High Intensity Workout for Low Carbers?

[dyan]

I just started a low carb diet this week and each time I have gone to my aerobics class, I have run out of steam halfway through. What can I do to maintain my stamina through a high intensity cardio workout without loading up on the carbs? I have already seen results with the low carb, I don't want to stop. But don't want to stop the aerobics either. Is there a happy medium?

[jray]

I do triathlon, and had the same experience. I started using diluted Gatorade right before and during workouts, and eating my carbs immediately after to help recovery.

Also, I found that my body adapted after about 3 weeks. It wasn't a pretty 3 weeks, but I got through it. Your body will adapt to the decreased carbs, and then you'll be back to where you were.

[Natrushka]

I just started a low carb diet this week and each time I have gone to my aerobics class, I have run out of steam halfway through. What can I do to maintain my stamina through a high intensity cardio workout without loading up on the carbs? I have already seen results with the low carb, I don't want to stop. But don't want to stop the aerobics either. Is there a happy medium?The best advice, dyan, is to give it time. It will take a while before you body adapts to burning fat for fuel, but it will adapt.

Higher intensity activies are not recommended during the first few weeks of LCing, lower intensity ones are preferable, and starting a new higher intensity activity at the same time as starting a LC WOE is defintely going to result in the dragging of your butt.

You'll find after a few months of LC that you can lower and lower carbs and still maintain intensity. I've discovered after 2 years of LC that I can do HIIT and lift heavy weights on less than 30g a day - something I could not do at the outset.

For more info, I suggest reading through Barry Grove's homepage specifically on althetic training, Second Opinions (http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/athletic_diet.html) - lots of great advice.

Cheers,
Nat

[peapod]

thanks for that page! im going to read over it in a few minutes here.. right after i cook up some big fat juicy steaks LOL!

I started bicycling at the same time as LCing.. that was a little more than a month ago.. hadnt biked in 20 years (give or take) and had to walk my bike up hills (see my post 'new to cycling').. today I can ride the full 4.5 miles with no problems.. up those hills too.. in fact today my husband and I went MOUNTAIN biking!! tough I will admit.. and the other day we went hiking (a great workout.. i was sore for a few days, but no huffing and puffing thinking i was going to pass out like last year!)

Anyhow.. today we worked out harder than usual and for about twice the amount of time (with mountain biking and then regular riding).. for longer, harder workouts like that (and when it is so hot) I was considering mixing half gatorade and half water into our bottle.. but dont want to ruin the workout with carbs (are there carbs in it?) so Im hoping he will have something about that on his page.. unless anyone else has any idea about it :)

thanks again :)

[m0rgan]

hey peapod
i mix water/gatorade
i have 2 large bottles on my bike, i dump 1/2 of the gatorade in each and top up with water

dont worry about too many carbs while exercising (within reason)
if you are going to stay low intensity then strict lc is ok but i believe its better to use carbs for fuel than *bonk* and feel like crap then go home half way through!

however try to train the body to use the fats for as much of the energy as you can, use carbs wisely and sparingly

[peapod]

thanks m0rgan!

[dyan]

Thank you all so much for your reply. I am on my way to the gym after work and will pick up the gatorade and try diluting it. Will let you know how it works out for me.

Thanks Again,

Dyan


PS... I will tone it down alittle since this is only my 2nd week. And slowly build it back up.

[m0rgan]

dyan remember you are trying to teach your body to use FFA
forgetting to use FFA is probably what got us all into this mess in the first place
so use carbs sparingly and wisely

[Meg_S]

I've seen two points of view when it comes to exercise and low carb.. one is that when you exercise vigorously on low carb, you should consume extra carbs to help keep the energy up otherwise you'll "bonk." The other is to avoid carbs because they prevent you from using fat for fuel which again, ultimately causes you to bonk as carbs are not a never ending fuel source as your body fat is (sort of, you won't run out in a day, anyway)

Can anyone explain? They both make sense to me, I just don't know which one is more right. Any experiences?

I'm thinking maybe it's only those bodies who have not exercised on low carb long term who feel they need the extra carbs for energy...? And that maybe carb supplementing while I do my HIIT on the stairs is hindering the adaptation of my body to better performance on very low carb because I'm not forcing it to.

Meg

[dyan]

Just a quick note: Went to the gym again after work and to be honest, I was alittle worried about the Gatorade. Even diluted it has tons of carbs. So instead I had an Atkins Almond Brownie bar (2 grams of carbs, 21 g of protein) and a sugarfree Red Bull (3 g of carb), and I lasted the entire workout. I did cut back alittle with not as much jumping, but did a solid hour of step and another hour of weights. I drank alot of water for the rest of the evening to replenish and felt good. I didn't "crash"

[Galadriell]

I started to run this January, without any previous running experience (though I have been an enthusiastic long distance walker/swimmer for two decades). My running program is 3x6k tempo runs, 1x8k interval and a long run (10 miles) every week. I run the 6k-s, 8k early morning without eating anything, only drinking half glass water. I do not have food before my long run either, only the half glass water, but have 2 cups of Gatorade (means 220 mg Sodium, 60 mg Potassium, 28 gr Carb) during the 2 hours. Meanwhile I always have more bottles with me, somehow I do not want more. No after run carb load either, only a high protein breakfast, and plenty of pure water. I feel full of energy ( I run the 10 miles in my 83-87 MHRT zone) AND I already lost 32 lbs, despite of my slowing metabolism, at age 46.
I train for a half - marathon, it seems I do not need any more for the 12 miles either.
I would recommend the diluted Gatorade too...
To drink 2-3 quarts pure Gatorade - the amount you can easily loose during a longer exercise would be an LC killer.

