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genezapharmateuticals
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Research Chemical SciencesUGFREAKeudomestic
napsgeargenezapharmateuticals domestic-supplypuritysourcelabsResearch Chemical SciencesUGFREAKeudomestic

Low carb bulking diet.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Deleted member 33117
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Deleted member 33117

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I get dozens of PM's and e-mails from people asking how they can do a low-carb bulking phase and still gain as much lean body mass as they do on a carb-based diet, or what someone can eat to make maximum gains in lean body mass (by maximum I mean as much if not more than one would gain in a carb-based high calorie diet), without gaining body fat. To many, this sounds like a ridiculous question, since in popular bodybuilding culture it is falsely believed that insulin is the most anabolic hormone, and that having constantly elevated insulin levels will yield massive gains in lean body mass. Of course, that is rather silly since no one gets massive on insulin only cycles.
For those who feel the need to disagree, and feel that insulin is in fact that most anabolic hormone, I recommend you try two 10-week cycles using any high calorie diet and training routine that you like, so long as you use similar one's during each cycle. On the first cycle use 150 mg of test prop every day (1050 mg a week), and on the second one, inject as much insulin as you like, as often as you like (without killing yourself of course). I would be willing to bet that on the testosterone cycle you would gain far more lean body mass, and far less body fat. In fact, to date, virtually every athlete who has tried an insulin only cycle didn't seem to accelerate their gains in lean body mass dramatically, however they generally complain that they gained a great deal of body fat.
While insulin is certainly anabolic, its effects are highly over-rated, and at anything above a very low dose, its effect on increased protein synthesis rapidly yields diminished returns. The same holds true for insulin released by the body in response to food ingested. Furthermore, having continually, or even frequently elevated insulin levels greatly reduce the body's release of hgh, igf-1 and a number of other growth factors. It also tends to promote greater gains in body fat per excess calorie ingested beyond maintenance, as well as a reduction in muscle tissue insulin sensitivity. The potential negative health risks of this are beyond the scope of this writing, however needless to say, reduced insulin sensitivity tends to yield reduced gains in muscle mass, and promote the acquisition of adipose tissue (body fat).
The key to using insulin strictly for the promotion of gains in lean body mass, without gains in body fat, is to time it in a manner that allows for the maximum release of other anabolic hormones, and when muscle tissue is so sensitive to insulin that virtually all of it produced, and the glucose molecules that it transports, will be absorbed by muscle tissue rather than adipose tissue. While this is only a general formula, and will have to be adjusted slightly from individual to individual based on their metabolism and energy needs, it lays a good foundation for one seeking to achieve this result. The diet is based on a 4-day rotation that is to be repeated during the course of the bulking phase. As you will note, I did not based the calculations on body weight, but rather lean body mass, due to the fact that a 200 ibs individual who is 20% bodyfat has 24 ibs less muscle than an individual of the same weight with 8% body fat, and accordingly will have a slower metabolism and different nutritional needs. Prior to starting this bulking diet, one should train himself to be an efficient fat oxidizer. Various doctors, including low-carb gurus Dr. Adkins and Dr. DePasquale have both written extensively on how to do this, so I feel no need to type 2 to 3 pages explain such a process, when it can be found in 100 different web sites and books.
Day one:
Calories : 30X lbm
Protein: lbm X .7-1 grams, and should come exclusively from meat, and small whey isolate shakes, post workout only.
Carbs: no more than 20 grams and should come exclusively from raw green vegetables, meaning no carbs in protein shakes, hidden carbs in meats, cheese etc (although a handful can from nutts, eaten in moderation). Raw green vegetables must be eaten, and in large quantities to get the best results of the diet
Fats: All other calories should be in the form of fat. For maximum results, one should ingest at least 25% of their fat in the form of Omega 3's, and attempt to keep their Omega 3 to Omega 6 ration between 1.5:1 and 2:1. This will promote a maximum increase in insulin sensitivity, androgen and hgh sensitivity in muscle cells. It will also promote a balanced release of anabolic and anti-inflammatory prostaglandin's for maximum anabolic, anti-catabolic activity. Due to its poor nature as a fuel source, and its propensity to reduce insulin sensitivity, one should limit their saturated fat intake to no more than 20% of their total fat intake, which should be easy to do, if one observes the sample meal plan proposed.
Sample food intake for day one, for a 200 ibs, 10% bodyfat individual (180 ibs lean body mass)
?Ground turkey, high fat 1.5 ibs. fat: 90 (sat 18, omega-6 30), pro: 108, calories: 1242
?1 ibs romaine lettuce (add the turkey, olive oil, and salid dessing to lettuce). fat: 2 (omega-3 1), carbs: 10 (impact carbs only), pro: 5, calories: 78
?I scope whey isolate (mixed with 2 tbs flax, listed below, to prevent being kicked out of ketosis), with 10 grams of creatine: pro: 30, calories: 120
?2 tbs carb-free vinegrate salid dressing (canola and olive oil based): fat: 17 g (sat 1, omega-6 2), calories: 153
?20 grams fish oil (in gel cap form), fat: 20 (20 omega-3), calories: 180
?1 cup of walnut havles: fat: 80 (sat 6, omega-6 16, omega-3 36), carbs: 7, protien: 20, calories: 828
?10 tbs flax seed oil: fat 140 (sat 10, omega-6 30, omega-3 80), calories: 1260
?12 tbs extra virgin olive oil: fat: 168 (sat 24, omega-6 15), calories: 1512 Total:
Fat 517, sat 59 (11%), omega-6 93, omega-3 137
Carbs: 17
Protien: 163
Calories: 5,533 (87% fat, 1% carbs, 12% protien)

