Ketogenic Burst Training
Diet and lifestyle go hand-in-hand when supporting a healthy weight. When considering exercise strategies, burst training is one of our top picks for people on the ketogenic diet.
What is burst training?
Burst training is a form of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), consisting of a series of “bursts” in your workout, followed by a period of rest. Bursts are when you are pushing your body to its maximum potential for 10 to 60 seconds. You will typically only need to do these exercises 3
or 4 times per week.
To avoid injury risk, be sure to seek advice directly from your physician, especially if you have existing medical issues, before beginning any exercise or nutritional program. Additionally, stretch following exercise to avoid muscle and joint tightness.
Why is burst training an ideal ketogenic diet workout?
1. It can make exercise easier.
Burst training eliminates long bouts of cardio and, instead, gives short “bursts” of high-intensity exercise followed by brief recovery periods.
2. It can make workouts enjoyable.
Rather than continuously running for 20 minutes, you can cycle between bursts and rests. Many people don’t exercise at all because they’re either intimated or fearful that they can’t do the workout. Burst training is a workout most people can do…and enjoy doing!
3. It can make regular exercise more convenient.
Considering the fact that many people use “not having enough time” as a popular excuse to avoid regularly exercising, HIIT workouts are one of the best ways to overcome this obstacle and get great results fast.
4. It can promote faster fat loss.
Fat loss is often the number one goal for those on keto. Quite simply, HIIT-style workouts achieve greater fat loss than steady-state workouts. Although HIIT workouts burn fewer calories during the actual workout than steady-state cardio exercises (likely due to the shorter duration), the HIIT program produces more fat loss than steady-state exercise does overall.1
5. It can help to build muscle mass.
Paired with the ketogenic diet, burst training can help you build lean muscle. A recent study showed that HIIT was more effective at building muscle mass at the cellular level than strength training. Though this is just one study, these researchers concluded that HIIT improved the function of muscle mitochondria, which is necessary for muscle building.2
The Importance of Daily Walking
In addition to burst training, we recommend walking for at least 20 minutes each day. Why? When combined with HIIT workouts, daily walking has shown to be more effective for fat loss than just HIIT or walking alone. When you’re in ketosis, your body is waiting for its next fat-burning adventure.
According to a recent study, walking is one of the very best measures for managing a healthy weight.3 Daily walks are beneficial for keeping people feeling younger, healthier and happier by reducing stress levels and promoting a less sedentary lifestyle. Walking briskly and deliberately for at least 30 minutes a day was correlated with having a lower body mass index and a smaller waistline compared to non-walkers. What’s even more impressive is that the results were particularly pronounced in women, people over 50 and those with low incomes — three populations that notoriously struggle with their weight.
Your Burst Training Workout
It’s important to remember that your level of high intensity is not necessarily everyone else’s level of high intensity. So, while you may not be able to go as fast or as hard as someone else, you can still get a fantastic workout that reaps some of the same great benefits. To help you get started, here are two different burst training workouts, based on your current level of fitness. Regardless of whether you choose to start with the beginner level or the advanced level, make sure to always complete the warm up at the beginning of your workout to help you
avoid injury.
Warm Up
• Jog or march in place for 30 seconds.
• Stand and circle your arms backward, one after the other (as if you’re pretending to do the backstroke) for 30 seconds.
• Perform basic squats for 30 seconds.
• Perform calf raises for 30 seconds.
• Do 20 jumping jacks.
Equipment: Stationary bike, elliptical machine or treadmill (Note: If you do not have access to one of these, then you can jog or run in place.)
References
1. Gosselin LE, Kozlowski KF, DeVinney-Boymel L, Hambridge C. Metabolic response of different high-intensity aerobic interval exercise protocols. J Strength Cond Res. 2012 Oct;26(10):2866-71.
2. Robinson MM, Dasari S, Konopka AR, et al. Enhanced Protein Translation Underlies Improved Metabolic and Physical Adaptations to Different Exercise Training Modes in Young and Old Humans. Cell Metab. 2017 Mar
7;25(3):581-592. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2017.02.009.
3. Lordan G and Pakrashi D. Do All Activities “Weigh” Equally? How Different Physical Activities Differ as Predictors of Weight. Risk Analysis. 2015;(35): 2069–2086. doi:10.1111/ risa.12417
