The keto diet has been at the center of attention recently, especially for those who want to want to lose weight quickly. The ketogenic diet focuses on proteins and fats while cutting down on carbohydrate intake. After some time working in this diet, the body start to switch to burning ketones for energy via your body fat, rather than burning carbs. This burning of ketones will help you to be able to slim down much faster.
To maximize the results of keto even further, millions of people have started incorporating high intensity interval training, popularly known as HIIT, into their regimens alongside their keto weight loss plan. The combination of keto and HIIT has been known to catalyze the entire weight loss process because the body tends to require more fuel to in order to effectively cater to the calorie requirement for high intensity exercises. While this seems like a miracle combination (and in a lot of ways, it really is), it’s important to keep a close eye on both your diet and training plans as to not overexert yourself in either department. Let’s dive deeper into each to learn more.
What is High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)?
HIIT is a high intensity exercise that focuses on improving the rate at which you burn fats while increasing your body’s overall physical abilities. This cardio program is meant to keep you completely healthy and fit, and has been heralded as an extremely effective exercise regimen for weight loss. Beginners are often required to start training slowly and develop gradually, with low amounts of repetition and ample amounts of rest between reps. New users are advised only to do the exercise for twenty minutes during their first few days on this routine as they find balance and improve their form build up their strength and cardiovascular stamina. Once users are comfortable at their level, they can lengthen the training time up to 40 minutes with more reps and less rest time. This way your body will be able to adjust naturally and yield incredible results.
While on the HIIT program, your small muscle tissues can occasionally tear due to the intensity involved. Because of this, it is recommended that you should be on a good diet that will facilitate the repair of these tissues. With a diet rich in protein and electrolytes, this repair process will take place much faster and you’ll require less down time overall. You should also keep in mind that HIIT is a very intense process; it should not be done more than 3 days a week when starting out. Those people who are not physically fit, lack mobility as well as core strength are cautioned to be very careful while on the HIIT program, and should even consider some sort of training to get started.
Benefits of High Intensity Interval Training
Despite being a type of training that you only undertake for a very short period, a 30 minutes HIIT is known to be more beneficial than a daily conventional exercise. This is because it focuses on pushing the body to the edge during those few minutes while yielding incredible results. Below are some benefits that you stand to gain from a HIIT program.
1. You will burn a LOT of calories
HIIT has been on the spotlight for years due to its incredible calorie burning capabilities. With HIIT, you are required to exercise intensively during the first few seconds and rest for the next few seconds. This should be repeated for a total of 30 minutes. A person doing the HIIT program will be able to burn a considerably larger number of calories within a short period than that of a standard exercise routine, because of the different muscles that are activated in combination with cardio.
2. HIIT helps build up muscle mass rapidly
HIIT may enable you to gain muscle mass. This is often seen within individuals who were not active before the HIIT program. Their muscles tend to expand rapidly thanks to the pressure being exerted to them during the exercises.
3. HIIT enables you to burn fat quicker
Even without any drastic dietary changes, HIIT will enable you to lose fats and stomach circumference much faster. This is because it tends to make use of all the available fats for fuel so that no extra fat will remain to accumulate in the body. It is one of the best programs for those struggling with obesity.
4. It improves oxygen consumption
All types of high resistance training are known to increase the rate at which muscles utilize oxygen. Research has shown that high-intensity exercise elicits a higher Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) throughout the day compared to steady-state exercise.
5. HIIT is known to minimize blood pressure levels and lower your resting heart rate
This finding was only observed on individuals who already had hypertension or high blood pressure problems, but it is still an incredible benefit for those with metabolic syndrome. The exercise has been recorded as being able to bring down the blood pressure and minimize one’s heart rate within a very short period of time. Different results were however recorded on individuals with normal body weight, and no reduction in blood pressure was recorded.
6. HIIT can minimize blood sugar levels
Research conducted on individuals indicated that high intensity interval training could improve insulin resistance in the body. This means that it is one good exercise for those people suffering from type 2 diabetes. You can read more about a recent study documenting this improvement here.
Side Effects of HIIT
High-intensity interval training also comes with its fair share of disadvantages. These side effects only take place when you go overboard and start doing it for long periods and more frequently than required. You are only expected to do the HIIT program for a maximum of 40 minutes. This should also be restricted within 3 days a week, especially when you are starting out. If you go beyond that timeline, then you stand to experience some problems including the following:
1. Severe muscle injury
When you overexert yourself with HIIT training, intense pressure will be placed directly on your muscles. This can cause them to break down so that they can be heal as stronger tissues. The constant breaking down of these small tissues will extend to the muscles, and can occasionally result in severe muscle injuries, magnified by improper form.