Day two and three: same as day except calories are adjusted to 25X lbm (reduce fat, keep protein and carbs the same):
Sample food for one day: same as above remove 4 tbs olive oil, 3 tbs flax seed oil.
Fat: 419
Carbs: 17
Protein: 163
Calories: 4491 (84% fat, 1% carbs, 15% protein)

Day four: Try to get in a taxing workout during the morning of day four, such as back or thighs, that will deplete a significant amount of glycogen. Contrary to popular belief, most weight training workouts deplete very little muscle glycogen compared to other activities. 10 sets of heavy squats, would deplete more glycogen than virtually any other workout one could do, yet it would only use a fraction of the glycogen stores that would be depleted from 30 minutes of moderate intensity cardio. None-the-less, on this morning we should try to complete our hardest workout for the 4 day period, in order to deplete our body further to prepare for the proceeding carbup. Eat only EFA's, with no carbs, and a minimum of protein (drinking a couple tbs of flax seed oil would be a good choice), post workout, have whey protein with a high GI carb, to begin the carb loading phase, following the workout, one's food for the day should consist of the following, spread out over 6-10 meals:
Calories: 30-35 X lbm
Carbs: 4X lbm, the first meal can be post workout drink. The second meal can be whatever junk food we have been craving, such as pizza, ice cream, etc. Following that, one's carbs should come from moderately low to low GI carbs. Avoid all refined carbs, and keep fructose to a minimum, at this point.
Protein: 2X lbm, preferably from lean protein sources, in order to keep saturated fat at an acceptable level to promote testosterone production and lower shbg levels, but low enough to leave room for EFA's.
Fat: at least 25% of one's calories should come from fat on day 4, focusing primarily on omega-3 and omega-6 fats
Sample food for 200 ibs, 10% bf individual:
?post-workout shake, 2 scoops whey isolate, 50 grams of maltodextrine, 10 grams creatine: carbs: 50 ,protein: 50, calories:400
?3 Hot Pocket stuffed sandwich pepperoni pizzas: fat: 51, carb 114, protein: 39, calories: 1071
?10 cups skim milk, carbs: 120, protein: 80, calories: 800
?3 cups (dry measurement) brown rice: fat: 18, carbs: 432, protein: 48, calories: 2082
?1 ibs top sirloin, lean trim and broiled: fat: 30, protein: 125, calories: 770
?5 tbs flax seed oil: fat: 70, calories: 630
Total: fat: 169
Carbs: 716
Protein: 342
Calories: 5753 (26% fat, 50% carbs, 24% protein)

