Carb cycling is generically speaking a great way to plan a diet for multiple reasons, however like with everything there's good and bad applications of the protocol.
In my experience carb cycling is a very effective way to continually facilitate progression from a nutritional perspective because you can manipulate certain responses from the body by deliberately rotating your carbohydrate intake.
I won't go into the actual amount of carbohydrates you have per day because that's a very individualized topic, however I can explain broadly speaking how carb cycling works and why I feel it can be a very effective dieting tool to -
. Maximize fat loss
. Support performance improvements
. Protect lean muscle mass
Carb cycling, done correctly creates an environment whereby you are manipulating your metabolism via thyroid stimulation with planned "high" carb days and then planned "low" days. The idea is that you are "spiking" your metabolic rate to encourage higher calorie turnover and then taking some of the fuel away (low days) whilst your metabolic rate is still firing.
If your carb cycle is created properly you'll create this effect whereby you keep "giving" and "taking" at the right times to encourage the body to drop fat quicker.
You'll often find the day after a high day you are f***ing starving, which is a sign that the high day actually worked!!
The great thing about carb cycling is that when it's done right you tend to avoid the common plateaus which people face when they are on a traditional fat loss program.
People tend to reduce their calories gradually and over time increase their output, usually via more and more cardio . . .
The issue with this is that at no point are you really stimulating your thyroid which governs your metabolic rate! In fact, if you stay in a calorie deficit for too long and you continue in this fashion you'll potentially create an environment where your body becomes very resistant to dropping anymore body fat beyond a certain point.
If you on the other hand continually cycle carbs and include high days where you move out of a calorie deficit for that you are going to force your metabolism UP.
As you get very lean (this is generally only a consideration when very lean!) you can also struggle to shift body fat if your leptin levels drop. Basically leptin is known as the "starvation" hormone and as it drops your body becomes more and more inclined to hold on to stored fat. Carbohydrates drive leptin UP, which is another reason why a well timed high carb day can help with progress.
Another great benefit with high carb days is that you tend to avoid becoming too flat because you are periodically putting extra glycogen back into the muscle which ultimately helps protect lean tissue as well.
Neil Hill
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