Cyclical Ketogenic Diets Part 1 Copyright Lyle McDonald 1996 Abstract After roughly a 20 year ...

134 Pages·2009·0.79 MB·English

Cyclical Ketogenic Diets Part 1
Copyright Lyle McDonald 1996

Abstract
After roughly a 20 year absence from the public eye, the ketogenic diet has made a
reappearance in both the fields of weight loss as well as sports nutrition. Books like "Dr. Atkins
New Diet Revolution", "Protein Power" by the Eades', and to a lesser degree "The Carbohydrate
Addicts Diet" by the Hellers have brought low carb dieting back into the weight loss
arena.Additionally, in the field of sports nutrition, two slightly different approaches have
entered the fray in the form of "The Anabolic Diet" created by Dr. Mauro DiPasquale and "Bodyopus"
created by Dan Duchaine. Rather than suggesting a low carbohydrate approach indefinitely, these
two diets advocate a cyclical ketogenic approach combining 5 days of low carbohydrate
intake with a 2 day carb-up akin to what endurance athletes used to do prior to competition.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to draw any absolute conclusions about this approach from
article written about it as the groups involved in the debate invariably have some vested financial
interest in either promoting or decrying the approach. In this article, I simply want to examine
some of the theoretical bases of the cyclical ketogenic diet and if it has any merit.
Additionally, possible health concerns will be discussed.

Some Basic physiology
What are ketones?
Ketone or ketone bodies (KB) are a byproduct of fat metabolism. KB's are generated in the
liver due to the actions of glucagon (15). There are two KB's which circulate freely in the
bloodstream. They are acetoacetate and beta-hydroxybutyrate. Most aerobic tissues, including the
brain, skeletal muscle, and the heart can oxidize KB's for fuel (8). Under normal blood sugar
conditions, glucose is the preferred fuel in the brain, muscles and heart. Under these conditions
the rate of ketone body utilization by tissue depends in part on their concentration. Under normal
conditions, KB metabolism is minimal, perhaps 1-2% of total energy expenditure. In diabetic
ketotic patients, this can increase to 5% (8).

Glucagon, insulin and ketogenesis:
The formation of KB's and utilization of fuel is ultimately controlled by the circulating
levels of insulin and glucagon. Insulin is a hormone released from the pancreas in response to
eating carbohydrates. Glucagon is insulin's antagonistic hormone and is only present when insulin
levels fall to quite low levels. In the liver, high glucagon levels direct FFA away from TG
synthesis and towards beta-oxidation. Glucagon also activates adipose tissue lipase which
activates lipolysis. Glucagon's ketogenic and lipolytic effects are inactivated by even small
amounts of insulin. To achieve sufficient glucagon concentrations for increased
ketogenesis/lipolysis, blood glucose levels must drop to around 50-60 mg/dl and insulin must drop
almost to zero. This drop in insulin can occur with complete fasting, exercise, or by simply
restricting carbohydrate intake to below 30 grams per day. Within about 3 days of carbohydrate
restriction, blood glucose will fall below 60 mg/dl, insulin levels will drop to zero and glucagon
levels will increase causing an increase in KB formation. With exercise training, ketogenesis
should occur more quickly and ketosis
established. (2)
How to induce ketosis?
Ketosis (defined as the buildup of the KB's in the bloodstream) will occur under several
conditions including: fasting, after prolonged exercise, and when a high fat diet is consumed.
(7,8,15).
Once ketosis is established (i.e. when ketone concentration in the blood is higher than
glucose concentration), ketones will become the preferred fuel by all three tissues providing up to
75% of the fuel utilized (7). The brain, which normally utilizes glucose exclusively for fuel will,
after a period of 2 to 3 weeks, switch almost exclusively to using KB's for fuel (1, 6, 15). The
time delay for the brain to make this metabolic shift has some major implications which need to be
discussed. As described further below, one study (22) found a decrement in mental flexibility
during the first week of adopting aketogenic diet. Therefore, for individuals who's jobs or
livelihood requires great mental acuity, the ketogenic diet approach (cyclical or otherwise) may
not be an ideal one.

The ketogenic ratio
Food can be rated as either ketogenic or anti-ketogenic dependent on their conversion to
glucose in the body. Dietary fats are the most ketogenic item, converting to glucose with only 10%
efficiency. Proteins are in the middle, converting to glucose with about 58% efficiency (this is
due to the fact that some dietary amino acids are ketogenic in nature, meaning that they convert to
ketones, and others are glucogenic, meaning that they convert to glucose) (2). Dietary
carbohydrates convert to blood sugar with 100% efficiency making them completely anti-ketogenic in
nature. To rapidly establish ketosis, a minimum ratio of 1.5 grams of fat for each gram of protein
and/or carbohydrate is recommended. This would provide a ketogenic ratio of 1.5:1. While higher
ketogenic ratios are used clinically, this author can see no need to use a higher ratio of fat to
protein and carbs for a healthy athlete. (5)

What exactly does ketosis mean?
Ketosis simply refers to a metabolic state where the concentration of KB's in the blood
builds to higher than normal levels. As will be discussed below in further detail, this should not
be equated with the ketoacidosis which occurs in diabetics.
The presence of ketosis through whatever means implies two things (15):
1. that lipid energy metabolism has been activated
2. that the entire pathway of lipid degradation is intact.
Normally, there is fairly tight control on the production of KB's. Except in pathological
conditions such as diabetes, excess ketones will simply be excreted in the urine (1). This allows
an individual to check for the presence and urinary concentration of ketones by utilizing Ketostix.

