how do you cut and bulk on consecutive days?

CCS

Senior Member
Reaction score
27
If we store 2000 calories of glycogen, how can we burn any fat unless we diet for 4 days (500 calorie deficit per day) first? Do we have to burn up the glycogen first to burn fat?

I understand glycogen is stored in the fast twitch muscles, and only slow and intermediate twitch muscle can burn fat. Can slow twitch muscle fibers get glucose from the fast twitch, even indirectly?

I want to charge my glycogen up before workouts, but have it low enough to do fat burn too, and I don't think I'll burn 2000 calories over night. I also thought distance runners load up on carbs before a race to fill up their glycogen stores. That would suggest that slow twitch muscles can access it.
 

CCS

Senior Member
Reaction score
27
I don't want to miss a week of building muscle just to do some cutting. And I don't think that lifting weights without glycogen is good. It would probably burn muscle.
 

DoctorHouse

Senior Member
Reaction score
5,725
CCS, doing at least 20 to 30 minutes of cardio at about 75 percent of you resting MHR on an empty stomach will burn fat from the first minute you start to the last minute you end and several hours later. Use weight training to build muscle with high intensity and at the same time as you gain muscle you will lose fat as long as you keep your rest intervals small. If you want more info read Jon Benson's or Tom Venuto' s books. They both will tell you how to burn fat and gain muscle efficiently.
 

CCS

Senior Member
Reaction score
27
DoctorHouse said:
CCS, doing at least 20 to 30 minutes of cardio at about 75 percent of you resting MHR on an empty stomach will burn fat from the first minute you start to the last minute you end and several hours later. Use weight training to build muscle with high intensity and at the same time as you gain muscle you will lose fat as long as you keep your rest intervals small. If you want more info read Jon Benson's or Tom Venuto' s books. They both will tell you how to burn fat and gain muscle efficiently.

I read that fast twitch muscles can't burn fat. High intensity uses fast twitch. When glycogen is gone, they use blood sugar. Then cortisol liberates fat (which they can't use) and protein (which the liver turns into sugars). So high intensity exercise first thing in the morning would burn a lot of muscle. Correct me if I'm wrong.
 

CCS

Senior Member
Reaction score
27
OK, I figured it out:

Slow twitch muscles can not get glycogen access. But when cortisol is released to give them fat, the cortisol has a very easy time dumping glucose from glycogen into the blood. Only slow twitch muscles can burn fat.

If your glycogen supplies are truly depleted, high intensity stuff require blood sugar, and cortisol will liberate fat, but the fast twitch won't be happy with the fat. They will take more blood sugar, and more cortisol will be released, until protein is liberated and the liver turns it to blood sugar. Only use fast twitch to reduce glycogen stores, not to try burning fat.

I doubt your glycogen is depleted in the morning since you have 2000 calories of it. However, the less you have, the less cortisol will interact with, so the fat to glucose ratio burned by slow twitch muscles will be higher in the morning or after a workout than any other time. You will never burn 100% fat. If you are lucky, only 30% will be carbs, and 10% muscle. So you probably have to burn 5000 calories to get an actual pound of fat.

I suggest a high intensity interval training 2 hours before bed to reduce glycogen over night, and then a slow twitch exercise in the morning. Since the slow twitch muscle can't access glycogen except indirectly through cortisol, it does not matter which muscles have the glycogen.

The only thing I don't like about a fat burn right after a workout is right after a workout is when your muscles want to grow the most.

You can also do fat burns any other time of day, but maybe 2/3 of the calories will come from glucose and the other 1/3 will be fat. It is better than nothing though. Studies show that you burn 2-4x as much fat in the morning as at any other time just because there is less glycogen for cortisol to liberate.

To keep your muscle from wasting, make sure you work every muscle, both fast and slow twitch, at least 1-2 times a week. Eat enough protein. I think since GTE liberates testosterone, it would be good to drink it before a fat burn, to save muscle. It also helps protect the mitochondria DNA from oxidation.
 

CCS

Senior Member
Reaction score
27
OK, I just figured it out: Unless I feel light headed or can't lift my usual amount, that means my blood sugar levels are normal, and I'm not catabolizing a lot of muscle. My dad does his lifts at 6am before breakfast and does not have problems. I think as long as I have a whey/maltodextrin drink with me and sip it as soon as I feel weak, I'll be fine too. I don't need much glycogen as long as I have lots of blood sugar, which the drink can supply.

At 6am, i can rotate between all the machines I want and not wait in line.

To burn fat with slow twitch muscles and get my fast twitch muscles the food they need ASAP, I'll do a slow twitch burn between my lifts: I'll press a weight, then hop on a cycle at a level that is 450 calories per hour. Actually, I'll warm up with slow twitch, then do the alternating. It will be like interval training.

Finally: too much green tea will release testosterone from the plasma, but the testicles will just make less to compensate for the extra free testosterone. That is why I'll drink GTE right before my workout, but use some other anti-oxidant the rest of the day. The temporary testosterone boost will spare my muscles from cortisol. I also take BCAA's, carnitine, and HMB before my workout.

I just don't know if I should do slow twitch triceps between my bench press lifts, or if I should do them between squats, and do cycling between bench press. For slow twitch triceps, I'm thinking 20 pounds shared between them, or 20 pound seated dips. Got to make sure only my slow twitch muscles are active.
 

s.a.f

Senior Member
Reaction score
67
CCS, you should get your dad on this site. I'd love to see what posts he could come up with on the off topic section. :)

"College Chemistry Dad" :punk:
 
Top