keto for athletes

[Suplexdeath]

so i was considering keto for cutting a few lbs before the wrestling season started and so i decided to lurk around these forums to learn as much as i could before i tried to start it. i was wondering how badly a low carb diet could affect an athlete. right now i lift 5 days a week, wrestle 4 days a week, run 3 days a week, and do bjj 3 days a week. would i be able to hand low carbs with all the stuff i do or is keto a bodybuilder only thing

also its occured to me that if you dont eat carbs you cant really get fiber. does that mean i would have to be constipated the entire time i am on keto

[Roniboney]

so i was considering keto for cutting a few lbs before the wrestling season started and so i decided to lurk around these forums to learn as much as i could before i tried to start it. i was wondering how badly a low carb diet could affect an athlete. right now i lift 5 days a week, wrestle 4 days a week, run 3 days a week, and do bjj 3 days a week. would i be able to hand low carbs with all the stuff i do or is keto a bodybuilder only thing

also its occured to me that if you dont eat carbs you cant really get fiber. does that mean i would have to be constipated the entire time i am on keto

Someone correct me if im wrong but i though keto combined with high intensity cardio can result in more muscle loos.Isnt it something like once your in ketosis you use fat as fuel for everything so L.I.S.S cardio is better or something. You are really active so if i were you i wouldn't go keto.Just eat a balanced diet with calorie restriction with a higher than maintenance day once a week after the first 2 weeks.You'll be fine eating balanced.Also you should probably bulk throughout your teens

[Eileen]

You do eat carbs, just not crappy ones like bread and sugar. Most keto-ers eat far more green veg than people on a "balanced" diet, so they get plenty of fiber, and constipation is not an issue.

For a competitive athlete, you could consider TKD, where you eat a small carb meal before training sessions, to bridge the gap between what you need for a high intensity training session and what your body can extract from fat.

It's not that HIIT eats muscle on keto, it's just that it's extremely difficult, since fat only supplies enough energy for about 65-70% intensity. You'll find you can't make your normal times. However, once you are fully adapted to fat burning (usually about six weeks into keto), you should be able to go full blast without any problems.

HIIT works on keto, it's just tough. Mind you, I find HIIT tough on any diet!

[toolslave462@gmail.com]

You do eat carbs, just not crappy ones like bread and sugar. Most keto-ers eat far more green veg than people on a "balanced" diet, so they get plenty of fiber, and constipation is not an issue.

For a competitive athlete, you could consider TKD, where you eat a small carb meal before training sessions, to bridge the gap between what you need for a high intensity training session and what your body can extract from fat.

It's not that HIIT eats muscle on keto, it's just that it's extremely difficult, since fat only supplies enough energy for about 65-70% intensity. You'll find you can't make your normal times. However, once you are fully adapted to fat burning (usually about six weeks into keto), you should be able to go full blast without any problems.

HIIT works on keto, it's just tough. Mind you, I find HIIT tough on any diet!

Listen to Eileen, she knows what she's talken about.

Definitely for you dude, TKD is the way to go. Since you have such High Intensity activities I would possibly even up the Pre-workout carbs and Post workout carbs by about 10.

Also, even though your on TKD, before any important fights, or wrestling matches, do a 24 hour pre carb up. This will ensure that you are at 100 percent of your game. Training will be harder and you will feel gassed sooner... But people say this is supposed to go away after 6 weeks. Personally I think it's just people forget their old stamina and get used to their new stamina. I HAVEN'T read any studies where a high carb athlete ran his best time, switched to keto then 2 months later is still running his best time. All I have heard is word of mouth.

I have read that a TKD keto diet would be good for endurance athletes for in-training. Then carb up for important matches. This way they get a big mood and energy boost which is important when you have an event. Almost like running with a 30lb pack then dropping it for the real race.

[bOBeRt]

I'm currently cutting before my next grappling competition too. Week 5 right now, down 12lbs. I went the first week or so without any carbs, and I'll let ya know that you'll really start to feel it around day 3-4. Training suffered until I messed around with my diet a bit. Now I ingest ~20g of dextrose ~30min before training. Training is approx 2 hours and I sip on a 15g dextrose solution throughout the 1st hour.

That small supplement of sugar pre and during the workout completely removes the lethargy during training. You may need to tweak yours a little bit, and in my opinion it's better to start off with a small amount of sugar and work your way up ONLY if your performance still suffers.


