:52,040 Speaker 1: you could super compensate. So in other words, you would 29 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:54,200 Speaker 1: deplete your carbs for a couple of days pre race, 30 00:01:54,520 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: then when you carbo loaded, you would actually be able 31 00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:01,480 Speaker 1: to store more carbohydrate than if you had not depleted 32 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:05,720 Speaker 1: your carbs and tormented yourself for several days. What they 33 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:08,560 Speaker 1: found was over time didn't really work, so in other words, 34 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 1: you did not have to torture yourself. You could actually 35 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:16,120 Speaker 1: load just as well without torturing yourself with those low 36 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:20,160 Speaker 1: to no carb days and trying to exercise through it. 37 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:23,200 Speaker 1: So that was great news. You just had to take 38 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:28,600 Speaker 1: in more carbohydrate. So that was a form of carbs cycling. 39 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 1: But then, of course you know it has to be 40 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 1: made to sound even cooler for dieting and body composition 41 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:40,359 Speaker 1: and stuff like that. So what is carb cycling, Well, 42 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:44,400 Speaker 1: carb cycling is just what I described. It involves basically 43 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 1: having hard carb days low carb days, and some people, 44 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:52,240 Speaker 1: not me, do no carb days. And I would also 45 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 1: argue that many of the people who tell you there 46 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:55,799 Speaker 1: are on no carb days, they really don't know what 47 00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:58,799 Speaker 1: carbs are. And if you try to go no carb, 48 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:02,359 Speaker 1: you will know it because it is miserable. I did 49 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:05,080 Speaker 1: it back when my body built really really hard. So 50 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:08,280 Speaker 1: it's a dietary approach, right, it's alternating your intake of 51 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:12,200 Speaker 1: carbs either on a daily, weekly, monthly basis, whatever you're 52 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 1: looking at. And yes, it's used by generally body builders 53 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:21,680 Speaker 1: people like that who are trying to reduce fat, gain muscle. 54 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:26,720 Speaker 1: And then it's also something utilized by endurance athletes and 55 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:29,400 Speaker 1: it's yes, you're hearing it now more and more because 56 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 1: they're trying to sell products, trying to sell books. And 57 00:03:33,639 --> 00:03:38,120 Speaker 1: I did a show on weight, water and weighing yourself 58 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:42,400 Speaker 1: because carbohydrates attract water. So it's phenomenal for weight loss 59 00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:46,480 Speaker 1: because and and just weight loss on the scale because 60 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:50,560 Speaker 1: carbohydrates attract water molecules. When you reduce your carbohydrates, you 61 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:53,160 Speaker 1: reduce your water in your body, and you're gonna see 62 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:54,960 Speaker 1: that on the scale. It's not fat loss, it's what 63 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 1: a loss. Okay, So a carb cycling strategy might be 64 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:01,760 Speaker 1: as many different ways to do it. You might have 65 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:06,000 Speaker 1: two high carb days, to moderate card days, and three 66 00:04:06,040 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 1: low carb days. Are you getting the gist here? Though? 67 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:14,600 Speaker 1: It's too complicated people, I don't count my carbs, I 68 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:18,560 Speaker 1: don't count my macros. The goal of your eating program 69 00:04:19,400 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 1: is to make it as easy as possible to sell 70 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 1: diet books and to make people sound smart. They make 71 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:30,640 Speaker 1: the most basic stuff when it comes to eating and 72 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:35,800 Speaker 1: exercise more complicated. It's one of those fancy terms that 73 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:42,440 Speaker 1: sells products and books and creates quote unquote nutrition experts gurus. Okay, 74 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:46,240 Speaker 1: here's here's the takeaway. On days you are going to 75 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:49,000 Speaker 1: be more active, you need more fuel. You're going to 76 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:51,599 Speaker 1: eat some more. Right. On the days you're exercising more, 77 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:53,840 Speaker 1: you need to take in more. On the days you're 78 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:59,720 Speaker 1: exercising less, moving less, you need less fuel. And if 79 00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:02,760 Speaker 1: you to lose weight, you need to reduce your calories 80 00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:09,320 Speaker 1: and part of those will be carbohydrate and fat most likely. 