Some things concerning the diet may not make sense to some, so these are the basic behind how such a diet works. Day one will always proceed day four, and muscle glycogen stores are at their max. Due to this, one's body is in a highly anabolic mode. As most of us know, carbohydrates are nothing more than a fuel source, and actually are less useful as a fuel source than Omega-3,6 and 9 fats per calorie. They are not the building blocks of muscle tissue. Muscle tissue is composed of protein and EFA's (which compose the cell membranes). The extremely high calories are virtually all from EFA's and protein (39% and 12%), thus giving us a huge amount of material present to build new, and repair damaged, muscle tissue. Without the presence of carbs, won't the protein be used for fuel? No, because after depleting and loading carbs as we have done here, one's body will be storing excess glycogen in muscle and liver cells, and will immediately begin burning this off for fuel in preference to other sources, since it is currently in excess. This will leave a great deal of protein free to be used to build new muscle tissue. Assuming the body uses some of it for fuel, and more to repair damaged tissue, and only 30% of it remains for building new tissue, or conversion into glycogen (any not used for these other purposes will as a last resort arrive at this end). In our sample diet, that would be about 49 grams. In a lbs of very lean muscle tissue we only see 110-130 grams of protein, thus that would give us enough building blocks to grow 6-7 oz of muscle on this day, which is quit unlikely to happen in one day, even on massive doses of steroids and hgh, so our protein needs are more than adequate for maximum gains in muscle mass, despite seeming a bit low.
Another reason why we are consuming such a high amount of fat, with very low protein and carbs (by most bodybuilding standards), is to get the body into ketosis faster, after the carb up. Normally people find they must deplete their muscle glycogen somewhat prior to entering ketosis, however Dr. Adkins, and a number of athletes, have noticed that once and individual becomes an efficient fat oxidizer, entering ketosis is simply a matter of having a high enough fat-to-carb ratio in their diet. Bear in mind that excess amino acids are converted into glycogen if they cannot be utilized as building blocks by the body. By giving our body only enough for optimal growth, only a smaller percentage of it will make this conversion, thus effectively lowering our true carbohydrate intake. In this instance our fat-to-carbohydrate intake is much higher than the average individual attempting a ketosis diet. Many individuals will find themselves in ketosis within a few hours. This is desirable for a number of reasons. Once the body enters ketosis, it tends to use considerably less glycogen for fuel, and far more fat, which it a more efficient fuel source, that will give an individual more energy, strength and stamina. This will also reduce losses in muscle glycogen, thus keeping the muscle more hydrated and protein synthesis higher. The other reason for wishing to enter ketosis faster is that ketones themselves are protein sparing, and have a very documented anti-catabolic effect. This is the reason why athletes who diet down using a CKD or TKD, besides the benefit of an accelerated body fat loss, seem to maintain more muscle mass on the same number of calories than they would have on a more balanced diet, and why these diets have become so popular with pre-contest bodybuilders who must maintain muscularity while stripping away all subcutaneous body fat. Bare in mind that muscle growth is not just about anabolism, but rather the rate at which anabolism exceeds catabolism. If we increase anabolism in a given muscle cell OR decrease catabolism, we have made progress in this endeavor.
Now, on day one, our body is producing very little insulin as a result of the exceedingly low insulin response of the food being ingested, and the fact that our blood sugar is not being elevated, but rather is being lowered naturally by the body that is using some of it for fuel. We have discovered long ago that high blood sugar or insulin levels blunt the release of hgh, and also that when these begin to drop, the body perceives this as a potentially catabolic state. Being a machine based on homeostasis, the body will tend to react by increase its production of anabolic hormones, especially hgh, in an effort to offset the potential catabolism, and maintain that state of balance.
Due to the nature of omega-3 fatty acids, which are comprising a very large portion of our food intake now, they tend to have a very positive effect on the receptors of the various anabolic hormones such as testosterone, hgh, igf-1, and insulin. With our intake being this high, we should see a great increase in the sensitivity of these receptors in muscle tissue, thus making these hormones more effective at creating an anabolic environment within our muscle cells. Omega 3 fats also reduce tissue inflammation due to their effects on the production of series 3 prostaglandin's, which is beneficial in speeding up recovery from training. There is also a great deal of evidence that diets high in omega-3 fats reduce gains in body fat not just via their effect on insulin sensitivity, but also at the genetic level. They have been shown in mice to shut of the gene in fat cells that causes growth of adipose tissue. This is potentially good news for an individual who is eating excessive calories; such as we are on this diet, who is concerned about gaining body fat.
Another reason we are eating such a high fat intake is the effect on testosterone production, and (this is more important to enhanced athletes who do not need to produce their own testosterone, but who only need to use what they are injecting more efficiently) lower shbg levels that tend to go hand in hand with higher fat diets. Omega-6 fats are also directly responsible for the production of a number of anabolic hormones. They are necessary for the production of series 2 (pro-inflammatory) prostaglandins. One such hormone is pfg2a, which has been documented by athletes ambitious enough, and fool-hearty enough, to be considerably more anabolic than anabolic steroid or insulin. It has also been documented to cause reasonable fat loss in those utilizing it, even when on a hypo caloric diet. The mechanism by which it does this is believed by steroid gurus and scientists who have an interest in performance enhancing compounds, by turning on a gene in fat cells that triggers cell death. Thus killing the fat cell without having to burn it for fuel... a chemical liposuction of sorts. With our very high omega-6 intake, the body will be able to product these prostaglandins in any quantity it needs, but with our increased production of series 3 prostaglandins due to our high omega-3 intake, we will be able to offset some of the negative effects they produce.
On days 2 and 3, we are slightly reducing calories, yet still keeping them high enough for fuel our energy and growth needs, simply because they are not needed, and to perhaps get the body to deplete its glycogen stores over the course of these two days.

