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Published on Monday, 05 November 2012 18:07
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Written by Kelsey Joyce
Carb Back Loading: Is It For You?
Carbohydrate back loading is a newer and less utiliz
ed dieting strategy that has recently been coming into the spot light. To understand how it works, we must understand what it is! Carb back-loading is actually probably used by people that don’t even know that they are actual using this specific system. They usually realize something is working with what they are doing but they don’t necessarily classify it using this term. Cheat meals is what I am referring to here. It is actually the nature of most cheat meals that can equate them to carb back-loading. I think it is fair to say that most cheat meals are either higher in carbohydrates (or fats) than what the person is used to taking in during a time of dieting or even in the typical everyday diet. These cheat meals are also used strategically in terms of timing; that is, they are placed so many days or even weeks apart.
This article is meant to simply review carb back-loading and provide an overview of information which the reader can take into consideration. I am neither advocating for carb back-loading or drawing any kind of conclusion, but simply providing you with a little information. I make this point, because what might work for some, does not work for all. Some people swear by carb back-loading, other claim it is a scam or that is totally non-scientific. Also, prior to the institution of any dietary plan, one must consider his/her goals and his/her expectations for a particular diet. For example, the carb back-loading diet seems to be used for leanness as opposed to a muscular hypertrophy or a building type of plan. This is not to say you cannot gain any mass from this sort of diet, however, it seems that it is more widely used for leaning out. That being said, a caloric deficit is used for losing weight and a surplus is used for gaining weight/adding size, so technically you could adjust a carb back loading diet accordingly. I make this point because it is widely seen across the bodybuilding community of people trying to do loads of cardio to lean out AND they are weight training, relatively heavy, in hopes to gain size simultaneously. Sorry folks, can’t be done. I don’t care who told you but this will NOT work. You cannot be in a caloric deficit and add size. Simple physiology will not allow this to happen. Hypothetically speaking, you could still lose weight eating complete junk food if it was below your maintenance level of calories. However, this is not to say that the nature of your weight loss would be the same as if you ate a “clean” diet, but you get the point. Therefore, lets take a close look at the methodology behind carb back loading.
Carb back loading was coined by John Kiefer. He struggled for a long time himself with making no progress and following a low-fat, low-caloric diet. Although he “patented” his version of the idea, the methods had been used previously as I had mentioned before and still are used just under different names. Carb back-loading in general seems most suitable for weight reduction or trying to lean out. It can be compared closely with a ket
ogenic diet. John Keifer’s version of the carb back loading diet, in its simplest form, calls for the majority of your carbohydrates to be consumed in the latter part of the day. That is no carbs are consumed up until the evening. These carbs need not be limited to sweet potatoes, brown rice, or oatmeal but rather he actually suggests the consumption of simple sugar carbs and carbs that most bodybuilders would never ever see on a dietary plan. On a side note, John Keifer designed this plan around his own physique, goals, and lifestyle. His lifestyle calls for him to train in the evening when he consumes most of his carbs, pre and post workout. He claims you can apply the carb back loading strategy even if you can only train in the morning, however, it seems to be rather contradictory to his original ideology. Also, the “carb back loading” plan by Keifer is also highly reliant on specific type of training program. This carb back loading diet and training plan, however, must be purchased so you can begin to see that this seems to be a money-maker. I am not saying it is a scheme though, but it is simply an idea in which he believes is worth money.
That being said, most of the scientific studies and peer reviewed articles that observed carb back-loading observed predominantly aerobic training, as opposed to anaerobic training, which we are more concerned with. While these studies made conclusions that carb back loading had benefits it is important to look at the nature of the studies. Carb back loading is beneficial for aerobic performance for obvious reasons, fat storage. By loading with carbohydrates prior to competition the body stores them and they are later available for longer endurance, aerobic type exercise or competition. However, you can’t simply apply the results in this case from aerobic studies to anaerobic properties because they are completely different in the nature of their energy usage. I bring up anaerobic because the carb back loading is reliant on weight lifting as being a major component of the program, not just the nature of carb consumption. So, that whole fat storage thing sounds scary, right? Well it does when we are speaking in terms of physique goals.
Carb back-loading can be somewhat classified as a fad diet. I say this because it calls for the elimination of carbs or carbs in limited amounts for the majority of the week and then either once a week or every 10 days a carbohydrate loading day. It would be easier to break down the carb back loading program if we could observe the specifics of the training program in conjunction with the dieting plan. It is important to know though that even with this carb back loading program which seems to be designed generally as a one fits all approach, it may not work the same for everyone. There in lies the problem that it is note noted the details of any kinf of specialization to the training and or the diet.
In this day and age in the sport of bodybuilding everyone wants the “secret” or the “trick” that is going to get them into the contest shape that they dream about. This dangerously sets the scene for contest prep coaches who can claim that they have that secret. I say dangerously because there are many coaches out there who have absolutely no business writing diets or training plans for that matter for people to compete. Lots of competitors, namely newer competitors, overlook the fact that a their coach may not be the best person for the job. So, in saying all of that I will make one finally comment related to carb back loading. What works for some may not work for all. It may be something that you would like to try out and see how it works for you, however, be aware of your own body and how it functions and what works best for YOU and not just what works best for your coach or friends for that matter. Future studies need to be done on aspect of carbohydrate consumption and body composition in conjunction with strength and cardiovascular training. There are far too many variables to isolate in terms of observing carbohydrates, so it would be beneficial to execute multiple studies observing specific variables in each one.
Sources and Photo Credits:
Ivy, J., & Robert, P. (2004). The future of sports nutrition: Nutrient timing. Laguna
Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications.
Heidi, S., & Andrea , C. (2010). Nutrient timing for peak performance. Champaign, IL:
Human Kinetics