Metabolic effects of ketogenic diets
Establishment of ketosis, even in the short term, has the effect of increasing the body's
ability to utilize fat for fuel. After adaptation to ketosis, there is a decrease in fasting RQ
(an indicator of relative fuel metabolism with lower values indication greater reliance on fat
metabolism versus carbohydrate metabolism) (7). Also, there is a decrease in glucose oxidation
during ketogenic diets as KB's are providing much of the body's energy needs (18). Additionally,
adaptation to a ketogenic diet increases fat oxidation during exercise even in trained individuals
(14, 17).
One point of contention regarding ketogenic diets is the supposed protein sparing effect
when compared to a eucaloric diet with a high carbohydrate intake. Due to methodological
differences, some studies have found a decrease in protein utilization while others have found an
increase (8). However, available data seems to support the idea that ketosis spares protein from
being used for energy. Since there is essentially an unlimited supply of fat which can be
converted to ketones, and since ketones can be used by all oxidative tissues, there should be
little need to oxidize protein to generate glucose through gluconeogenesis. There is an obligatory
protein requirement which must be met of about 30 grams per day. And, to be safe, an intake of 60-
75 grams of protein is recommended
(7).

Other effects of low carbohydrate diets
Additionally, a low carbohydrate intake will allow for overall greater lipolysis and free
glycerol release when compared to either high carbohydrate or normal diets (7, 12). This is
mediated in part by the lack of insulin, which has a lipolysis blocking action even at low
concentrations as well as increases in other lipolytic hormones such as growth hormone, glucagon,
the catecholamines, and glucocorticoids. (7) Additionally, growth hormone levels increase on low
carb diets which willfurther help to prevent the inevitable protein losses which occur when
calories are restricted (2, 7).

Hopefully the above discussion adequately describes what occurs when ketosis is established
through the combination of carbohydrate restriction, a sufficient ratio of fat to protein plus
carbohydrate intake, and exercise training. This suggests that the lowering of insulin, and the
resultant hormonal mileu created may optimize the oxidation of fat when fat loss is the goal.
However, as many individuals find completely adequate success with a less stringent diet, this type
of extreme approach is likely not warranted for everyone. Additionally, a similar hormonal mileu
(i.e. lowering of insulin, etc.) can occur under normal dietary conditions through various means.
A replacement of higher glycemic index carbohydrates with lower GI carbs will lower basal insulin
levels as will a high fiber intake. Cardiovascular exercise done first thing in the morning before
any calories are consumed may create a similar hormonal picture due to the lowering of blood
glucose after an 8 hour fast. Additionally, the performance of cardiovascular exercise following
high intensity resistance training should also allow for greater fat utilization due to lowered
blood glucose and insulin levels. However, we have not yet discussed the most unique
feature of the cyclical ketogenic which is the high carbohydrate phase on the weekends. The
validation of the weekend carb-up is the point upon which the cyclical ketogenic diet ultimately
hinges. Unfortunately, direct data on healthy athletes is sorely lacking and only inference can be
drawn from other data.The problem with all fat loss diets is the inevitable loss of lean body mass
(i.e. muscle) which will occur. This leads to a loss of muscle tissue and a slowing of metabolism
making weight regain highly likely. While ketogenic diets may limit muscle protein loss more so
than high carbohydrate diets, the loss of some muscle will occur. The weekend carb-up, in addition
to refilling muscle glycogen stores for the next week's training, may also have the potential to
stimulate anabolism and rebuild some if not all of the lost muscle tissue. What is not understood
is why the period of high carbohydrate intake does not undo the metabolic adaptations to the
ketosis is established during the week. It seems possible that, for the same reason it takes
several weeks to days for the body to adapt to a ketogenic diet, a similar amount of time may be
required to de-adapt or, rather, readapt to normal carbohydrate metabolism. This area requires
more direct study before any conclusions can or should be drawn.

