The hybrid diet by Raúl Carrasco

Raúl Carrasco, our top IFBB Pro and a member of the MASMusculo Team, explains how the hybrid diet works—are you familiar with it?

For a professional bodybuilder, things can be very different from those for a noncompetitive or even competitive athlete, but it goes without saying that there are many fad diets based on the laws of thermodynamics: calories in, calories out—and does the hybrid diet apply as well?

For any athlete, especially high-performance competitive bodybuilders, it is a radically different, practical, and feasible way to achieve a healthy weight, attain the desired body composition, and substantially reduce the risk of disease.

The hybrid diet: why it works

The hybrid diet imitates the body’s evolutionary design: we are “hybrids” because we can function on glucose from carbohydrates and ketones from our body fat.

In practical terms, your body thrives on two fuels: ketones generated from fat or glucose from carbohydrates, and alternating between the two is the secret shared by Raúl Carrasco in some of his workshops and seminars, which we summarize here along with other concepts.

For people who do not follow a training program, or for those who cheat occasionally, the worst of both worlds is the combination of saturated fat and refined carbohydrates, the hallmark of junk food.

In the hybrid diet, the key is the combination; alternating between the two options is the athlete’s most important health secret—why?

The answer is that something magical happens when you switch to a diet that combines slow-digesting carbohydrates and is high in fat. Here, you establish a healthy cycle of growth and repair for new cells, while body fat is burned more efficiently.

• A diet high in healthy fats activates cellular cleansing, repairing the energy factories in cells.
• A diet low in refined carbohydrates produces clean energy and new healthy cells.

Following a diet like this, or adding it to your dietary program for a certain period, is like nutritional yoga because you become “carbohydrate-adapted,” craving fewer sweet foods, and “fat-adapted,” able to burn and efficiently obtain energy from fat.

In the hybrid diet, variation, not moderation, is the key to maintaining good health and slowing aging, while improving performance if you follow a training program, regardless of your goals.

The hybrid diet: its foundations

In the case of the laws of thermodynamics, it is clear that they do not fail, but when applied to nutrition and calories, they become irrelevant.

Factors such as leptin or insulin resistance, and the functioning of hormones such as insulin, leptin, or glucagon, are the hormonal factors involved in diets used in bodybuilding and fitness.

In terms of any law, these factors are the most important and have the strongest basis when developing a diet.

Drawing on his time competing, Raúl Carrasco states that one of the latest trends among bodybuilders is following the hybrid diet.

The word “hybrid” has been heard in bodybuilding for some time, applying to both training and nutrition.

In the past, a hypertrophy athlete or a typical competitive bodybuilder would have a bulking phase lasting 3 to 6 months of the year, followed by another 3, 4, or 5 months of cutting; in other words, they had a hybrid program within a year.

• In 2000, prominent coaches such as Chad Nicholls and Chris Aceto began applying the same adjustment over weeks: deload weeks, dieting and cutting weeks, and bulking weeks.

Then, applying the mathematical law that ultimately produces the same result, they decided to use what became known as “carbohydrate cycling,” which proved more convenient and efficient for the high-performance bodybuilder.

For example, three days low in carbohydrates, one high, two high, one high—in short, it can be done in many ways, but it is much more manageable than three months without carbohydrates, which is truly difficult. In addition, there is less leptin receptor resistance, and you become more insulin-resistant.

The hybrid diet: how it works

The hybrid diet consists of the easiest, most manageable approach on a daily basis, a current trend in professional bodybuilding, namely:

• In the morning, for a few hours, a hormonal environment is created for fat loss, in which protein and fat are consumed.
• From the post-workout period onward, once training ends, proteins and carbohydrates are consumed without a caloric deficit.

For example: 400 g of net carbohydrates is enough to keep the body in a caloric surplus and provide sufficient glucose for energy.

But if you try to cut—because some metabolisms are faster and others slower—and use 400 g of carbohydrates in a diet, it is difficult to lose fat or achieve the low level of body fat required for competition.

This happens because these carbohydrates are distributed throughout the day: breakfast, before training, and post-workout, and a hormonal environment is not prepared.

Remember that the hormonal environment is prepared in the morning by consuming 3 to 4 meals, with proteins and fats predominating and very few carbohydrates: no more than 15 to 25 g, so that insulin is not stimulated, for example:

• A handful of nuts could provide those carbohydrates.
• Around 100 g of avocado could provide 10 g of those carbohydrates.
• A cup containing 50–60 g of cooked rice as well.
• Two oat pancakes/cakes, etc., etc.

In other words, just enough so that insulin is not stimulated, which is what makes the hybrid diet work.

This ensures that insulin sensitivity is very high for the first shake containing many carbohydrates during the workout.

Carbohydrates during the day

In the morning, growth hormone is made predominant throughout this period, and this is what you should continue maintaining by stopping carbohydrate consumption or reducing it as much as possible.

But the average person who follows a standard diet—bulking on the one hand and cutting on the other—consumes 300 g of rice or 200 g of oats mid-morning, cutting off the growth hormone spike.

