But then, taking your body into ketosis — the process by which the body runs on fat because you don’t have enough carbs/glucose — is a rich resource for the seemingly unbelievable. This is, after all, a dieting method that requires you to purchase special test strips to examine your urine in order to confirm if you have “achieved” ketosis. (Yes, seriously.)

So is the keto diet effective? Yes and no.

The claims about keto superiority for fat loss and muscle gain are significantly inflated.

But that doesn’t mean the diet is without value.

To help you determine if the keto diet is the right approach for you, we dig into your biggest keto diet questions—and some you probably hadn’t even thought about asking. In the end, should you decide that going keto is best for you, you’ll at least know how to do it properly (most people don’t), understand what it’s really doing to your body (ditto), and be aware of the risks involved.

What is a ketogenic diet?

In a traditional ketogenic diet, you eat 80 percent of your daily calories from fat. The remaining 20 percent is divvied up between protein and carbohydrates—but most of it protein. Typically, carb intake is capped at 20 grams per day, or less than what you’ll find in a single apple, according to Andy Galpin, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., C.P.T., associate professor of kinesiology and director of the Biochemistry & Molecular Exercise Physiology Lab at California State University, Fullerton.

This number is far lower than what you’ll find with most low-carb diets, which generally max out carb intake at about 45 percent of daily calories, according to a review from Tulane University. For someone following a 2,000-calorie diet, that works out to as much as 225 grams per day.

But, don’t forget the most important part — it’s not the low carbs that surprises most people. After all, keto is known as the low-carb diet. What you need to remember is that the ketogenic diet is also surprisingly low in protein.

Why? As you’ll learn, taking your body into ketosis means having your body run on fat for fuel, and protein can be converted into glucose in your body. That means you need to keep protein levels lower to truly establish a state of ketosis.

Why do ketogenic diets go so low with carbs?

Carbs and glycogen (or carbs stored in the liver and muscles) are the body’s preferred and most efficient energy source. Once you deplete them, your body must find other energy sources.

When you cut carbs so drastically — as one does on a keto diet — you can put the body in a state of ketosis. What does that actually mean? Your liver is forced to convert fat into fatty acids and ketones — compounds the body can use to produce ATP, a.k.a. energy, Galpin explains.

It’s this process that truly separates the ketogenic diet from other low-carb approaches such as Atkins, and why the diet revolves around such a high intake of dietary fat: without it, your body cannot produce the ketones needed to keep you up and running.

To determine whether the body has truly entered a state of ketosis, you’d need to test yourself for high levels of ketones, Galpin notes. That’s why people who go keto have to urinate on at-home test strips.

If your body is not in a state of ketosis, you’re technically just following another low-carb diet.

Which means your body is not running on ketones. And all that carb-depletion isn’t going to work the way you intended.

Through ketosis, your body becomes what many refer to as “fat adapted,” meaning your body adjusts to what you’re giving it and uses fat for energy.

In a world of quick fixes and promises, this usually is not a quick process. Research suggests that it usually takes several weeks to occur, according to ketogenic diet researcher, Antonio Paoli, M.D., director of the Nutrition & Exercise Physiology Lab at the University of Padova in Italy.

What happens in the process of becoming fat adapted? Expect extreme fatigue, brain fog, and sluggish exercise performances. After all, your brain is the primary user of your body’s carbs and glycogen. Without that fuel, your entire central nervous system feels the effects.

In fact, it’s those effects on the neurological system that first popularized the keto diet. According to a 2014 review published in the Journal of Lipid Research, ketosis alters the activity of mitochondria in the brain of those with neurodegenerative conditions, which helps cut down on the frequency and severity of seizures.

Is a keto diet good for fat loss?

For those who are looking to cut their body fat percentage or improve exercise performance, the keto diet comes with mixed results.

In one Nutrients study, male cyclists who followed a keto diet for four weeks decreased their body fat percentages and improved their VO2max levels (the amount of oxygen they could take in and use in a minute), but their max power decreased.

Other studies suggest that following a ketogenic diet can allow the body to burn a larger percentage of calories from fat instead of carbohydrates and glycogen when participating in endurance events such as marathons and triathlons, according to a 2017 review in the Strength and Conditioning Journal.

But some of this is very misleading. According to nutrition researcher Alan Aragon, you’re not actually burning more body fat.

You see, when you eat more fat your body is going to burn more fat. This causes an increase of “fat oxidation,” which can easily be interpreted as an increase in fat loss.

But when protein and calories have been balanced (as in, you’re comparing diets where total calories and protein are the same — but fat or carb intake is difference), there is no difference in fat loss between a keto diet and a non-keto/higher carb diet.

“To lose weight on the diet, you still have to consume fewer calories,” Galpin says.  “There are no physiological shortcuts. Calories still matter, and while they aren’t the only thing that matter for fat loss, you still have to maintain a caloric deficit to lose fat.”

Paoli notes that a ketogenic may aid in cutting calories by increasing satiety, but that potential benefit is not yet definitive.

Is a keto diet good for building muscle?

