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What Is Anabolic Burst Cycling
Of Diet And Exercise?

The concept of anabolic burst cycling of diet and exercise has been developed by a Swedish bodybuilder and scientist named Torbjorn Akerfeldt. It involves two weeks of eating a high calorie diet coupled with intense muscle building workouts followed by two weeks of cutting and lots of cardio. Clinical studies have revealed that when an individual begins eating large quantities of food, the body releases copious amounts of catabolic hormones. As you may already know, catabolic hormones such as insulin, testosterone, growth hormone etc. are indispensable for muscle gain. Thus, high secretion of these hormones aids in putting on muscle mass but it also promotes fat gain. Hence, the high calorie phase is followed by a low calorie maintenance phase. This enables the person to lose fat and look ripped.

After conducting extensive research, Akerfeldt concluded that when overfeeding, the production of anabolic hormones peaks at the end of two weeks. After that, the release of these hormones begins to taper off. Hence, continuing the bulk phase after fourteen days leads to less muscle gain and more fat gain. The same pattern was observed in relation to fat burning enzymes. Their production too, peaked on the fourteenth day. If the person continued to cut beyond this period, there was a chance of losing not just fat, but hard earned muscle too. The ABCDE technique was first published in 2000 in Muscle Media Magazine. It was a four part series wherein Bill Philips interviewed Torbjorn Akerfeldt who was then a low profile figure in the world of muscle building and nutrition. The technique created waves in the fitness industry and became quite popular among bodybuilding enthusiasts since it produced fantastic results.

Many people have criticized the ABCDE technique for being unnatural. However, Torbjorn explains that ABCDE actually it simulates the dietary patterns that humans have followed for thousands of years. He points out that human genes have not changed significantly in the last 100,000 years. Even today, humans are genetically identical to the hunter-gatherers (and primitive farmers) that inhabited the planet several thousand years ago. These humans enjoyed caloric surplus for several days when they managed to kill a large animal or had a good crop. However, often their hunting-gathering was unsuccessful and they have to live on very few calories. Hence, the metabolism of humans has evolved to deal with phases of different diets. This is one of the reasons why human beings have developed adipose tissue with almost unlimited fat storing capacity. In short, there is absolutely nothing unnatural about the ABCDE technique.

Not only is anabolic burst cycling of diet and exercise effective, it is very easy to execute as well. Many people fail to achieve their fitness goals because conventional dieting involves food deprivation and is highly stressful. ABCDE enables people to occasionally indulge in their favourite foods even if they are not exactly healthy. Still it is recommended that you follow a macronutrient ratio of 30% protein, 45% carbs and 25% fat during the bulking phase. During the low calorie phase, reduce carbohydrate consumption by 10% and cut overall calories by approximately 20 to 30%. As mentioned earlier, focus on muscle building exercises during the bulking phase it is okay if you perform very little of no cardio during this period. However, it is imperative that you concentrate on cardio during the low calorie stage. Do not completely ignore resistance training though work out enough to maintain your muscles.

ABCDE = Get Ready To Grow!!

ABCDE is much, much better than a traditional bulk and cut approach which involves eating like a madman for an entire season followed by 3 months of severe cutting. Most importantly, ABCDE produces fast results. If you adopt this method, you will look super-lean and ripped within just 12 to 16 weeks.

About The Author

Whether you’re new to the world of bodybuilding or a hardened lifter there are always things we can do to improve our results and get bigger and better gains.  Crazy Gains is a website that specialises in providing the tools to be able to do just this.  It doesn’t matter what level you’re at, this site will have something for you!

Check out a blog post about supplements for bulking results and creating lean muscle mass!

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Disclaimer: This information is not presented by a medical practitioner and is for educational and informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read.