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Keto and reduced energy in the gym

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Bob314159
Bob314159 Posts: 1,178 Member
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I've been off full ketogenic for several months - weight has been stable. In the last few weeks I've started to reduce the carbs again and have lost 5 lbs. My gym trainer claims my workout energy is no so good and claims its the keto. Problem is that he's biased against keto. What if he's right?

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  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    There often is some lag time of a few weeks or months after going keto for fat adaption to occur. Until then, there can be lagging energy.... Could that be it? You body got used to glucose for fuel and now when the glucose is not there, it is lower on energy until it gets used to using fat oxidation first again.

    For explosive movements, like a 20 second sprint to escape a charging elephant, ketosis will provide slightly less energy. Unless you are going full out in a short burst, ketosis should not affect you negatively. I think....

    You could show your trainer the FASTER study by Volek to debunk the old "glucose is required for energy myth". http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0026049515003340
  • Bob314159
    Bob314159 Posts: 1,178 Member
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    I'm not doing cardio - just weights, cables, machines. But the "got used to carbs" idea makes sense
  • cstehansen
    cstehansen Posts: 1,984 Member
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    If you are keto, I would encourage you to make sure your sodium intake is higher or you will see reduced energy when working out
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
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    Bob314159 wrote: »
    I'm not doing cardio - just weights, cables, machines. But the "got used to carbs" idea makes sense

    For lifting explosiveness and intensity, glucose in king for fuel, unfortunately. It's why a lot if people run TKD with simple sugars around lifting sessions, or CKD with werkly carb refeeds.

    As an example: Jamie Lewis is a HUGE keto advocate, but even he carbloads like hell (to the point of supercompensation) before lifting meets.
  • Bob314159
    Bob314159 Posts: 1,178 Member
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    cstehansen wrote: »
    If you are keto, I would encourage you to make sure your sodium intake is higher or you will see reduced energy when working out

    I am for the last few weeks, but last year when I was doing 50 carbs daily, I took no sodium and my food sodium intake was low and my gym energy was high
  • Bob314159
    Bob314159 Posts: 1,178 Member
    edited February 2017
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    Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
    Bob314159 wrote: »
    I'm not doing cardio - just weights, cables, machines. But the "got used to carbs" idea makes sense

    For lifting explosiveness and intensity, glucose in king for fuel, unfortunately. It's why a lot if people run TKD with simple sugars around lifting sessions, or CKD with werkly carb refeeds.

    As an example: Jamie Lewis is a HUGE keto advocate, but even he carbloads like hell (to the point of supercompensation) before lifting meets.

    Interesting - but I have to make a decision - I'm mostly on Keto to fight off Parkinsons (but also managed to lose 25 years of weight gain- still need to lose 40], and the symptoms declined when on fairly strict Keto, recently they started getting worse again. If I TKD - do I destroy the evil carbs that appear to cause tremors?
  • Kimo159
    Kimo159 Posts: 508 Member
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    If I'm at 50g of carbs a day and don't add extra sodium I will get extremely tired. It's always worth trying to add some more sodium. Also, if you're using keto to help with a health concern I would say put your health first and performance in the gym second. You say on strict keto your symptoms declined but they are getting worse again. Are you still strict keto? Are you bouncing in and out of ketosis? Because my energy plummets when I go in and out.

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