Body Compostition on Keto

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Db8688
Db8688 Posts: 186 Member
Just received notice that there will be a new competition as part of the employee health program where I work. (Composition Competition. As opposed to strictly weight, this competition will focus on changing your ratio of body fat to LEAN MUSCLE ) I switched to ketogenics nearly two months ago. Bodybulding.com is my go to site most of the time for lifting. But I'd really like to up my game and blow everyone away in this competition. Any tips from other lifters who have been successful at adding significant muscle while reducing fat would be greatly appreciated

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  • lcuconley
    lcuconley Posts: 734 Member
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    how long do you have in the competition? most muscle gains come from cycles of weight gain (fat and muscle) and weight loss (hopefully mostly fat because you keep lifting).
  • Db8688
    Db8688 Posts: 186 Member
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    The kickoff meeting is Jan 15. I won't know the details until then. I went to the ruled me website and plugged in my numbers again to check my macros. The results were 56 g protein, 19 g carbs, 132 g fat. I have been doing net carbs and have gradually reduced my net carbs to under 30 I think 19 will be a stretch for me. I chose a gradual reduction since I didn't want to drain my energy and not be able to keep up with my workout classes. I weighed in this morning - I'm 5"4 and my numbers are 151 lbs - 37.7% body fat, 30.1% muscle, 44.1% water - This is based off my digital scales reading. My goal weight is 135 which may change as I reduce fat and build muscle. I've been tracking my numbers for 60 days (which is when I switched to a ketogenic lifestyle). My energy level is great now. I take a lifting class three days, 1 circuit class and one spin class. I'm considering adding an additional class which is called fight club for additional cardio. I also plan to do mini lifting sessions (10-15 mins about every other day) just to focus on trying to increase my weight. Since the lifting classes are 45 mins long and involve a lot of reps I've been keeping my weight range from 10-35 lbs depending on the circuit and muscle group. I'm planning on bumping that up to 40lbs tonight to see how I do. The problem with the leg circuits is that I have trouble getting the barbell from my shoulders up and over from back to front after the circuit when fully loaded.
  • lcuconley
    lcuconley Posts: 734 Member
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    here is my two cents:
    1. you will not be able to "add significant muscle" while dieting to lose fat.
    2. the key to losing fat and improving your fat/muscle ratio will be eating a deficit.
    3. I think your workout plan sounds good. Just make sure that you are giving your body time to recover. Not sure how you plan to fit in 3 lifting classes (full body workouts) with every other day sessions. Your muscles need 48 hours to recover from a lifting session. Make sure one day a week is a rest day.
    4. to get your barbell off your shoulders, make sure to use momentum: bend your legs a little and then power up while pushing with your arms.
    5. I totally understand loving exercise classes, but you might want to consider starting a free weight program that uses higher weights and fewer reps. I loved New Rules of Lifting for Women.
  • CrewZen
    CrewZen Posts: 26 Member
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    Eat more protein in the 48 hours after lifting. Lift with enough weight that you'll exhaust at 8-10 reps, SUPER SLOW ON THE NEGATIVE (~ lowering the weight)... You can feel this!... then let your body recover. When you're truly keto adapted, your body will burn fat for fuel.... IMHO it is totally possible to lose fat while gaining muscle. But you have to break down the muscles during a workout AND feed your body what it needs to recover/rebuild (plenty of aminos/protein etc..)
    You might find some inspiration in a book "Body Fat Breakthrough". It has studies and success stories of individuals who set out to lose fat while building muscle.
    Good Luck!