At the beginning of day 4, we are only eating EFA's, due to their anti-catabolic effects and other positive benefits, but by removing all potential glycogen intake, the body will further burn away its stored glycogen, and will further elevate its release of anabolic hormones during our intense training session. At this point, our muscles are now starving for glycogen, and should be depleted enough to respond with a super compensation effect when we begin our carb load. Our production of anabolic hormones it as its absolute highest, and we have done everything possible to achieve maximum insulin sensitivity in our muscle cells. Now we intake a large amount of high glycemic index carbs over the next couple of hours, in order to initiate a massive insulin response. At this point the muscle and liver cells of our body will absorb virtually all of the glycogen and insulin present in the bloodstream for the remainder of the day, and will store an excess amount, more than they would normally store, of glycogen (the standard response to depleting and then loading carbohydrates), which in turn will draw in a large amount of water, creating the perfect anabolic environment without our muscle tissue, due to the elevated levels of anabolic hormones, and excess glycogen being stores in those cells.

Thus we have a diet that creates an environment with the highest possible anabolic potential which also reduces catabolism in muscle tissue further improving our anabolic to catabolic ratio. Unlike most high calorie diets, this one also gives us the benefit of simultaneously starving our fat cells of insulin, and potentially promoting their use as fuel for our metabolic processes, through multiple methods.
 
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I gotta run off to class, but I printed the post out, and will read in on the train. Thanks in advance for info, bro.
 
Wow, this is the worse cut and paste from word I've ever seen... I've edit some, but really do not feel like doing the rest right now.

ohashi, you're welcome bro. Enjoy.
 
Nice post BBF. One question, why do you go with a 4 day cycle? When you are cutting do you extend the time between carb-ups or is it always 4 days?
 
overhead, is depends on one's needs. For maxium gains in lbm, I think a short carbup every four days would yield better results, since 3 days of ketosis is enough to deplete glycogen enough for get a supercompensation effect, however the more frequint carbups could compromise fat loss somewhat when cutting, but are a good idea when one gets very lean (8-9%), in order to help prevent catabolism, while allowing further fat loss.
 
BodyByFinaplix said:
overhead, is depends on one's needs. For maxium gains in lbm, I think a short carbup every four days would yield better results, since 3 days of ketosis is enough to deplete glycogen enough for get a supercompensation effect, however the more frequint carbups could compromise fat loss somewhat when cutting, but are a good idea when one gets very lean (8-9%), in order to help prevent catabolism, while allowing further fat loss.

That makes sense. I do not have to worry about that being that I will never be 8 or 9% :D . I am about to go back to a CKD again, went off for a couple of months and quickly jumped from 175 to 200 pounds. Too much fat again, but I won a bet.
 
One of better posts I saw here in months. Congrats bro. The only think I would disagree is that low intake of saturated fats but otherwise very good reading.
 
Fat_eater, I'm big on saturated fat, but keeping yourself under 20% of your fat calories in the form of saturated fat, is still a realiatively high intake. In the sample diet for a 200 ibs individual I laid out, there are 59 grams of saturated fat in day one. That is considered to be unhealtily high, however with the massive intake of EFA's one can offset any negative effects from it. The purpose for limiting it, is maximize the insulin sensitivity, and to focus more on EFA's, which will benefit an individual far more than just taking in more saturated fat, once enough has been consumed to maximize testosterone production and lower shbg levels.
 
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