We Prefer Uniform Nutrition Targets
We’re not usually big fans of splitting “rest day macros” and “training day macros” or carb cycling, especially for most active individuals. Instead, we prefer that most individuals eat the same macros on rest days as they do on training days. Both methods can certainly have applications. If they work for you, that’s great – keep doing you!
Learn more about dest day macros below.
Reasons We Don’t Like Carb Or Calorie Cycling Protocols
1. Most individuals struggle to consistently hit one set of macro goals.
Having multiple days of different goals can be a recipe for disaster. Splitting up rest day macros and training macros can become overwhelming. It’s also harder to troubleshoot if something is or isn’t working when we’re not doing the same exact thing every day with our food.
2. Carbohydrates can be super beneficial.
Carbs can support muscle growth, help with recovery, and also help with performance during workouts. They help boost our energy and replenish our glycogen stores after exercise. That’s why we don’t suggest having separate rest day macros that exclude carbs. Plus, they are also delicious (:
3. Days off from the gym are an opportunity for your body to rest and recover.
You could think of recovery as the secret sauce to achieving most fitness-related goals. Whether your goal is fat loss, muscle gain, or performance, training hard and prioritizing recovery from workouts will typically help you get from A to B more easily.
Recovery Is Key
Recovery comes in many forms. It could mean getting a few rest days a week, getting sufficient sleep, eating enough carbs and calories, and more. If we work out but then we eat significantly fewer carbs or calories that day, we’re kinda canceling out that potential recovery. Not ideal.
Additionally, if we’re moving less (increasing recovery), but eating less (decreasing recovery), we may find that we’re dealing with more soreness, fatigue, and/or just feeling like garbage when we go back to the gym. Another reason why we don’t suggest separate rest day macros.
The Takeaway
Most people will likely feel better, perform better in the gym, recover better, be less grumpy (lol), and be more successful and more consistent by just sticking with one set of goals for nutrition.
Need Help With Macros?
You can always check out my e-book, The Ultimate Guide to Nutrition, Muscle Gain, & Fat Loss if you want to get more details about supporting your nutrition and fitness goals (:
We’re also always posting tips like these on our Paragon Training Methods Instagram page. Follow along for some free workouts and tips for enhancing your routine!