The carb-up
With the consumption of a normal carbohydrate adequate diet, muscle carbohydrate stores
should remain filled. Under normal circumstances, the muscles contain approximately 350 grams.
With glycogen depletion caused by exhaustive exercise followed by a high carbohydrate intake, these
levels of muscle carbohydrate can be nearly doubled (19).
Under normal dietary conditions, exercise has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity
which increases the muscle's ability to accept insulin at the receptor level (12) but this increase
in insulin sensitivity only occurs in the muscles trained. The increase seems related to glycogen
depletion in the worked muscles. Additionally, following a low carbohydrate diet, but not after a
high carbohydrate diet, glycogen synthase activity (the enzyme which stores dietary carbohydrate in
the muscle) is increased further (4). So, all of the pieces are in place. By combining a high fat
diet, exhaustive exercise training (which should be performed on Friday prior to beginning the
carbohydrate loading period) and a high carbohydrate intake, glycogen supercompensation can occur.
However, while complete super compensation may take three to four days, the majority of glycogen
storage will occur in the first 24 hours. (19). The muscles are capable of storing from 9 grams of
carbohydrate per kg of lean body mass all the way up to 16 grams of carbs per kg lean body mass.
The above is nothing that wasn't already known. Endurance athletes looking to improve performance
used to combine 3 days of exhaustive exercise with a carbohydrate restricted diet identical to what
was described above to accomplish glycogen super compensation to provide greater energy stores for
their events. What about the rebuilding of muscle that was alluded to above?
For every gram of carbohydrate stored in the muscle, assuming adequate water intake, 4
grams of water will be stored additionally. With a normal mixed diet, muscle carbohydrate stores
are roughly 350 grams for a person with 65kg of lean body mass (19). At 4 grams of water per gram
of carbohydrate, this is 1400 grams of water stored in the muscles. With super compensation to 16
grams per kg lean body mass, 1040 grams of carbohydrate can potentially be stored which would yield
4160 grams of water, almost a 3 fold increase.
Recent research supports the idea that muscle protein anabolism may be regulated by
cellular hydration state at least in certain pathophysiological states like burn trauma. According
to this hypothesis, cellular dehydration sends a proteolytic (protein breakdown) signal to the cell
while cellular hydration (and, presumably super hydration as would occur with glycogen super
compensation) would send a powerful anabolic signal to the cell (9,10). Along with this, after 3
days on a high fat diet, the insulin response to a standard glucose load is increased compared to a
high carbohydrate diet (20). Hyperinsulinemia is another stimulus for anabolism. (3) So, it seems
plausible (although direct research is awaited to support or refute this) that glycogen super
compensation, along with the powerful anabolic signal sent by the almost three fold increase
cellular hydration could rebuild any muscle lost while following a low carbohydrate, ketogenic
diet. What is not understood at this time is why endurance athletes, performing an identical form
of glycogen super compensation do not see increases in muscle mass. This suggests that the simple
act of carbohydrate restriction and protein breakdown followed by carbohydrate loading may not
independently promote anabolic processes.

What about side effects?
Probably the largest side effect reported with ketogenic diets is fatigue, especially
during the initial adaptation to ketone metabolism, especially in the brain. A recent study found
that, during the first week of a ketogenic diet, performance on tests indicative of mental
flexibility were impaired. These affects abated as the diet was continued (21).
One question regarding ketogenic diets is the potential effects on blood
lipid profile. Anecdotally, many individuals report an improvement in blood lipid profile but this
author could only find one reference to cholesterol levels. During 4 weeks of adaptation to a
ketogenic diet, cholesterol levels did increase from 139 to 200. What effects on blood lipid
longer periods of ketosis would have had are currently unknown. (18) This underscores the absolute
need for anyone desiring to try this approach to monitor blood lipid levels with frequent blood
testing.
Unfortunately, no direct research has been done in the last 15 or so years
looking at untoward side effects of the ketogenic diets. While it is attractive to draw inference
from studies of epileptic children, for whom ketosis appears to control a majority of intractable
seizures and who are kept in deep ketosis for periods of a year or more (5,13), this sub population
may or may not be indicative of the effects of such a diet in healthy individuals. Additionally,
the fact that the diet is abandoned after that period of time suggests that long term ketosis may
have unwanted effects. Or that long term adaptation to the ketogenic diet is sufficient to control
the seizures without having to maintain the diet.
Additionally, ketogenic diets have shown some promise in the treatment of
certain types of tumors by starving the tumor of glucose while providing adequate energy substrates
in the form of KB's to other tissues (16). But, as with the subgroup mentioned above, it would be
exceedingly premature to draw inference as to the long term side effects which may occur with a
ketogenic diet from these studies. The longest study on ketogenic diets found by this researcher
in the last 15 years were only 4 weeks in duration. Therefore, it can only be concluded at this
time that long term side effects of ketogenic diets are not currently known. Considering that many
disease states such as coronary artery disease can take years to manifest themselves, caution must
be taken.
As with any radical change in diet or food intake, especially one such as
the ketogenic diet which causes extreme changes in the body's biochemistry,individuals must take
care to monitor their health status. Tracking blood lipid profile and other indicators of heart
disease as well as other bodily functions will help to indicate if any negative effects are
occurring in the body and frequent diagnostic tests are highly recommended. Additionally, it is
currently unknown whether adaptation to long term ketosis can be reversed without detrimental
effects to normal metabolism. That is to say, it is conceivable that the metabolic effects caused
by such a major dietary change could cause irreversible changes to normal metabolism.
Some comment should be made is in regards to nutrient intake. Due to the
restrictive nature of ketogenic diets the potential exists for micronutrient deficiencies. In the
studies on ketogenic diets, the researchers provided supplementation of a multi-vitamin/mineral
tablet to ensure adequate micronutrient intake. It may be advisable for those why try such a diet
independently to supplement with a multi-vitamin/mineral providing 100% of the RDA. Additionally,
since the consumption of nutrient dense foods such as vegetables is severely restricted during the
week, these foods should be consumed during the carbohydrate loading phase so that absolute
reliance on supplements is not required.
Another thing that deserves mention is this: the high dietary fat intake
necessitated by the ketogenic diet is such that increased free radical production could potentially
occur. However, this area requires further direct study before any conclusions can be drawn. As
with other potential health concerns, this further underscores the need for an individual to
closely monitor their health status before and while beginning such a dietary regime.

