Keto - stuff you really need to know

Lately I've been getting a lot of questions and honestly i dont have the time to answer them individually. This is NOT a diet - because there is no generic keto diet. Different strokes for different folks, so i dont write diets and post them up, if i did that i would be doing injustice to the person following it. Diets are supposed to be customized based on a number of factors including bodytype, bmi, bodyfat%, musculature, experience in dieting etc.

These are guidelines to be followed when running keto. Just Fyi i am a carb guy - i do not recommend keto anymore. keto is a good diet for the less experienced. You want to stay big, stay full, stay shredded, carbs ARE the way to go. That said, i am not knocking on keto. Its very good if you are starting out, and results are guranteed and the risks of screwing up are lesser.

So here we go.

a) when in doubt of proportions always add green beans or fresh spinach to your meals. you should always remain FULL during the day. not being full leads to binge eating because of pangs of hunger.

b) being on keto does not mean no trace carbs - do not count carbs from green veggies like mushrooms,spinach, green beans, except for your last meal.

c) milk and dairy and breads directly is a no-no. caesinate protein is good meal replacement at night time.

d) keto is about FAT. make sure all your fats are from EFA's. rotate you EPA/DHA fat sources each meal i.e. one meal almonds, another fish oil then almonds then seseme oil etc.

e) Easiest way to do keto is to cook low fat diet and then consume the fats in a calculated maner i.e. lets say your meal has 4g of fat from chicken then you need to compensate 11g of fat which is about little less than 1tbsp of oil. so just drink the oil straight up or 11 fish oil caps.

f) Weight ALL YOUR FOOD. no eye balling.

g) wake up first thing in the AM on your non training days and consume 10g of creatine mono on an empty stomach. proceed to do 40 mins of low intensity cardio. your post workout shake need not have fats in it. from this meal on keep doing fats+ protein + green veggies off each meal.

i) remember to attain ketosis, simple carbs HAVE to be avoided. however to avoid catabolism you need carbs intra and post workout. intra and post workout nutrition is the most important part of your nutrition plan.

j)So by rule of thumb on keto - till you are 3 weeks out take 30g of sugars while you train and post workout 20g of dexterose with your whey protein isolate.

k) if you feel you are looking flat - that is fine. after 3 weeks get back to us and i will teach you the concept of a refeed.

l) The quickest and best way to jump start your metabolism is a steady hit of cardio for 2 weeks then scale back. which means start off with 7 days of cardio and stretching to get into the routine, then cut back to 4 days of cardio and 4 days of weight training.

j) keto opens up your body to low resistance, make sure you take a ton of antioxidants and 2x your multivitamin. you also need zinc pre and post workout 50mg

k) avoid stuff like peanut butter as much as you can on keto. just go with oils, much safer to measure and no chance to cheat.

Source - Kris balak. A very good friend of mine who helps me set up my nutrition plan all year round.

Dumbbells or Barbells?

 

What is your preference? Dumbbells or barbells?
We typically aren't limited to only barbells or dumbbells. Most trainees should use both barbells as well as dumbbell movements, because both have their own benefits and drawbacks.
So which one is best for you?
There are many factors involved so I would just outline some factors as described by experts.
Basically if you are in a power sport such as Powerlifting, Olympic lifting etc your sport mainly demands the work of both hands together, so you should mainly focus your training on barbells. On the other hand if you play basketball, volleyball, tennis or martial arts etc, then dumbbell drills should occupy the major portion of your training.
Availability & Cost: Dumbbells cost much more than a barbell. So if you are going to set up a gym in your home and if finance is a problem you will end up using exclusively barbells.
Strength Needs: If your sport demands ability to overcome large loads (Powerlifting, Olympic lifting etc), barbells will be your priority. The instability caused by dumbbells can limit the load you can lift.
So what is the conclusion?
Don’t limit yourself to barbells and dumbbells. Don’t forget that we have lot more options like machines, elastic band exercises, bodyweight exercises, kettle bags and lot more… Variety keeps the workouts more interesting. So exercise your creativity when it comes to your exercise selection.

How much water should I drink in a day?

General recommendation for a healthy individual is two liters per day. But if you are big, you need more. If the climate is hot, you need more. If your activity is high, you need more. The list goes on and on and on…

Human body is 75% water. We need lot of water for energy, detoxification, fighting dehydration and overall well being. So drink lot of water throughout the day.

Heavy weight or light weight

Rohan:
Hi Lee,

I have a big doubt. Many of my gym mates tell me that lifting heavy weights will make me big and doing more reps with light weight will bring in cuts. But i do not see results that way.

Lee:
Hey Rohan,

Heavy weights for mass and light weight for cuts is one of the biggest myth in bodybuilding.
Let me explain to you, There are two types of muscle fibers in our body.
1. Slow twitch muscle fiber(TYPE 1)
2. Fast twitch muscle fibers(TYPE 2)

The fast twitch fiber responds for heavy load and explosive movements. This is the muscle fiber which has the capacity of growing fast. So when you are bulking up, try to do more compound movements which can help you gain some solid muscle. The slow twitch fibers respond well to longer duration of stress(i.e.,high reps) these fibers do not grow as fast as their counterparts but if you miss out these in your workouts, your body wont look balanced. So for optimal muscle gain and balanced looking physique do a combination of heavy compounds and isolation movements.And remember this, "Diet and rest play equally improtant role for gaining muscle".

Doing 1000 reps without weights wont bring in cuts. So you have to use optimal weights(resistance) if you want to work your muscles optimally. For displaying cuts, you need to get rid of the fats under the skin.So to get cuts - diet, cardio and workout is the key and light weight has noting to do with it.

And finally, dont get carried away by the words of some gym doctors who have not done anything other than advising fellow gymmers. Get the help of a qualified health professional.

All the best Rohan!!