If you do this, you may start to become insulin-resistant, and this can be fatal if you continue for many weeks without switching to another type of diet, alternating with another type or types of diet, or continuing with the hybrid diet.

• Insulin is highly inflammatory: any pain in your knee, elbow, or anywhere else in your body, even a mouth sore, hurts more; you feel sleepy, have no desire to train, and become depressed.
• This is because the large insulin spikes throughout the day inhibit the catecholamines—adrenaline, epinephrine, and norepinephrine—which are responsible for making you feel good and for your well-being.

Fats throughout the day

On the other hand, in a hybrid diet, the amount of fat you consume should never exceed 15 to 20 g per meal, always staying close to the amount of fat your body needs for its physiological and biological functions.

Fat helps regenerate muscle fibers, cells, cell membranes, and so on.

Did you know that cell membranes are made of fat? Well, without properly functioning cell membranes, there would be no way to regulate which substances could or could not enter cells—a serious problem.

Fat is also a great insulator: it helps the body maintain a healthy temperature and keeps you warm. Likewise, it provides cushioning and protects vital organs from damage. However, you need to be careful about which types you consume, whether you are bulking or cutting.

But let’s talk about carbohydrates again, even in a cutting diet, which contrasts with the low-carbohydrate diets many bodybuilders use during that phase when their goal is to become as lean as possible.

Carbohydrates after training

In the case of a cutting diet, you should consume those 300 or 400 g of carbohydrates only after training. In the case of Raúl Carrasco, he follows this type of protocol for a 95–100 kg athlete:

• 1 liquid drink: 100–110 g of dextrose/maltodextrin/amylopectin
• 1 hour later: 700 g of potatoes.
• 2 hours later: 400 g of cooked rice and one piece of fruit.

In this case, let’s focus on the practical side: it is excellent for maintaining an anabolic environment after training while you build muscle mass during this period.

In your liquid drink, you can choose any quality carbohydrate, depending on how you use it and how you feel after consuming it.

With this type of carbohydrate intake, it is impossible for you to develop body fat, and the insulin sensitivity you have developed by eating very few carbohydrates in the morning and afternoon is impressive during this post-workout period.

The insulin spike: how can you take advantage of it?

While following the hybrid diet, you can even further promote the morning growth hormone peak. How do you do it?

Start doing Tabata cardio, which many bodybuilders use because it burns fat through EPOC efficiency. You can do it at home by following a few basic principles or take advantage of the recommendations from Iván, our trainer at MM Fit, who combines aerobics, strength, and endurance in the following video.

In just 4–5 minutes, you would reach 170 beats per minute, and this EPOC process keeps you burning fat after breakfast. Since there is no insulin spike because you have not loaded up on carbohydrates, you will handle it perfectly without feeling irritable; on the contrary, because your insulin is very low and your adrenaline will be high, you will feel ready to train.

• The body does not need 300 g of carbohydrates in the morning, but approximately 10 g of glucose per hour.
• The body requires these 300 g of carbohydrates after training.

In all this, Raúl Carrasco endorses using this type of hybrid diet because he has tried it himself and with his clients, as a way to keep things in place and maintain the pace you want to avoid frustration.

Carbohydrates are functional

To start, you should enjoy whole-grain or natural carbohydrates found in foods such as potatoes or sweet potatoes; however, you can also take advantage of a wide variety of prepared meals in your post-workout meal.

As you go through the day before training, you can take advantage of these foods, which are high in protein and fiber and low in carbohydrates.

• Edamame: its combination of filling fiber and protein makes it an excellent option when the afternoon craving hits. The bonus? Magnesium-rich soy may help regulate mood.
• Cottage cheese: it is low in sodium and can contain up to 20 grams of protein per cup, along with many probiotics, making it ideal for a long night.
• Peanut butter: it contains 8 grams of plant-based protein per 2-tablespoon serving and is also rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.
• Unsweetened Greek yogurt: in its natural form, in addition to nourishing you, it keeps your intestines and immune system healthy. Its 20 grams of protein per half-cup help immune cells regenerate, making it especially suitable for the morning or mid-afternoon.
• Sunflower seeds: they contain important antioxidants associated with improved cognition and heart health, while being an incredible source of beneficial fats, proteins, and fiber between meals.

You can also use other foods such as plant-based milks, lean meats (white or red), other types of seeds such as flax or pumpkin seeds, and of course, EGGS, which are essential in a Mediterranean breakfast on a hybrid diet.

Supplementation in a hybrid diet

Together with Dany Márquez, Raúl Carrasco explains how to approach the hybrid diet using five essential supplements for both bulking and cutting.

The goal would be to maintain an ideal environment that keeps the body as anabolic as possible.

• Alpha-lipoic acid.
• Chromium picolinate.
• Resveratrol.
• Fenugreek.
• Berberine.

In this case, these supplements activate the AMPK pathway, directly and indirectly, which helps improve insulin sensitivity.