The issue of ketoacidosis
A final criticism that arises relative to ketogenic diets is the extreme
danger of uncontrolled ketoacidosis. KB's are acidic in nature. The uncontrolled buildup of KB's
would lower pH levels of the blood causing death. However, we must differentiate between ketosis
as it occurs in diabetics and ketosis as it occurs in non-diabetics. Recall that ketosis occurs
when insulin levels drop and glucagon levels rise. In diabetics, this can occur even with high
blood sugar levels due to the inability of the pancreas to secrete insulin. In this situation,
glucose production is augmented but peripheral utilization is reduced. Blood sugar rises to
exceedingly high levels of 300 to 2000 mg/dl (normal blood glucose concentration is 80-120 mg/dl).
But, due to the low insulin to glucagon ratio, ketogenesis is also stimulated. However, due to the
presence of high blood glucose levels, ketoacid use is prevented. Thus, KB concentration increases
to high levels, eventually lowering blood pH and causing diabetic ketoacidosis and eventually
death. Contrast this to ketosis as it occurs in conditions such as fasting, or carbohydrate
restricted/high fat diets. In this case, blood sugar levels are subnormal and KB's do not buildup
in the bloodstream as they will be utilized by peripheral tissues for energy (2).
Additionally, ketoacidosis in diabetics seems related to a defect causing increased
production. Normally, there is a negative feedback loop whereby excess ketones prevent further
production. The slight difference in KB clearance versus KB appearance corresponds to urinary
excretion which is always below 10% of total turnover. (1)
As further evidence, exercise, which is ketogenic in nature, does not cause the expected
increase in KB concentrations so a negative feedback loop appears also to be present. (6) This
suggests that out of control ketoacidosis should not occur in normal individuals but, again, there
is no real long term data on this aspect of the diet. Regular checks of urinary KB concentration
(utilizing Ketostix), blood glucose (using a glucometer), and other indicators of potential
problems are highly recommended.
In conclusion, with the available data, the cyclical ketogenic diet may have merit for
certain applications. The carbohydrate restriction coupled with the induction of ketosis seems to
promote a hormonal mileu conducive to fat loss. The carbohydrate loading process on the weekend is
the least understood (and least researched) aspect of this dietary approach and much further
elucidation of the possible anabolic processes is required before any definite conclusions can be
drawn. The long term health effects in healthy individuals of this dietary approach are unknown.
The only studies over four weeks in length were conducted on populations which do not allow
extrapolation to healthy individuals. Again, more research is needed to establish the safety of
this dietary approach in the long term. In the very short term (4 weeks), it seems well tolerated
except for the afforementioned cognitive effects.
Regular blood work (including before commencing the diet to establish a baseline) as well
as regular checks for urinary ketone concentration are highly recommended. Any metabolic
abnormalities occurring in either tests should be taken as a sign that the dietary approach should
be abandoned. Finally, due to effects on mental clarity during the first few weeks of a ketogenic
diet, this approach is not suitable for individuals involved in a job or activity requiring high
amounts of mental acuity.

Cyclical Ketogenic Diets Part 2
Copyright Lyle McDonald 1996
Last issue I presented a short review article of some research behind
the cyclical ketogenic diet (hereafter CKD). This time I'd like to take that research and discuss
proper application for those bodybuilders who have chosen to try the diet. The CKD can be used
both for muscle gain with minimal fat gain or for maximum fat loss with minimal muscle loss. The
primary difference in applications of the CKD would be in:
1. Training structure
2. Calorie levels
3. Amount and type of cardiovascular training
4. Length and quality of the carb-up phase

In this article, I only want to discuss the application of the CKD for fat loss prior to
and leading up to a contest. The typical problem withpre-contest dieting is the invariable loss
of muscle mass which occurs. The CKD helps to solve this problem in two ways. First, ketogenic
diets appear to spare muscle tissue loss during dieting. Second, the carb-up phase seems to
promote anabolism to rebuild any lost muscle. I'll divide the application of the CKD for fat loss
into three sections: the no-carb phase, the carb-up, and training structure.

The no-carb phase:
----------------------------
>From a dietary standpoint, to establish and maintain ketosis, two criteria
must be met:
1. Carbohydrate intake must be kept below 30 grams. However, there is some
indivduality in this number. Some individuals can handle more
carbohydrates while others may have difficulty establishing ketosis at this
level. If you can't get into ketosis and everything else is in place, try
cutting your carb intake to 20 grams or less. Also, many individuals choose
to consume as few carbs as possible (zero) until ketosis is fully
established and then increase carbs slightly (celery and cucumber are both
good and add some nice texture to an otherwise bland diet) at that point.
2. The ratio of fat to protein should be 1.5 grams of fat *minimum* for
every gram of protein and carbs in the diet. This is a 75% fat, 25%
protein ratio with trace carbs. So, if you plan to eat 200 grams of
protein, you need to eat at least 300 grams of fat. In most cases, the
easiest way to meet the fat requirements of the diet is to pick your
protein food first (most protein foods have some fat in them) and then
balance the meal out with the proper amount of whole fat food such as
vegetable oil, cream cheese, or mayonnaise and heavy cream (a great dessert
is heavy cream with protein powder and Equal. Mix it up in a bowl and
you've got pudding!)

