Exersice while on keto
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@Leonidas : I do HIITs thrice a week and cardio five times a week. When I am adding the pre-workout drink (rich with good carbs) and then my calories burnt, mfp adjusts and shows my total net carb. Would you have any other alternate natural source of drink/food that will help with getting through HIITs? I had tried atkins' chocolate drink shake as pre-workout drink (net carbs= 3g) but then that wouldn't let me through my HIITs0
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Most people that say they do HIIT while extremely low-carb (ie: under 50g/day) aren't truly doing HIGH intensity. To get the full benefits of HIIT (increased metabolism for hours after, better insulin-sensitivity, etc., etc.,) you NEED to push yourself to 95-100% of your maximum heart rate (your TRUE maximum, not the 220-age formula) during the intense interval portion, which if you're doing it for more than a few seconds WILL take you anaerobic instead of aerobic.
As has been suggested, anaerobic exercise really does require glucose to fuel it. And the process of gluconeogenesis simply isn't fast enough to create it.
When I do my HIIT workouts (or IIIT - increasing-intensity-interval-training, which I've found work fantastic for me) I *always* have 50-60g of complex carbohydrate (eaten with a LOT of fat to slow the digestion) approximately 90 minutes before the workout... which is often the only carbohydrate I eat for the day. Eating a high-fat meal with 50-60g of carbohydrate allows me to mitigate blood-glucose spikes while refueling my glycogen stores, allowing me to perform the HIIT at a level I know provides benefits.
Not to offend anyone, but I'd suggest many people that say they do HIIT are often doing Moderate-Intensity exercise instead of High-Intensity. I was certainly guilty of this until I ensured it was fueled properly.0 -
@Leonidas : I do HIITs thrice a week and cardio five times a week. When I am adding the pre-workout drink (rich with good carbs) and then my calories burnt, mfp adjusts and shows my total net carb. Would you have any other alternate natural source of drink/food that will help with getting through HIITs? I had tried atkins' chocolate drink shake as pre-workout drink (net carbs= 3g) but then that wouldn't let me through my HIITs
That is a good approach to include carbs if you are going to push 85-95% of max intensity. Depends on what level of Vo2max or HR your HIIT and cardio is at. I do cardio 4 or 5 days a week with one HIIT and have no problem with the Glycogen available in the muscles for me to get through the workouts.The only drink I use for carbs is Generation UCAN super starch on my sunday long runs, which are usually 2-3 hrs. You can experiment to see how each approach feels and also check for ketosis. If more than 3 HIIT needs to be part of your routine, try a Cyclic Ketogenic Diet.0 -
.The only drink I use for carbs is Generation UCAN super starch on my sunday long runs, which are usually 2-3 hrs.
That's also the drink Dr. Petter Attia uses for his endurance training. I have to try it. How does it taste?0 -
Other people may be different - but for me, I *need* a good intake of carbohydrate roughly 90 minutes before my HIIT, or I can't usually push above 85% of my max HR. Personally, when I do my HIIT I like to push to 95% - 100% of my max HR (which for me means getting to minimum 190bpm as my maximum is just above 200bpm - I'm weird) ... Usually I do about 20 minutes HIIT, and sometimes 30 minutes, which is absolutely draining at the level I push. I typically eat up to 55g of carbohydrate before those long HIIT sessions, and I might eat 80g-100g total that day.That is a good approach to include carbs if you are going to push 85-95% of max intensity. Depends on what level of Vo2max or HR your HIIT and cardio is at. I do cardio 4 or 5 days a week with one HIIT and have no problem with the Glycogen available in the muscles for me to get through the workouts.The only drink I use for carbs is Generation UCAN super starch on my sunday long runs, which are usually 2-3 hrs. You can experiment to see how each approach feels and also check for ketosis. If more than 3 HIIT needs to be part of your routine, try a Cyclic Ketogenic Diet.
Days I'm NOT doing HIIT I'm typically under 60g.0 -
.The only drink I use for carbs is Generation UCAN super starch on my sunday long runs, which are usually 2-3 hrs.
That's also the drink Dr. Petter Attia uses for his endurance training. I have to try it. How does it taste?
I like the lemonade one better, taste is something you need to get used at the beginning. But, it's great for endurance activities. I ran a half marathon with Generation UCAN 30 min before the race. I had nothing but water during the race. I finished 3rd and was laughing inside as I passed people who were stuffing gels and drinking Gatorade to refuel.0 -
It's amazing the number of people that "poo poo" the low-carb lifestyle for endurance.I like the lemonade one better, taste is something you need to get used at the beginning. But, it's great for endurance activities. I ran a half marathon with Generation UCAN 30 min before the race. I had nothing but water during the race. I finished 3rd and was laughing inside as I passed people who were stuffing gels and drinking Gatorade to refuel.
I haven't tried the Generation UCAN products yet - and I don't run half marathons (it'd kill my spine) but I *DO* engage in endurance cycling.
People are often stunned when a guy my age and my size just keeps on going at average 30+ km/h during a 5 hour ride into and back out-of the mountains without carb-loading prior to the event, and then during the ride being the only guy NOT constantly sucking back gels, bars, etc., etc.
What I do instead is eat a breakfast that includes around 45-50g of carbohydrate (usually around 800 calories total, I'll include some berries and whipped cream on ONE oatmeal pancake), then I start the ride and eat a PB&J sammich halfway, made from sprouted-grain bread (very slow digesting) with a huge amount (easily 4-5 tbsp) of natural peanut-butter and a little no-sugar added jam.