2. Kidney damage
This usually occurs after a prolonged HIIT exercise for long periods of time. As soon as your body enters its rest phase after the intense exercise, what can follow next is the collapse of intracellular muscles components within your kidneys, a condition referred to as rhabdomyolysis. If you experience cramping in your kidney area following an exercise, you should consult with a doctor.
3. Fatigue
As you might expect, high intensity interval training is a workout program that can easily make you fatigued. Staying hydrated, and monitoring how your body is reacting to each workout is really the best defense you can provide.
How The Keto Diet Works in Conjunction With HIIT.
The combination of the Keto diet with HIIT is known to be one of the most effective ways to reduce weight. This is because first, you will deprive your body of carbohydrates forcing it to turn to ketones for energy, which burns fat at an accelerated rate. On top of that, after combining it with high intensity interval training will essentially boost the rate at which the ketones are utilized in the body and help you lose considerable amounts of weight in the process. This combination often works efficiently within a very short period of time as well.
You are however required to be very cautious when integrating the two together. This is because when either is overdone in a way that isn’t healthy. Athletes in particular are advised to keep track of their macronutrients, and should be aware of how often they are replenishing their electrolytes with vital supplements such as potassium and magnesium, in order to avoid dehydration and digestive and anabolic issues.
Benefits of Combining Keto and HIIT
There is a plethora of benefits from combining HIIT and the keto diet. When the two are used together, there is a catalytic effect of fat burning as well as muscle stimulation. Some of the most noticeable benefits often include:
1. Reduced inflammation
You will find that when you start participating in a HIIT routine, you may end up experiencing some inflammation in parts of the body where too much pressure is experienced. This can fortunately be countered by a Keto diet, which is known to reduce inflammation by supplying your tissues and muscles with the appropriate nutrients to effectively withstand the training.
2. Better sleep
Most people who have combined HIIT program with Keto diet tend to have better nights of sleep, with reduced cases of insomnia. This is because when the two are combined, your body yields reduced levels of glucose, along with relaxed muscles All this is essential when it comes to improving the quality of your sleep and so will its length.
3. Reduced tissue damage
As noted above, the HIIT program usually makes weaker muscle tissues rupture and later get replaced by much stronger tissues. Without the appropriate diet, these tissues may end up getting damaged in the long run. This is where the keto diet comes in. It will prevent the tissues from getting damaged by increasing the rate at which they repair after being damaged.
4. The combination increases the rate at which fats are burned
HIIT exercises alone are known to break down and utilize the fats in the body, which prevents their accumulation, particularly in visceral areas. When a keto diet is introduced, it of course contributes to this rapid fat burning.
5. Your endurance and stamina can be vastly improved
Once you start doing HIIT while on a keto diet, you will notice that your overall endurance will start to improve. This means that you will be able to withstand high intensity training more easily, and other daily physical activities will be less strenuous altogether. This is because your body will have more oxygen in the blood stream to depend on, allowing easier recovery time for your muscles and respiratory system after a workout.
Side Effects of Combining Keto and HIIT
Even after you introduce the keto diet to your HIIT program, you should know that it is easy to overdo the two of them. This means that it is best to stick to a conventional beginner’s routine of 40 minutes (maximum) of HIIT exercise for 3 days a week. Anything more than this amount could lead to some complications such as:
1. Liver complications
When HIIT and keto diet are combined, the resulting effect is an increased rate of fat metabolism that could end up contributing to liver problems. This is because the liver will be subjected to a more frequent production production of bile, which is an important aspect of digesting fats within the body. This increased production could lead to overexertion of the liver, making you more prone to complications.
2. Mood swings and difficulty concentrating
Once you start applying the HIIT program and keto diet in your life for a longer period and consistently, there is a decent probability that you will end up with reduced blood sugar levels, which for people with type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome is a positive. However for people within a healthy body weight range, or more intense athletes, it implies that you’ll experience the negative effects of reduced blood sugar levels, including light headedness, difficulty concentrating, headaches, and mood swings.
HIIT Program Examples
One of the best things about the HIIT exercise routine is the ability to customize almost every aspect of your workout. As long as you are targeting different muscle groups with each exercise set, and including a decent amount of cardio intervals to keep your heart rate up, you’re successfully doing HIIT. Below you’ll find a list of some of my favorite high intensity interval training exercises, that work especially well to build and maintain muscle mass — something that should be of importance for any athlete that’s also on the keto diet. I like to do my training in bursts of 45 seconds, but any amount of reps is really up to you. Let’s get into them:
Push and Squat
This is a great method to incorporate into your HIIT routine, especially if you’re already including some form of push ups or squats as well, to help activate that beneficial muscle confusion. The Push and Squat is essentially 10 push ups immediately followed by 10 air squats, with about a 30 second rest between each set.