Calorie levels: Calories should be set at maintenance or 10-20% below depending on how quickly you
need to drop fat. If you don't know your maintenance calorie level, start with 12 calories per
pound (or 11 caloriesper pound of lean body mass) and gauge from there. If you're dropping more
than 2 lbs of fat per week, increase calories. If you feel that fat loss isn't happening quickly
enough, lower them slightly or increase cardiovascular training. For the sake of example, let's
say that your caloric intake during the no-carb phase is 2000 calories.

75% fat = 2000*.75 = 1500 calories / 9 calories/gram = 166 grams of fat
25% protein = 2000*.25 = 500 calories / 4 calories/gram = 125 grams of protein.

These calories would be divided into three or four meals.

Training structure:
The other key to establishing and maintaining ketosis as rapidly as possible is that blood
glucose (normal is 80-120 mg/dl) must be lowered to 50-60 mg/dl. At this point, insulin levels
decrease and glucagon levels (which are responsible for ketogenesis) rise. Simple carbohydrate
restriction will cause ketosis to occur in three or four days. But proper training can put you in
ketosis within 36-48 hours of stopping carbs. And, the more time you are in ketosis, the more fat
you can lose.
Now, a typical pre-contest dieting practice has been to lower the weights on all exercise
and use higher reps to 'cut' up the muscle. This is a fallacy and is about the worst thing a
natural lifter can do while dieting. Heavy weights are necessary to maintain muscle mass while
dieting. What should be loweredis training volume (i.e. number of total sets and days of training)
as overtraining becomes more likely on restricted calories.
This point can't be too emphasized: while dieting for fat loss, it is almost impossible to
gain muscle so don't knock yourself out trying. The best a natural can do is keep all the hard
earned muscle he or she has built through heavy training. To keep that muscle, heavy training must
be maintained, just at a lower volume.
Now, the key to dropping blood glucose quickly is to perform sufficient metabolic work. At
first glance, this seems to contradict the suggestion to cut training volume. However, the amount
of metabolic work done (which impacts how much glucose is pulled out of the bloodstream into the
muscles) is dependent on the size of the muscle used. So, to rapidly establish ketosis, make sure
to work at least the large muscles of the body (legs, chest and back) in the first 2 days of
carbohydrate restriction. An example training week be:
Monday: chest and back
Tuesday: legs and abs
Friday: shoulders and arms

Alternately, the entire body can be worked across Monday and Tuesday.
This has the added benefit of allowing for muscle soreness to dissipate
prior to the carb-up. Muscle damage causes short term insulin
insensitivity which can impair carbing.
This would look like:
Mon: legs, back, biceps
Tue: chest, delts, tris, abs
Fri: high rep, circuit depletion workout
The depletion workout comes from Dan Duchaine's book, "Bodyopus". The rationale is that
the further you deplete muscle glycogen, the greater an anabolic response you will get during the
recarb. On the Monday and Tuesday workout, do 2-3 heavy sets of 6-8 reps to failure for 1-3
exercises per body part (larger muscles like back need more exercises than smaller ones like
biceps). On Friday, a giant loop type of circuit seems to work best. For example: squat, bench
press, seated row, leg curl, shoulder press, pulldown, calf raise, triceps pushdown, barbell curl,
abs, low back and alternate movements each cycle (flat vs. incline bench, seated vs. standing calf
raise) to hit as many different fibers as you can.

Do 10-20 semi-fast, but controlled, reps per exercise and go nowhere even close to failure.
A weight around 50% of the weights you used for your sets of 6-8 on Mon and Tue seems to work about
right. Take 1' rest between sets and about 5' rest between circuits. You want to continue doing
circuits until you feel your strength decreasing (trust me, you'll know when you get there). This
indicates your glycogen stores are becoming depleted. However, realize that not everyone has
found the depletion workout to be necessary for good results. Again, experimentation and good
record keeping is the key. I suggest you try both methods suggested above and see what happens.
Prior to the depletion workout, it is important that you get out of ketosis by consuming 50
grams of carbs (fruit is ideal) about 2 hours before the workout. The rationale is this: while in
ketosis, the body will prefer ketones to glucose for fuel. To achieve maximal glycogen depletion
in all muscle fibers, you need to exit ketosis. Fruit (which will preferentially refill liver
glycogen) is the ideal way to do this.
This will allow for maximal glycogen depletion during the workout. The carb-up should
begin immediately after the final Friday workout and continue from 24-36 hours at which point you
should switch back to low carb intake.

Cardiovascular training:
One nice thing about ketogenic diets is that you are burning more bodyfat
for fuel at rest than on a high carb diet. Additionally, due to fuel inefficiency of ketones (they
provide 7 calories/gram vs. 9 calories/gram for fat), you will burn up more grams of fat for a
given caloric deficit. This means that less cardio training is necessary. For those who want to
ensure maximal fat loss, doing 20-30 minutes of light cardio (60-70% of maximum heart rate) on
Wednesday and Thursday (or after training) can help.
Additionally, 10' of easy cardio prior to the Monday and Tuesday workout as well as 10' of
easy cardio afterwards will help to lower blood sugar levels and induce ketosis. Do not overdo
cardio though as this is a guaranteed way to lose some hard earned muscle.

