Carb cycling

Carb cycling varies carbohydrate intake across the week — more on hard training days, less on rest or light days — while keeping protein steady and using fat to balance total energy.

It matters mainly as an organising principle rather than a metabolic trick. Putting carbohydrate where the hard work is means better-fuelled key sessions, and the lower days help hold the weekly deficit. Claims that it uniquely accelerates fat loss beyond an equivalent average intake are not well supported.

In practice it adds complexity, and complexity has an adherence cost. It suits people who already track intake reliably and train on a predictable schedule; for everyone else, a consistent daily target is easier to hold and works about as well.