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Weight lifting advice!

fanncy0626
fanncy0626 Posts: 7,152 Member
edited November 17 in Social Groups
Hi! I have only been Keto since the beginning of February. I have been weight lifting for 2 years now. Stronglift 5x5 workout. I also Swing the Kettlebell to help improve my lifts. I am eating at a deficit to cut 10% body fat so not real impressive lift amounts yet. I can deadlift my weight though.

My question is about energy which I have none. I push myself to get through my workouts. I read about carb refeeds. I did a one day dirty refeed. I'm not trying to bulk and build muscle now just maintain what I have. Any advice for a newbie?

Replies

  • XavierNusum
    XavierNusum Posts: 720 Member
    My advice would be to steer clear of the refeeds for now and just scale your training volume when needed. It is often suggested that you start keto during maybe a deload week or some other low in training. I didn't personally, I just supplemented with caffeine. :) The most important thing is to understand that, especially being 2 years in, you won't see many (if any) PR's on any deficit including keto. You will once you're fat adapted be able to train just as hard, if not harder, than when you were eating higher carb. It will take time, but keep going.

    Long story short, get some coffee or other chosen "pre-workout" and keep clanging and banging! Programming wise, you may scale back the intensity (weight) while slightly increasing the volume (reps) OR vise versa to reduce overall training load until you get the energy benefits of ketosis and fat adaptation.
  • fanncy0626
    fanncy0626 Posts: 7,152 Member
    @XavierNusum thanks for the advice! You may be right about caffeine or some type of energy drink. I may just have to learn to like coffee :#
  • XavierNusum
    XavierNusum Posts: 720 Member
    fanncy0626 wrote: »
    @XavierNusum thanks for the advice! You may be right about caffeine or some type of energy drink. I may just have to learn to like coffee :#

    Just know that coffee is way more than hot caffeine! There are some really stuff going on in that magic brew! ;) Like I said, stay the course and soon that fat burning energy will kick in and you won't need as much extra!

    Personally I workout in the evening so caffeine, in some form, is required for any real work to take place. :D
  • fanncy0626
    fanncy0626 Posts: 7,152 Member
    Thanks! I'm definitely going to stay the course. I am going to try coffee though!
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    Depending upon how far down the rabbit hole you are willing to go, you can always get a really strong PWO, like Chaos and Pain's Cannibal Ferox, and stack it with ephedrine. Be warned though, it can hurt you if your have BP issues.

    Using that, I was still hitting PRs while running a Rapid Fat Loss cut.
  • fanncy0626
    fanncy0626 Posts: 7,152 Member
    Thanks for the information. Congrats on being able to hit PR's while cutting! I know that a lot of my lifting friends do pre-workout drinks. I guess I'm more of a naturalist. I don't take supplements so the pre-workout drink wouldn't work for me. That's why I thought about the carb refeed.
  • pwrfl1
    pwrfl1 Posts: 673 Member
    MCT oil taken before workouts might help as well. Many people say they feel the ketone energy it provides. I personally haven't felt a difference.
  • gotblues66
    gotblues66 Posts: 58 Member
    fanncy0626 wrote: »
    ...My question is about energy which I have none. I push myself to get through my workouts. I read about carb refeeds. I did a one day dirty refeed. I'm not trying to bulk and build muscle now just maintain what I have. Any advice for a newbie?

    2 years of SL5x5. Wow. Impressive. And kettlebell swings! I'm not experienced enough around here to add much. I've been weight training for a couple years and now on my 12th week of keto trying to cut. I'm at a similar calorie deficit and I'm finding the same lackluster feeling at the gym on keto. Caffeine helps, but tempted by the cyclical keto concept I may have given in too soon to the refeeds. It was as much about keeping my eating lifestyle sanity as it was about performance at the gym. I was doing a carb refeed (usually dirty, starting Friday night after my workout and all day Saturday) every 2nd week. The problem with that is one never really knows, in the short term at least, if that's hampering their fat loss efforts more than it's helping their strength training. I'd say stick it out for a while longer with some pre-workout boost. But if the energy thing continues, maybe look into targeted keto (TKD, basically it's a little extra carbs before or after workouts). From your profile pic and post seems like you are already in great shape anyways.
  • blambo61
    blambo61 Posts: 4,372 Member
    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.
  • majestic_yogi
    majestic_yogi Posts: 41 Member
    It is pretty normal to be tired if you are working out at a higher intensity(KB, Heavy lifting, HIT etc..). The body still tries to use glycogen as fuel instead of fat at higher intensities. You have few options.
    1. Push through this adaptation phase and body will adjust in few weeks. Took me 5 months for my body to be a fat burning machine even at higher intensities (>90% Max HR). After the body adjusts, you can cruise through intense workouts even on a 24 hr fast.
    2. Take exogenous ketones which will make your workouts feel like walk in the park. I use them at times when I combine heavy front squats with sprints. The higher ketone levels last for 2-3 hrs. Look up Ketosports for more details. This definitely something i do only when getting back in to Keto after a high carb meal or day.
    3. Take supplements and Pre work outs like UCAN, but its very pricey. If you plan to spend money on option 3, might as well spend it on option 2.
    4. TKD or CKD can be an option if you are 5-10 lbs away from your fat loss goals. There are lot of folks who stall with TKD or CKD but YMMV.

    I highly recommend watching this if you want to understand how and when your body uses carbs and fats for fuels.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqwvcrA7oe8
    Skip to 21:00 Min mark if you are in a hurry.
  • fanncy0626
    fanncy0626 Posts: 7,152 Member
    Thanks so much for the feedback and the video.

    @majestic_yogi i'm going to check out the information that you gave me. Thank you so much for taking the time to help me! I definitely am going to look up Ketosports.
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