Quote:
Originally Posted by Natalia
I understand we are to eat at maintenance with mod carbs during the break, right?
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When taking a break, you should eat at right around maintenace... don't do go under, and don't go over. The body's homeostatic comfort zone may lead it to try and start storing fat after a recent weight loss - this is due to our genetic programming that has assured the survival of our species for thousands of years. If you lose a lot of fat, then overeat - your body is going to want to start storing the extra calories. It's best to control your energy balance for the period immediately coming off a weight loss strategy... to allow your body to accept a new sense of homeostatis before easing the reigns on your diet. Make sense? Bodybuilder's have known for a long time that dieting down before a competition primes the body to make some great muscle gains afterward - and a lean physique generaly gains more muscle than fat with an energy surplus - nonetheless, the period right after dropping a lot of fat can be tricky, depending on your physiology and genetics. Bodybuilder's usually accept some fat gain when bulking up - it's a this-for-that in some people.
Research into detraining has demonstrated that a week of very little activity with a maintance calorie intake can do wonders for recovery with minor losses in performance. However, if you eat below maintenance, you are more likely to lose performance gains - especially muscle... the body loves to catabolize metabolically expensive muscle when it catches onto an energy defecit.
In a study of 12 weight lifters, a 14-day training cessation did not significantly change their one-repetition maximum bench press (-1.7 percent) and squat (-0.9 percent) performance. The authors of the study concluded that briefly inactive strength athletes could maintain many aspects of neuromuscular performance with only slight decreases in eccentric strength.
In another study, 12 weight lifters experienced a 6.4 percent decrease in fast-twitch muscle fiber cross-sectional area in 14 days. Interestingly, increases were observed in plasma concentrations of growth hormone (58.3 percent), testosterone (19.2 percent) and the testosterone-to-cortisol ratio (67.6 percent); cortisol levels decreased by 21.5 percent. The hormone changes would benefit any athlete trying to reverse the negative effects of overtraining syndrome.
Eat maintenace and rest your body for that seven days - then get back at it, refreshed and recharged!