Other than my water/powerade zero mix (for 5 hours you need the electrolytes) there's no ingesting anything else during the ride. Other guys are slowing to pull bananas, bars, gels, all kinds of things out of their jersey's and eat them, and I just keep going.0 -
I've been doing Tabata style HIIT workouts for a few years now. Started keto a little over a month ago. The workouts were tougher than normal the first few days, but no real problem after that.
I usually do these workouts 5 days a week for 60 minute sessions, although with the warm up and cool down, the HIIT part is probably closer to 45 minutes. No problem at all under 20g Carbs a day. Heck, no problem at all even on a fat fast (1000 cal a day; 90% fat). It's just about retraining your body to use fat for fuel. There's no need to add calories or carbs when you're working out if you're keto-adapted and looking to lose weight.0 -
No offense, but I'm not sure you're actually familiar with a Tabata protocol. A true Tabata style protocol is next-to-impossible to carry out to 45 minutes unless you're superhuman - as the protocol is designed for 170% of VO2 max for 20 seconds with 10 seconds of rest in-between. And it was meant for a whopping 8 repeats.I've been doing Tabata style HIIT workouts for a few years now. Started keto a little over a month ago. The workouts were tougher than normal the first few days, but no real problem after that.
I usually do these workouts 5 days a week for 60 minute sessions, although with the warm up and cool down, the HIIT part is probably closer to 45 minutes. No problem at all under 20g Carbs a day. Heck, no problem at all even on a fat fast (1000 cal a day; 90% fat). It's just about retraining your body to use fat for fuel. There's no need to add calories or carbs when you're working out if you're keto-adapted and looking to lose weight.
Most people that SAY they do HIIT claim to do intervals where they push to 90 or even 95% of their maximum heart rate ... But herein lies the question ...
Are you actually going to 95% + of your TRUE maximum heart rate, or your PREDICTED (using a formula) maximum heart rate?
FYI ... the formulas are a prediction for the average person, and aren't remotely accurate for many of us. Some athletes have true maximum heart rates of 260 bpm ...
In my case, the standard formulas put me around 172 maximum heart rate ... however my TRUE maximum is 206 bpm. If I were to push to 95% of my predicted/formula max during my HIIT sessions, I'd actually only push to the low 160's ... And I can run or cycle at the low 160's for 6 straight hours with no effort.
For me, it's not HIIT unless I push my intervals into the mid 190's, sometimes I hit 200+ during them. That's what makes it HIIT - the TRUE intensity. This is into the anaerobic threshold and simply can't be fueled via either lipolysis or ketolysis. You must use the glucose pathway for the true repeated anaerobic effort of HIIT. If you're not truly hitting this kind of effort, it's MODERATE-Intensity not HIGH-Intensity.
Most people that think they're doing HIIT while on 20g of carb aren't hitting anywhere near 90% of their maximum, let alone 95-100% ... I'd suggest it's closer to 80%, which is still aerobic, and why they claim to be able to do it.0 -
It's amazing the number of people that "poo poo" the low-carb lifestyle for endurance.I like the lemonade one better, taste is something you need to get used at the beginning. But, it's great for endurance activities. I ran a half marathon with Generation UCAN 30 min before the race. I had nothing but water during the race. I finished 3rd and was laughing inside as I passed people who were stuffing gels and drinking Gatorade to refuel.
I haven't tried the Generation UCAN products yet - and I don't run half marathons (it'd kill my spine) but I *DO* engage in endurance cycling.
People are often stunned when a guy my age and my size just keeps on going at average 30+ km/h during a 5 hour ride into and back out-of the mountains without carb-loading prior to the event, and then during the ride being the only guy NOT constantly sucking back gels, bars, etc., etc.
What I do instead is eat a breakfast that includes around 45-50g of carbohydrate (usually around 800 calories total, I'll include some berries and whipped cream on ONE oatmeal pancake), then I start the ride and eat a PB&J sammich halfway, made from sprouted-grain bread (very slow digesting) with a huge amount (easily 4-5 tbsp) of natural peanut-butter and a little no-sugar added jam.
Other than my water/powerade zero mix (for 5 hours you need the electrolytes) there's no ingesting anything else during the ride. Other guys are slowing to pull bananas, bars, gels, all kinds of things out of their jersey's and eat them, and I just keep going.
I hear you, your body has abundant reserves of fat if it knows how to use it. Now I am running a half marathon every weekend. My friends think I am crazy and are amazed how fast my body recovers from the race. I ran out of Generation UCAN, used coconut water 30 min before the race and during the race. It felt great, and coconut water has high electrolytes and I will probably use it for all my half marathons in the coming weeks.0 -
Increase protein and fat..leave carb low.0
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Leonidas_meets_Spartacus wrote: »Increasing Fat is not going to help you in HIIT. At higher intensity your body needs energy fast, which fats can't provide. HIIT+Low carb is not something you would want to do. The muscles will start using lactic acid ATP for fuel and it often means Hydrogen in your muscles. Choose between carbs or not doing HIIT. If you do try, post your experience.
I had a good experience today lifting heavy after a 20-hr fast due to taking some UCAN before the lifting. I always bonk doing that if I don't eat something and try to lift. I didn't for the 1st time that I can remember.0