The carb-up phase:
----------------------------
This is probably the most critical part of the CKD. The carb up phase
accomplishes two things:
1. rebuilds any muscle that might be lost during the week due to the
anabolic processes related to cell hydration
2. refills muscle glycogen stores for the first workouts of the next week
allowing you to train intensely enough to avoid muscle loss while on low
calories

There are two approaches to the carb-up phase:
1. Subjective approach: with this approach, you simply carb to your hearts content UNTIL you begin
to feel yourself spilling water over to the skin (i.e. you'll get bloated and smooth). This
indicates that muscle glycogen stores are full and additional carbs will go to the fat cells. The
types of carbs you consume (simple sugars vs. complex carbs) will, to a great degree, determine how
quickly your muscle cells become full.
This approach also allows you to dial in your pre-contest carbing up to see how your body
will respond and what type of carb-up will make you look the best. To enhance fat loss, it is
recommended that you do not carb for more than 24-36 total hours. This turns the diet into 6 days
of low carb and 1 day of carbing. And, again, more days in ketosis means more fat lost.
For those who need to lose fat very quickly, carbing every other weekend can have very
positive results although it's not as much fun. In this case, I'd suggest one concentrated carb
meal one hour in length right after Friday's workout and then go immediately back to low carbs.
Unless you really overdo it, you will probably spike yourself back into ketosis by Saturday
morning. The training structure for this approach might be:
Mon: chest and back
Tue: legs and abs
Wed: cardio
Thu: delts and arms
Fri, Sat, Sun: cardio (have your once concentrated carb meal on one of
these days)
Mon: legs, back and bis
Tue: chest, delts, tris, abs
Wed: cardio
Thu: cardio
Fri: high rep depletion workout, begin carbing

The benefits of such an approach are relatively greater fat loss since you spend proportionally
more time (10 days out of 14 vs. 8 days out of 14 if you carb every weekend) in ketosis. The cons
are that it's rather boring and there may be a greater potential for muscle loss. Again,
experimentation (and frequent body composition measures are key).

2. Objective approach: this approach is much more specific. After glycogen depletion, the muscles
can handle 16 grams of carb/kg of lean body mass during the first 24 hours and 9 grams of carbs/kg
lean body mass during the second 24. In terms of amounts and quality of carbs, you should
emphasize lots of high glycemic index carbs at the beginning of the carb load and shift to lower
amounts of lower glycemic index carbs towards the end. For very specific recommendations as to
quantity and quality of carbs during the carb-up, check out Dan Duchaine's Bodyopus book.

During the carb-up phase, several other things are important:
1. Protein: you should consume 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight
(or per pound of lean body mass) divided evenly across each 24 hours.
2. Fat: you should consume approximately 15% of your total calories as
essential fatty acids (flax oil, olive oil and walnuts are good sources)
especially near the end of the carb up to slow digestion.
3. Water: for every gram of carbs you consume, you need to consume 3-4 grams of water for optimal
refilling of the muscles. This works out to 10 cups of water for a carb intake of 600 grams per
day. Unless you're doing the final carb-up for your contest, I suggest drinking as much water as
you can put down.

Supplements such as vanadyl, chromium and magnesium may help the carb-up as they have been
shown to improve insulin sensitivity and can help to lower blood glucose. Also, using
Hydroxycitric acid (trade name Citrimax) at 750 mg three times per day helps to shuttle carbs into
the muscle cells and prevent spill over to fat cells. Finally, creatine monohydrate taken during
the carb-up phase should, in theory, lead to more cellular hyperhydration and possibly cause more
anabolism. Definitely useful for the contest in any case.

Pre-contest week:
--------------------------
Ideally, you should be pretty close to contest ready one to two weeks out from your show.
This allows you to do the final dialing in of your physique without being rushed. The final
countdown to the show begins 8 days out (this assumes a Saturday morning contest). During the next
6-7 days, it's important to keep water intake high. Beginning water restriction too early will
cause the body to upregulate aldosterone, the hormone which makes the body retain water. Only on
Friday and the day of the show should water intake be limited. Additionally, sodium loading and or
restriction isn't recommended unless you've proven it works well for you. Don't go out of your way
to add sodium, but don't gocrazy trying to avoid it. Adequate sodium is needed for a proper carb-
up anyhow. Calories on the low carb days should be kept at maintenance or even a bit higher. You
should already be as lean as you're going to get by this point so don't risk any muscle loss by
panicking. The countdown to contest looks more or less like this:

Friday: last heavy day of training, low carbs
Saturday: do cardio if necessary, stay in low carbs through this weekend
Sunday: last day of cardio if necessary, stay low carbs
Monday: low carbs, no training
Tuesday: take in 50 grams of fruit 2 hour pre-workout, do depletion workout
in morning, begin carbing with liquid simple carbs, goal is 16g carbs/kg
lean body mass in the first 24 hours.
Wednesday: continue carbing switching to complex carbs, 9 g carbs/kg lean
body mass during the second 24 hours
Thursday: continue carbing if not completely filled out yet, hard to say
just how many carbs to consume but go by your condition. If you're flat,
eat slightly more (stick with complex though). If you're full enough, cut
back to small amouts of fibrous carbs.
Friday: go back to mostly protein and fat with small amounts of carbs
(perhaps 20%) at each meal, take a herbal diuretic (such as buchu leaves)
as required but make sure that all carbing is finished
Saturday: hit the sauna in morning if you're holding water and go kick tail
at your contest

I feel that carbing prior to the contest should be similar to what you did each week. With
good record keeping, you should have a good feel for how your body responds to different types of
carb-ups. And, as the saying goes "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" Whatever carb-up got you in
your best condition during dieting is the carb-up you should follow.