[peapod]

some tips from CO State University (http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/CoopExt/PUBS/COLUMNCC/cc970410.htm)

Here are some tips to keep from "running dry".
* Drink water before exercise. Drink water, diluted fruit juice or diluted sports drink during exercise, practice and competition
* During exercise, drink about eight ounces of fluid every 15 to 20 minutes. Cold drinks are absorbed most rapidly.
* If you exercise vigorously for less than one hour, or moderately for less than two hours, water is all you need. Add a squeeze of lime or a splash of juice for variety.
* If you exercise strenuously for more than one hour, or moderately for more than two hours, you can benefit from an energy drink. Be sure the carbohydrate content doesn't exceed eight percent by weight. More than that will slow absorption and may cause stomach cramps.
* Refuel your muscles within two hours after exercise
* Avoid drinks with caffeine or alcohol which are thought to have a dehydrating effect. Carbonated drinks tend to make you feel full, making it difficult to drink enough.
* Always make fluids a part of your exercise routine.

some tips from abcbodybuiling (http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/magazine03/dextrose.htm#glucosesodiumtransport) mainly for INTENSE training::

* In general it is recommend to have 500-600 mg of sodium per liter of solution after a workout
* consume no more than 1000 mL [1 liter] of H20 per hour, before, during or immediately after exercise to limit sodium decline
*you do not want to over hydrate yourself
* I would recommend about 500 mL of water immediately before training (spread through a 30 minute time span), and 200 mL every 15-20 minutes (about the rate at which fluids are drained during intense training sessions) of the workout to maintain high water levels in your stomach

ALSO check out ELECTROLYTES ~ howstuffworks (http://www.howstuffworks.com/question565.htm)

[CUE-BALD-1]

I thought this might be appropriate, I posted this on another site. It might not be strictly "high intensity" but it seemed to me to be so near the end. LOL

Yesterday I did an 80 km (50 mile) ride with the idea of pushing myself to avoid the extra carbs that I might otherwise do to see how things are going in this area.

This was the setup:

The night before I did a 40 km ride at a fairly fast pace (average HR was 78% of HRmax)to deplete my system of carbs just a tad. Nothing too serious and after I did that ride I avoided some of the extra carbs (typically around 10g) I might take in to help recovery. My average carb intake for the previous week was about 55 g. The next morning I did this 80 km ride and only took in 527 Kcals (fat 40g, carbs 6g, protein 25g) before the ride. I started the ride at 11 am when the heat index was already over 93 to create extra stress.

The results:

I did 80 km in 2:50 which was an ave speed around 27 kph/16.75 mph. Average HR for the ride was 77% (141 bpm) of HRmax. Winds were less than 8 mph on average but some of the roads were very soft. LOL I carried a 70 oz water pack and refilled it on the ride. During the ride I drank a total of about 160 oz of fluid counting water and caffeine free diet coke but needed to add about 40 oz after I got home to get back my weight to near pre ride levels. I carried a Power Bar and some carb gels in case I got in trouble but did NOT use them. I monitored my HR pretty closely through out the ride and used it like a tachometer. I kept my HR between 140 & 145 bpm.

The general feeling:

I felt pretty good. I did see a bit of performance drop of near the end but I attribute some of that to one tactical error. I should have mixed my own electrolyte replacement drink but didn't. I will avoid that mistake again. In fact, I started to recognize this as a potential problem at about the 40 km mark and cut the ride down from the planned 100 km to 80 km for that reason in order to keep to my original goal of testing the affects of no carbs. I think the depletion of electrolytes was key to this problem. I felt hungry but not bonked. The last 15 km were a challenge to keep my HR down because I could feel the heat starting to push the HR up and, again, the mistake of not carrying a electrolyte replacement solution may have come home to roost. I did a lot of "soft peddling" to control the HR. Reaching the home I felt content with my effort and my experiment. In fact, my HR was well recovered and I was able to do a 1/4 mile long sprint at 53 kph leading into my cool down zone so my legs were not gone yet. My recovery after the ride was quite smooth too. My post ride meal included an Atkins bar, a couple tbsp of peanut butter, and more fluids. I stayed within my 55 carb g average for the day and this morning I feel quite normal.

Some conclusions:

1. I have increased my "fat burning" region considerably this summer. These results would not have been the same earlier.

2. It will still take some time to improve my fat mobilization capabilities to up my exertion levels for such a sustained length of time but, to be honest, I'm not interested in the total pursuit of speed for the sake of speed. I'm interested in faster rides over longer periods and still keeping good control over carb intake. HOWEVER, I am not carb-a-phobic. I know that had this ride been much longer, I would have suffered without some additional carbs. That is even aside of the electrolyte issues. (Perhaps the Body Opus, TKD plan is something I should look closer into.)

3. I still need to keep these kind of "notes" to myself so that I can compare rides to see what common denominators where part of successful and unsuccessful rides.

I hope these ramblings are of some help for those of you looking for endurance and a LC WOL. Time to go do a recovery ride!