One of the first questions we get from clients who download our complementary Nutrition Blueprint (our macro-driven nutrition guidance designed to help users achieve fat loss, maintenance, or muscle gain) is why we don’t program separate “rest day” macros into the equation.
Short answer: rest day macros are a waste of time. But we understand you all might want to know a little more behind the reasoning behind that curt response…so let’s dig in.
Replenishing glycogen:
Glycogen is the fuel source that pushes you through your MADabolic training, and it’s stored in our muscles. After we undergo a strenuous training session, glycogen is depleted and we need to restore it.
For those of you who undergo our recommended 4x/weekly training protocol, glycogen replenishment efforts will need to be ongoing. Meaning it takes a lot more than just your post-workout meal to replenish said glycogen stores. In fact, it can take up to 72 hours for glycogen to completely replenish.
And what’s the primary driver of glycogen replenishment?
Calories and carbohydrates.
Calories literally translate to “units of energy,” and carbohydrates are our bodies’ preferred source of caloric energy.
Despite the common assumption that “rest days” need to equate to “lower calorie”/“lower carb”, slashing those items on a rest day can be very counterproductive. On the contrary, you’re far more than likely to feel way better on your training days immediately coming off a rest day having eaten the same number of calories and carbs as you do your training days, as your glycogen tank will be fully loaded and prepped to fuel your workout.
And as we always say…consistency, consistency, consistency.
The next reason we don’t love the concept of separate rest day macros boils down to consistency.
Having just one set of macros to follow just makes things simpler and will ultimately lend to better consistency and adherence to your macro targets. And consistency reigns KING!
