Carb cycling when working out - amount of carbs

carbs

(Magnus Jensen) #1

Anyone here practicing carb cycling when working out? What is your routine?
1/2 banana before workout, 20 ish mins before or so?
And do you supply carbs after the workout as well? The point would be to hva just the right amount of carbs to make you perform (but also use up) the carbs/glucose for the workout and then go back into fat burning mode after the workout ends?
I am curious about this routine and if anybody has had success doing it and experiences.

Thanks!


(Carl Keller) #2

Dr. Peter Attia wrote some articles about this subject as well as gave some lectures that you might find interesting.

https://peterattiamd.com/ketones-carbohydrates-can-co-exist/


(Ken) #3

The concept of TKD, or Timed Ketogenic Diet has been around for quite a while now, about two decades. I used it myself when I was training heavy. It’s normally about 20g of carbs before and 40g of carbs right after training. Normally simple carbs are used since they go right into your system. The easiest is Dextrose. Smarties contain about 6.5 g per roll, so three rolls before and six afterwards, ground up with a stick blender into water.

You also have the option of a 36 hour glycogen recompensarion period once a week, which also works.


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #4

I’ve been reading about carb-cycling on these forums. Am I right in assuming that people who are still insulin-resistant should avoid this practice because it spikes insulin?


(Allan Misner) #5

I know they’re doing work on this now but I have to ask, are your workouts taking more than 90 minutes to perform?

We carry enough glycogen and glucose to keep us going for at least that long. I’ve never had an issue lifting or doing cardio (even intense work) for 90 minutes or less, even while fasted. For longer work, perhaps a carb feed can help, but I don’t believe carb feeds are needed for workouts except in extreme situations.


(Allan Misner) #6

Yes. If you’re insulin resistant, you should focus on that first.


(Katie the Quiche Scoffing Stick Ninja ) #7

Why carb up when your body fat can provide endless energy when you are fat adapted?
Carbing up is redundant on this lifestyle.
I exercise fasted at 30 hours most of the time and my energy is LIMITLESS.


(Magnus Jensen) #8

I work out @ Barrys Bootcamp 6 times a week, each session is extremly hard (60 mins) and involves alternating between HIIT and weights/own body weight https://www.barrysbootcamp.com/best-workout/
This requires a burst in energy which I used to have for sure, but it is gone with Keto and fat adaption. I surly find it easier to do steady state cardio (180-age as heart beat measure, for me that is 140). However when lifting a weight for 1,5 consecutive minute+ I struggle with getting in the last reps, something that used to work.
I train fasted often going to two sessions per fast over two days doing i.e. 72 hours fast.
I am fully aware of the theory that when fat adapted you should be able to maintain a workout just fine, but @ Barry’s we take it to the extreme and I know I used to be able to be on another higher level with regards to reps and speed on the Thread. I have supplied with Creatine but it does not do it.


(Magnus Jensen) #9

BTW, I suspect that I restrict my calories to some extent to get ripped, and that might give me less energy, but that is supposed to not be an issue due to the unlimited fat reserves I can use for energy, right? There are theories here that might work for some, but not for us who take it to the extreme as workouts concerned. It is their experience with adding carbs I am interested in. In the end I have decided to maybe tone down my intense workout schedule for some time to get rid of the last stubborn body fat. I am currently quite ripped but want my abs to be even more visible.


(Scott) #10

How long have you been on keto WOE? It took me almost four months to get my running energy back in gear.


(Magnus Jensen) #11

Hi, about 6 weeks in. Before that I was doing an unsustainable low carb, low fat and high protein type of diet with severe calorie restriction giving me a ripped look, but I felt like shit.


(Scott) #12

If you are like me it is going to take longer to get through a workout on fat alone. When I ran my legs felt like they had sand in them and I needed walk breaks. I was beginning to think keto may not work out for me. At between three and four months I was running and thought “wait a minute…I am not tired anymore”. I have been slowly building on my miles with the hope of doing a half marathon this spring. That will be the real test of how far my fat can carry me but will research on whether to supplement with carbs. Right now my long run is 7 miles and don’t need any carbs for energy.


(Ken) #13

The reason to consume carbs within the context of either a TKD or CKD is not to provide energy during your training. It is to prevent metabolic slowdown. Consuming them around training insures they are used quickly, so after the insulin spike you quickly go back into Lipolysis. It’s about metabolic effects rather than an energy issue.


(Adam Kirby) #14

I am unconvinced about this “metabolic slowdown” from carb restriction, assuming ad libitum intake. I have not seen compelling evidence for it.


(Ken) #15

That’s fine. It’s certainly contrary to current Nutty Keto Dogma. It becomes more acute the harder you train, that’s why many bodybuilders experience it… I’ve experienced it several times when cutting while keeping training volume.up. but recently I haven’t.been training, and it took about two years or so before I experienced significant effects. In fact , I’ve just ended a five week period of carb additions and now am back to normal. I’ll just make sure to eat some carbs on the Weekends now.