Carb Back Loading by John Kiefer is just one of those things that somebody comes up with maybe out of the blue or maybe just a series of tweaks on a few popular programs that resonates with certain segment of the population.
In this case.. it’s the breakfast skipping, carb avoiding people who bust butt in the gym and then get all their carbs in after the workout. The high glycemic kind! Trashier the better!
It’s been called gimmicky by several fitness experts. I’m not sure if they truly believe that or because they also sell products, it’s part of the tear down the competition and buy my book mentality.
In any case.. here’s the premise.
No carbs until you train; hit the gym in the afternoon; slam the carbs.
It’s carb backloading!
Carb Back-Loading Cliff Notes
- Shift calories to later in the day, eating lighter in the morning and early afternoon, and feast at night. This may include skipping breakfast.
- Keep carbs at an absolute minimum throughout the day until training.
- Train in the afternoon, at around 5pm or so.
- Start ingesting carbs after your training session, up to 30 minutes later.
- Continue eating carbs throughout the night.
Common Mistakes
- They haven’t read the book; they assume they can get all the info on the internet for free and piece it together
- They barely eat at all up until they train; then it’s junk food after that
- They simply overeat (too many calories, you store it as fat)
My own simple story is I started Day 1 of the Prep Phase on September 11, 2012. It’s Kiefer’s recommendation to determine how many carbs you will be consuming on these back loading days. The Prep Phase lasts for 10 days. In which time you consume no usable carbs.
Given that I’ve only read the book (twice) and started the Prep Phase I’m not making comments on another coaches’ protocols just yet. It’s an interesting concept, one that is much more intriguing that Intermittent Fasting.
Although I admit, I have only had coffee up to this point!
Carb Back Loading Explained:
Marc David – CPT
“The NoBull Muscle Guy”
Author of NoBull Bodybuilding
PS – You can take a look at my carb backloading meal plan if you want to see how you might eat on this program.