Alternating Side Lunges
These are great for activating the muscles in your thighs and your core. I try to stick to the following 45 second regimen when I’m working with side lunges. For these, you’ll want to start by standing with your feet together. Then ypu’ll want to extend your right foot out to the right, while keeping your left leg straight, and bending your right knee. After that, you’ll step your right foot back to the standing position, and repeat by alternating the same motion with your right foot. You’ll continue this back and forth, doing as many as you possibly can within a 45 second window.
Forearm Plank
This one’s absolutely killer for strengthening those core muscles. If you’re unfamiliar with the plank exercise, it’s pretty simple. You’ll need to begin with your forearms and knees on the ground, at about shoulder-width apart. Your elbows should be stacked directly underneath your shoulders. You’ll then lift your knees off the ground, and push your feet back to bring your body into a fully extended pose, and then you’ll lock in that pose for at least 20 second. You’ll know if you’re doing the exercise right if your core is immediately starting to feel the burn.
Burpees
These are one of the most efficient ways to work out multiple muscle groups all at once. You’ll want to start by standing with your feet at about hip-distance apart, and then immediately bring your palms down to the floor. Once they hit the floor, you’ll want to push your feet backward right away to form a plank pose, remembering to stabilize your body with your core and hip muscles. From there, you’ll bend your elbows and do just one single push up. Once you’ve completed the push up, immediately jump your feet to the outside of your hands, and as you start to stand you should jump as high as you can, extending your arms over your head up in the air. With this one, you’ll just want to do as many repetitions as you can within 45 seconds .
This one can be a little trickier to explain written, so I’ve provided one of the best training videos I’ve found that really helped me get the hang of burpees below.
Sit-Up and Jump
This one is kind of like the opposite of the burpee.
Essentially, you’ll do 10 sit ups, stand up quickly, and do another 10 vertical leaps. The objective should be to attempt to reach as high as you can with your hands every time. After your desired reps, or roughly 45 seconds of this exercise, you’ll want to rest about for 30 seconds.
Jumping Lunges
These are another one of my personal favorites. You’ll need to start in a standing position with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Youll then need to jump with your right leg forward and left leg back, and land your body in a forward lunge position. From there, you’ll want to jump back up and switch your legs while you are in the middle of the air, so that you’ll land in a lunge position with the opposite leg forward. You’ll want to continue alternating these lunges while in mid air for about 45 seconds before resting.
Infinite Pushups
Remember the Push and Squat? Here’s where you’ll really start to feel the burn. It’s as simple as it sounds, you’ll want to start doing as many pushups as you possibly can within 45 seconds. A good way to start is to see if you are able to do 10 push ups in 30 seconds, rest, and then try to do 10 more. A good way to increase the difficulty without hurting yourself is to reduce your rest time from 30 to 15 seconds. This one doesn’t have a whole lot of rules, so you can really leave it up to your own skill level when deciding on how many to start with.
Infinite Squats.
Just like the Push and Squat and the Infinite Push Ups, this one will really help you feel the burn. This one is particularly difficult, because squats without rests are very hard to do in succession, but the benefits are great not only for your leg muscles, but also your core. The strategy is similar to that of infinite push ups, typically starting with 10, and then incorporating a rest period of 30 seconds, or 15 if you’re really trying to push yourself to your limits. However again there are no rules, you can start with 5 if you’re still trying to get the hang of these. You’ll also want to make surethat you’re in a safe and correct squatting position before attempting a high intensity interval version of this workout. It’s always smart to have a friend be a spotter too when you’re doing squats at a fast pace, even if you’re just doing air squats, a lot of damage can be done to the lower and upper back if your form isn’t correct.
Final Thoughts
The HIIT exercise routine has for years been one of the best ways to increase your body’s propensity for weight loss and to improve general physical fitness. To get those most out of these two processes, people have incorporated the keto diet as a part of their health programs. If you’re considering utilizing the two, it’s important to keep an eye on your fatigue, hydration levels, macronutrients, and electrolytes, especially if you are an athlete. However if you’re a more sedentary type of person, and are looking to lose weight fast and get in great shape, combining the two is one of the most effective steps you can take.