Bio: Lyle McDonald, CSCS received his BS in physiological sciences from UCLA. He has spent the
past 25 weeks on a CKD and if he has to eat another meal of pink salmon in mayo for lunch, he may
kill somebody. Or turn into a fish.

Cyclical Ketogenic Diets Part 3
Copyright Lyle McDonald 1997
Since it's the off season, more people than not are probably in a mass-gaining phase, non-
pre contest phase of training. I mean, hey, it's winter and everything is covered up anyhow so it's
a good time to allow some fat gain and bulk up a bit. The nice thing about cyclical ketogenic
diets is that, for a given calorie level (above maintenance), you will gain much less bodyfat than
if you were eating a high or moderate carb diet. Still, it's best for you not to go much above 10-
12% bodyfat for men and 15% bodyfat for women or it will take too long to cut down to contest
shape. I mean, nobody wants to diet for 16 weeks anyhow. So, instead of just haphazardly getting
fat in the off season, keep it under control.

A ketogenic mass gaining cyclical diet is essentially the same type of thing as the pre-
contest/fat loss phase: 5 days of low carbs followed by a carb-up. The biggest difference from a
pre-contest approach will be in:

1. Training structure
2. Calorie levels
3. Amount and type of cardiovascular training
4. Length and quality of the carb-up phase

Training structure:

Training structure and training modes are a very personal thing. There are so many
different systems out there to say unequivocally which one is the best. I feel that everyone is
individual anyhow and to give everybody a generic program is a mistake. All you can hope to do is
find a system that will work best for you and for you alone. If that means a very low volume HIT
approach, great. Hardgainer, periodization, etc. all are good philosophies that are time tested.
But, I won't be so crass to give training advice without knowing more about each individual.

However, some general training comments are in order. First and foremost I think athletes
in most sports are drastically overtrained. While I have reservations about some of the extremely
low volume approaches being endorsed by some groups, I think three to four days lifting per week is
about the maximum even the most gifted natural lifter can handle. Sure, the pros may lift more but
they are using certain, umm, supplements that just aren't approved for naturals.

Additionally, many people spend far too LONG in the gym when they do show up. As Strength
Guru Charles Poliquin has said "if you're spending more than an hour in the gym, you're making
friends, not lifting." I agree with him 100%. More IS NOT better when it comes to training for
natural athletes. I think most athletes will find that, up to a point, less is better when it
comes to both training frequency and volume. Supposedly, Eastern European studies have found that
anabolic hormones like GH and testosterone begin to drop after 1 hour but I've yet to see the
actual data. But, if you can't get your workout done in under an hour, you need to seriously re-
evaluate your program.

In terms of exercise selection, I'm a firm believer in the basics because they, well,
basically work. I see so many truly goofy exercises in the gym from day to day, I have to wonder
how we forgot our roots in heavy squats, benches, deadlifts, rows, etc. More muscle has been built
with squats than any number of sets of leg extensions. Not to say that some isolation exercises
don't have their merit at times but the off season (as well as most others) is the time to
concentrate on the basics.

In terms of sets and reps, I can argue it many different ways. Growth hormone (GH) release
is optimized with longish sets (50-60 seconds in length) and short rest periods (45-60 seconds).
But, I've yet to see any really convincing data that GH is that anabolic unless it's at
supraphysiological (i.e. needle in butt) doses. Testosterone release is optimized when you use
basic exercises (squat, deadlift, bench), heavy sets (85% of maximum and above), and long rest
periods (3-5 minutes). I think the core of an off-season workout should be based on this type of
training regardless of the actual details of the training plan. Perhaps a combination of low rep,
heavy sets to stimulate testosterone followed by higher rep sets to stimulate GH, followed by very
high rep sets to stimulate capillary growth (i.e. holistic training) is a nice compromise.

Additionally, you will be strongest on Monday following the carb-up so this is a time to
really hammer in the gym and work on any weak points. The Friday workout, coming before the big
anabolic rush of the carb-up is another good place to put some weak point work. Your mid-week
workouts will be the hardest so put areas that you just want to maintain on those days.

Calorie levels:

As discussed last article, the dietary format is the same whether cutting or massing.
Dietary fat should be kept at 1.5 grams of fat per gram of protein OR carbs and total carbs per day
should be kept below 30 grams. The difference is just in how much you are eating.

As mentioned, a nice benefit of ketogenic diets is that excess calories (esp. fat calories)
tend to be excreted as ketones rather than stored. So, calorie levels can be very high during the
week. In fact, many ketogenic dieters find their hunger blunted so much that they can't consume
enough calories during the week. Just make fatty red meat (I love hamburger with cheese and mayo
but toss the bun), fish, etc. the core of your diet and eat as much as you can put down.

For those who like numbers, 20% above maintenance calories or around 25+ calories per pound
of bodyweight is a good place to start. You can adjust calories based on how much fat and muscle
you're gaining each week. Planned correctly, you can put on a good bit of muscle with only a
couple pounds of fat and be ok.