Picture below is the beginning of my BJJ/Wrestling/Muay thai in February 2010 (234 lbs) and my latest pic in July (197 lbs) after my 2nd grappling competition, I began keto after this last competition. Cut off for amateur muay thai is 178lbs and grappling is under 175lbs... So the goal is to shed 17 lbs to walk around at 180 ish.

[Suplexdeath]

I'm currently cutting before my next grappling competition too. Week 5 right now, down 12lbs. I went the first week or so without any carbs, and I'll let ya know that you'll really start to feel it around day 3-4. Training suffered until I messed around with my diet a bit. Now I ingest ~20g of dextrose ~30min before training. Training is approx 2 hours and I sip on a 15g dextrose solution throughout the 1st hour.

That small supplement of sugar pre and during the workout completely removes the lethargy during training. You may need to tweak yours a little bit, and in my opinion it's better to start off with a small amount of sugar and work your way up ONLY if your performance still suffers.


Picture below is the beginning of my BJJ/Wrestling/Muay thai in February 2010 (234 lbs) and my latest pic in July (197 lbs) after my 2nd grappling competition, I began keto after this last competition. Cut off for amateur muay thai is 178lbs and grappling is under 175lbs... So the goal is to shed 17 lbs to walk around at 180 ish.

tell me how it goes


also can someone explain carbing up to me. it seems really complicated. apparently your supposed to have carbs prior to your last workout before carbing up. and then while your carbing up you arent supposed to have too much fruits or have too much fat

edit: also what is liquid carbs

[tradertrader]

when i switched to keto i also changed my approach to work outs, now i do circuit/giant superset/interval (whatever you want to call it) basically high intensity routines with lots of exercises done back to back, many using bodyweight, 7 days per week and i can kick butt better than ever

i agree with Eileen, once you become an accustomed fat burner you won't have problems

last friday i squatted 315 for a set of 20, i can do the bodyweight 1000 in around 40 minutes and i am gaining weight lean weight on keto. for me, this diet is perfect. i know i have more energy than when eating carbs

my advice is first, stick it out, starting keto is a bit rough

also, eat avocados, nuts, coconut oil etc, saturated fat is fine, eat bacon and teak etc but get a good variety of fats. avocado is king in my opinion, healthy fat and a lot of fiber.

and yea, there is nothing about keto dieting and high intenstiy workouts that will 'eat' musclses, if you are dieting to lose weight, you are going to lose some of the good with the bad, it sucks, and it can't be avoided. keto seems to minimize this for a lot of people..

[Eileen]

tell me how it goes


also can someone explain carbing up to me. it seems really complicated. apparently your supposed to have carbs prior to your last workout before carbing up. and then while your carbing up you arent supposed to have too much fruits or have too much fat

edit: also what is liquid carbs

It's not that bad. Eat an apple before you start your depletion workout. It's long, and you need the energy. After the workout is over, have a big protein shake (typically 50g whey and 50g dextrose) Dextrose in liquid is liquid carbs, but most people would rather drink Gatorade or something similar. Then eat the sort of high carb low fat food that most BB-ers eat: oatmeal, egg white, root veg, beans and pulses, wholegrains, tuna and chicken, low fat dairy.

[Suplexdeath]

wait so if i was to go on a tkd diet then i wouldnt have carb ups? wow **** is confusing

edit: also i wanted to clarify. fiber carbs dont go towards to your 30 trace carbs right? so if i got 50 carbs a day and half from fiber then id be gud?

[Eileen]

Yes to both.

On TKD, you keep calories closer to maintenance, just low enough for fat loss, and eat the carbs when they will be most useful. If you do this, and find you are really dragging after a while, you can have a small carb-up, but you don't have the sort of full-on carb-up of someone on CKD.

And yes, fiber doesn't count, so keep eating the veg.

[Suplexdeath]

do i have to lift different while on keto?

[Eileen]

No. Unless you love spending two hours a day in the gym, doing endless isolation moves. If so, change it so you get into the pit, lift hard (squat, bench, deadlift, rows, military press, stiffleg deads, dips, pull-up etc) and then get out. Short intense workouts featuring heavy compound lifts are best for keto.

But really, any workout that works for you, will work on keto.