Carb Backloading Experimentation (Updated)

Happy new year everyone!

To kick off 2013, I’m conducting a self-experiment with Carb Backloading.

But first of all, what is Carb Backloading?

Well, it’s a diet. To sum it up, you skip breakfast (or push it back, if you wanna get technical) and eat protein and fat (Paleo-esque) during the day. Eat lighter throughout the day, with the majority of calories being eaten at night. And if you resistance train in the afternoon/evening, you slam down simple sugars and insulin spiking carbohydrates at night. On off-days, you continue the protein and fat theme at night. That’s Carb Backloading in a nutshell. Sounds almost too enjoyable, right? It’s geared towards people who lift weights and are looking for body recomposition (more muscle, less fat). And the diet’s creator is a physicist by the name of Kiefer, who literally cites thousands of studies that contribute to the idea behind the diet. For more info on Carb Backloading, check out Kiefer’s website HERE.

So I’m trying out Carb Backloading and documenting my progress for the first month.

My goals with Carb Backloading for January:

• More ab definition
• Lose the love handles
• Lose at least 3 lbs of fat
• Gain at least 3 lbs of muscle

Before (the starting point): 1/1/2013

Weight: 173 lbs

Before pic… (after a night out for New Years Eve, months of no sun, and heavy indulgence in holiday season food and drink.)

I don’t usually take shirtless pictures in the mirror, but when I do it’s to document self-experimentation.

“Your body is almost always within your control. This is rare in life, perhaps unique. Simply focusing on some measurable element of your physical nature can prevent you from becoming a ‘Dow Joneser’, someone whose self-worth is dependent on things largely outside of their control. Job not going well? Company having issues? Some idiot making life difficult? If you add ten laps to your swimming, or if you cut five seconds on your best mile time, it can still be a great week. Controlling your body puts you in life’s driver’s seat.” -Tim Ferriss (4 Hour Body)

Expect an update at the end of January with my exact protocol and results.

Happy 2013 everyone!

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UPDATE (1/31/2013)

It’s been a month of Carb Backloading, and I’ve loved every minute of it.

Oh, and I’m going on vacation to Honduras in 2 days, so this acted as a deadline of sorts. I’ll be there for 8 days, with a lot to share when I get back. But for now, here’s my results from the past month.

Weight– 180lbs…So I gained 7lbs while getting slightly leaner (see the evidence below).

The Photo Evidence: (Double the mirror picture fun this time!)

Round 2 (notice the duck shower curtain)

Up close and personal

So… I made some progress (and lost some body hair haha). I didn’t expect a grandiose transformation in one month, as I’ve been in pretty good shape for a while now. But I’m pleased nonetheless. I’m slightly leaner, but I look bigger, and feel more powerful. Lovin it.

My Protocol:

Prep phase (1/1-1/10)
Ultra low carb (<30 grams per day). No fruits, starches, wheat, bread, legumes, berries, grain…etc. Lots of (grass-fed) meat, (wild-caught) fish, and veggies; with some dairy and nuts thrown in there.

Carb Backloading (Starting 1/11)
Wake up routine:
Glass of lemon water and apple cider vinegar
Bio-Energizer warm up
Listen to a 30 minute Spanish lesson while walking, because I’m going to Honduras on Saturday. (I did this about 20 out of 30 days)
Cold shower

Coconut oil coffee at least 2 hours after waking (black coffee if <2 hours of waking)

Typical Lunch:
Canned fish in a spinach salad, with onions, salsa, olive oil, whatever spices I had, and a lot of sauerkraut for digestion.

Typical Dinner:

Non-training days:
Ultra low carb (ULC). See prep phase.

Training days:
Backload after every other workout! (every 4 days) Just PWO (Post-Workout) shake on non-backload workout day, then eat ULC as normal.

Typical backload:
2 bowls of Nature’s Path Envirokidz Cereal (usually Koala Krisp) with Almond milk
White Rice with 1 egg cooked with Liquid Aminos.
16oz Cottage cheese (with cereal, honey, and whatever else seemed tasty at the time)

Supplements I used:
PWO (Post-Workout) shake: 3g Leucine and 5g creatine, and 15-20g whey isolate.
Greens powder (in water, before my first meal of the day)
Fish oil (about 5,000mg per day, whenever I remembered to take it)
Vitamin D (5,000mg) every morning. (Because it’s winter and flu season. Look ma, no flu shot.)

See my article HERE on supplementation.

Workouts

Workout every other day, switching between workouts A, B, and C. (Ex/ Monday=A, Wednesday=B, Friday=C, Sunday=A…etc)

Workouts (a variation of German Volume Training):
A- Push
10 sets of 10 with 90 seconds of rest
1- Overhead press with 30lb dumbbells (I know, I know. That seems light. But try doing 10 sets of 10 with 90 seconds of rest in between, then get back to me. I managed 10 reps for about 4 sets each time. Never got less than 7 reps on a set though.)
2 sets
3A- Close-grip pushups
3B- Baby birds aka Rear delt fly
Medball 200 as finisher

B- Pull
10 sets of 8 with 90 seconds of rest
1- Neutral Grip Pullups (I managed 8 for about 3-4 sets each time. Never got less than 5 reps on a set though.)
2 sets
3A- Underhand cable row from lower point
3B- Face pull (high)
Grip training

C- Legs
5 sets of 5 with 90 seconds of rest
1- Pistol squat
2 sets
2- Reverse Lunge (holding 30lbs on each side)
3 sets
3A- Hanging leg raise
3B- Jump Squats

Other random routines:

100 calf raises everyday (did it about 25 out of 30 days. Not bad.)

Put an ice pack on my neck 20-30 minutes 4-5 nights per week (described in Tim Ferriss’ book “The 4-Hour Body”) for fat loss.