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 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.
3. 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
4. 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.
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.
Beginner Burst Training
Ratio of work to rest (W:R) = 1:3
Duration = 5 – 7 minutes
Directions
• Pedal or run as fast as you can for 10 seconds
• Switch to normal pace for 50 seconds
• Repeat for 5 – 7 sets
If you find this too easy, increase your speed or decrease your resting time.
Advanced Burst Training
Ratio of work to rest (W:R) = 3:1
Duration = 8 – 10 minutes
Directions
• Pedal or jog at moderate rate for 60 seconds
• Lower intensity for 20 seconds
• Pick up intensity for 40 seconds
• Rest for 30 seconds
• Repeat for 8 sets
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