Amount and type of cardiovascular training:

Aerobics should be minimized if not eliminated outright during a mass building phase.
Numerous studies have found that aerobic training can severely limit the strength gains seen from a
lifting program. Many trainees try to add aerobics to avoid putting on too much fat during their
mass phase but this will only limit muscular gains. Just keep your diet in check and keep your
body composition under control and you'll be ready to contest diet. Doing 5-10'before and after
workout to warm-up/cool down makes total sense and is a good way to keep your aerobic level high
enough. As discussed, cardio training should be kept to a bare minimum during an off-season mass
gaining phase.

Length and quality of the carb-up phase:

As with pre-contest dieting, there are again two approaches to the carb-up. One is to just
eat everything you can lay your hands on and accept a relatively greater fat gain during the off-
season. This is ok if you know your body responds to dieting well and you know that you can drop
the fat later. For most of us, starting the carb up with lots of high glycemic index (i.e. simple)
carbs and then progressing gradually to more complex carbs (starches) is probably the way to go.
As always, experimentation and record keeping should be your goal. But, you should always stop
your carb-up when youstart to feel yourself smoothing out as this indicates that further caloric
intake will lead to fat gain. Which can be in as little as 24 hours if you eat donuts and Pop-
tarts and 48 hours or more if you eat pasta and bagels. Me, I'll take the donuts and Pop-tarts.

One other thing should be discussed relative to carbs and that is the mid-week carb spike.
Basically, this is an option that I suggest you try to promote anabolism. You are allowed up to
1000 calories of carbs with some protein in the morning on Wednesday (you should ideally have a
training session later that morning or in the evening so that ketosis can be reestablished) but
then have to go back to low carb eating. With proper carb-choices (i.e. glucose polymers), it's
possible to spike yourself back into ketosis with this meal alone. Me, I'll keep my donuts handy.

Supplements:

Certain supplements may be useful during a mass gaining phase. Probably the most important
of these is creatine monohydrate. Although taking creatine during the week is a bit of a waste,
taking twice the normal dosage (i.e. about 40 grams) on the weekends is a good way to further
promote cellular volumizing and anabolic processes. Insulin boosters like chromium (800 mcg/day)
and vanadyl sulfate (up to 120 mg/day) can be useful as well. 2 grams of l-glutamine thirty
minutes prior to training may be useful as it has been shown to increase GH release and promote
anabolic processes. And, of course, a basic soluble protein powder, carb repletion drink and basic
stuff like vitamins and minerals.

So, go get big, don't get too fat, and try to come in to your next contest bigger and
better than you were before. If, as a natural, you accomplish that, you've won regardless of where
you place.

Cyclical Ketogenic Diets Part 3
Copyright Lyle McDonald 1997
Since it's the off season, more people than not are probably in a mass-gaining phase, non-
pre contest phase of training. I mean, hey, it's winter and everything is covered up anyhow so it's
a good time to allow some fat gain and bulk up a bit. The nice thing about cyclical ketogenic
diets is that, for a given calorie level (above maintenance), you will gain much less bodyfat than
if you were eating a high or moderate carb diet. Still, it's best for you not to gomuch above 10-
12% bodyfat for men and 15% bodyfat for women or it will take too long to cut down to contest
shape. I mean, nobody wants to diet for 16 weeks anyhow. So, instead of just haphazardly getting
fat in the off season, keep it under control.

A ketogenic mass gaining cyclical diet is essentially the same type of thing as the pre-
contest/fat loss phase: 5 days of low carbs followed by a carb-up. The biggest difference from a
pre-contest approach will be in:

1. Training structure
2. Calorie levels
3. Amount and type of cardiovascular training
4. Length and quality of the carb-up phase

Training structure:

Training structure and training modes are a very personal thing. There are so many
different systems out there to say unequivocally which one is the best. I feel that everyone is
individual anyhow and to give everybody a generic program is amistake. All you can hope to do is
find a system that will work best for you and for you alone. If that means a very low volume HIT
approach, great. Hardgainer, periodization, etc. all are good philosophies that are time tested.
But, I won't be so crass to give training advice without knowing more about each individual.

However, some general training comments are in order. First and foremost I think athletes
in most sports are drastically overtrained. While I have reservations about some of the extremely
low volume approaches being endorsed by some groups, I think three to four days lifting per week is
about the maximum even the most gifted natural lifter can handle. Sure, the pros may lift more but
they are using certain, umm, supplements that just aren't approved for naturals.

Additionally, many people spend far too LONG in the gym when they do show up. As Strength
Guru Charles Poliquin has said "if you're spending more than an hour in the gym, you're making
friends, not lifting." I agree with him 100%. More IS NOT better when it comes to training for
natural athletes. I think most athletes will find that, up to a point, less is better when it
comes to both training frequency and volume. Supposedly, Eastern European studies have found that
anabolic hormones like GH and testosterone begin to drop after 1 hour but I've yet to see the
actual data. But, if you can't get your workout done in under an hour, you need to seriously re-
evaluate your program.

In terms of exercise selection, I'm a firm believer in the basics because they, well,
basically work. I see so many truly goofy exercises in the gym from day to day, I have to wonder
how we forgot our roots in heavy squats, benches, deadlifts, rows, etc. Moremuscle has been built
with squats than any number of sets of leg extensions. Not to say that some isolation exercises