81 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:15,160 Speaker 1: So carb cycling it's fuel, people, And this is something 82 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:18,479 Speaker 1: that people like me and those of you who are 83 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:24,160 Speaker 1: figuring it out slowly, just do subconsciously. I don't cycle 84 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:26,719 Speaker 1: my car, I don't tomorrow, I'm gonna take in lets. No, 85 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:29,280 Speaker 1: But if I'm going on a long trip and I'm 86 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:31,159 Speaker 1: not gonna be active and I'm sitting on a plane 87 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:32,960 Speaker 1: for fourteen hours or sitting in a car for a 88 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:36,480 Speaker 1: long time, I don't need as many calories, so I'm 89 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:39,159 Speaker 1: probably gonna take in a little less. But if I'm 90 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:42,760 Speaker 1: going out for a two three hour fun bike ride 91 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:45,400 Speaker 1: with the family or by myself, whatever, I'm gonna be 92 00:05:45,440 --> 00:05:48,920 Speaker 1: more active. I'm gonna eat a bigger breakfast. That's carb 93 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:52,880 Speaker 1: cycling people taking in more fuel when you need more fuel, 94 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:55,159 Speaker 1: And on days that you're not going to be doing 95 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:59,599 Speaker 1: as much, you take in less. And this is something 96 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:03,000 Speaker 1: that when you start to figure out the foods that 97 00:06:03,080 --> 00:06:08,760 Speaker 1: work for you, you will do subconsciously. You will just know, 98 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:12,120 Speaker 1: you will feel it in your body. Your your body 99 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:15,160 Speaker 1: will tell you what it needs, but it won't be 100 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:18,520 Speaker 1: something you are constantly aware of, because that is what 101 00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:20,800 Speaker 1: we want to get away from as far as I'm concerned. 102 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:25,080 Speaker 1: We want to eat and enjoy it and not be uh, 103 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:27,359 Speaker 1: you know, connected to the numbers. When we start I 104 00:06:27,400 --> 00:06:29,279 Speaker 1: get it. You gott to weigh yourself, you gotta measure, 105 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:32,800 Speaker 1: but the goal is to get away from that. So 106 00:06:33,120 --> 00:06:39,039 Speaker 1: cycling your carbs is fuel, and if you want to 107 00:06:39,040 --> 00:06:41,840 Speaker 1: do it, be my guest. But again, know that the 108 00:06:41,920 --> 00:06:43,760 Speaker 1: days you don't take in a lot of carbs, you're 109 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:47,200 Speaker 1: gonna see it on the scale because it's water weight lost. 110 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:48,960 Speaker 1: You're gonna feel in your body because you're not gonna 111 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:50,520 Speaker 1: have the energy you need. You're gonna feel in your 112 00:06:50,520 --> 00:06:53,960 Speaker 1: brain because your brain runs on that glucose from carbs. 113 00:06:54,279 --> 00:06:56,320 Speaker 1: And sure, you can train your body not to do that. 114 00:06:56,760 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 1: My philosophy is, why would you want to your choice? 115 00:07:00,279 --> 00:07:03,520 Speaker 1: So carb cycling is basically taking in more carbs, taking 116 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:09,040 Speaker 1: in less carbs for diet, for endurance races, or to 117 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:12,520 Speaker 1: lose weight. But it's a complicated term that is really 118 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:17,880 Speaker 1: really simple. Okay. And finally, again you need to figure 119 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:20,640 Speaker 1: out what works for you, the foods that you like 120 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:24,840 Speaker 1: that are healthy. There are so many out there. In 121 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:27,600 Speaker 1: the days where you need more energy, you're take in 122 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:29,840 Speaker 1: a little bit more. All right, there you go. Carb 123 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:36,440 Speaker 1: cycling sounds really cool, right, sounds like I want to 124 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:39,000 Speaker 1: do that, And give me a formula and tell me numbers. 125 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:41,120 Speaker 1: First of all, who's counting what you go to a restaurant, 126 00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:45,040 Speaker 1: you take in a like you never know exactly what 127 00:07:45,120 --> 00:07:47,880 Speaker 1: you're taking to eat an apple. You gotta figure out 128 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:50,560 Speaker 1: how many come on. You don't want to be attached 129 00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:53,080 Speaker 1: to those numbers, at least I don't. Thank you for listening. 130 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:56,080 Speaker 1: I love these shorter shows, although I want to go 131 00:07:56,440 --> 00:07:59,520 Speaker 1: much longer with them. But you get it. It's fuel, 132 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:03,080 Speaker 1: it's fueling your body. I am Tom Holland please subscribe 133 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:05,000 Speaker 1: to the podcast and rate the podcast if you have 134 00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:08,160 Speaker 1: not already Tom h Fit is my Twitter and Instagram. 135 00:08:08,200 --> 00:08:11,120 Speaker 1: You can reach out to me there and Fitness Disrupted 136 00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:13,600 Speaker 1: dot com. You can reach out to me and find 137 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:15,400 Speaker 1: out more about the show and everything else right there 138 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:17,920 Speaker 1: as well. I do have a new book out Micro 139 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:21,200 Speaker 1: Workout Plan, if you're interested in my most recent and 140 00:08:21,280 --> 00:08:24,160 Speaker 1: thank you for listening. I love what I do. I 141 00:08:24,200 --> 00:08:26,880 Speaker 1: want to make sense of the nonsense for you. I 142 00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:29,120 Speaker 1: want you to be as healthy as possible and live 143 00:08:29,160 --> 00:08:32,560 Speaker 1: your best like. That is all I'm selling people. And 144 00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:36,640 Speaker 1: remember there are three things we control. How much we move, 145 00:08:36,880 --> 00:08:39,520 Speaker 1: what we put into our mouths, and our attitudes. That 146 00:08:39,679 --> 00:08:43,800 Speaker 1: is awesome. I'm Tom Holland. This is Fitness Disrupted, believing yourself. 147 00:08:50,679 --> 00:08:54,240 Speaker 1: Fitness Disrupted is a production of I heart Radio. For 148 00:08:54,320 --> 00:08:57,160 Speaker 1: more podcast from my heart Radio, visit the i heart 149 00:08:57,240 --> 00:09:01,480 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever listen to your favorite shows.