Unfortunately for people who have body-comp goals (think: ditching fat and muscling up), research consistently shows that in order to lose fat without also losing a significant amount of lean muscle, daily protein intake has to be higher than what a traditional ketogenic diet offers.

After all, with only 20 percent of your daily calories coming from carbs and protein combined, there isn’t a lot for muscle-building protein. A 2015 review published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism showed that, in order to retain muscle mass while cutting calories, protein intake should be set at about 25 percent of total daily calories. And why must protein be so low on a keto diet? It all has to do with preventing side effects (which we’ll get to in the next section).

Just as important, keto research to date seems to indicate no performance benefit among those performing high-intensity activities such as sprinting and weightlifting, according to the review authors. This is due to both a decrease is fast-acting carb availability as well as a recruitment of slow-twitch endurance-based type II fibers over fast-twitch power ones.

It’s worth noting, however, that a lot of the studies on keto done to date have suffered from at least one big design flaw.

“A major problem with the research on the ketogenic diet is that a huge chunk of the it doesn’t establish whether study participants are actually in ketosis,” Galpin says. “Researchers often don’t draw blood to determine a state of ketosis and instead assume that participants were eating few enough carbs and enough fat that they were.”

What about side effects – is a keto diet safe?

When it comes to protein, a keto diet puts people in a sort of “screwed if you do, screwed if you don’t” situation.

While a low protein intakes can cause the body to lose muscle mass, too high of a protein intake can cause the body to spring out of its state of ketosis, Paoli says.

Basically, breaking down protein for energy is easier than producing ketones and using them for energy. So, if that is an option, your body is going to take it.

But a far bigger issue is that eating too much protein during a ketogenic diet can put your body in a state of ketoacidosis, in which keto acids (ketone-containing acids) accumulate and decrease blood pH, Galpin says.

When this occurs, symptoms include nausea, vomiting, excessive thirst and confusion. In very rare cases, “extreme ketoacidosis” can be fatal.

While some may think a keto diet gives them license to go crazy on greasy, processed foods and still lose weight, it’s important to focus on getting dietary fats from whole, natural sources including red meat, eggs, avocado, nuts, olive oil, and dairy (although many forms of dairy have sufficient carbs to kick you out of ketosis, FYI).

It’s worth noting that, since these high-fat foods tend to be low in fiber, a person who does go keto should work with a dietitian to keep their fiber intake at a level that prevents constipation and GI issues such as diverticulitis, Galpin says. He adds that most keto dieters require a fiber supplement to get enough fiber without going overboard on carbs.

Lastly, having a high protein intake can also increase keto-dieters’ already-elevated risk of developing kidney stones. Note that a high protein diet alone is not a precursor to kidney problems like many people believe. But, adding high protein + a keto diet approach can potentially lead to kidney stones.

What else should I know if I want to go keto?

The keto diet has a lot of very interesting research around brain health and fighting autoimmune diseases. For people that struggle with a variety of health problems, the nature of the diet is promising. And for those that don’t mind the fairly rigorous rules, it can be a very effective approach for fat loss — just like several other diet methods.

At the same time, there’s no getting around it: the keto diet is incredibly tough to follow. Researchers have found that to be true even when adults attempt the diet to control their epilepsy. If people who have such a high degree of motivation have trouble following the protocol, you have to ask yourself a simple question: how well do you think you’re going to do following the rules of the diet?

Research has shown over and over again that your success on a diet depends entirely on how consistent you can be.

So if you can’t stick to it for a long period of time, then another option might be a better fit.

After all, nutrients don’t occur in isolation—they are found in whole foods that, generally, contain some mix of the three macros. So it can be difficult to find high-fat foods that don’t put you over your protein or carbohydrate goals. And since fat is an energy dense macro, packing nine calories per gram, it’s also easy to go overboard there and wind up gaining weight, rather than losing it.

If you choose the ketogenic diet, keep a cheat sheet of ways to stay on track. Reminders like “overdoing it on protein can snap you out of ketosis” will help make sure that your efforts pay off. Or how even one carb “cheat” on the ketogenic diet can cancel out any purported benefits of the eating plan. If you’re going to see success with the ketogenic diet, you have to do it to a T — and it’s best to do so under the supervision of a physician or registered dietitian, according to Paoli.

READ MORE: 

Healthy Fat: Which Foods Should You Really Be Eating? 

The Protein Guide: How Much Protein Do You Need?

Do Carbs Actually Make You Fat? 

The post What is the Keto Diet? (And Should I Try it?) appeared first on Born Fitness.

Beginnings suck.

Sure they are exciting — in theory — but learning a new skill or practicing a new habit can be incredibly frustrating. With time, practice, and lots of effort, you see rapid improvements and rewards for your relentlessness.

When it comes to building muscle, oftentimes the opposite is true. When first start training you seem to gain size like you were born to be a bodybuilder, or you drop fat as if those 4-week magazine promises are actually a reality.

Then a funny thing happens: you become better at lifting and yet most of the time the progress slows down. Sometimes almost completely.

Sure, you add some weight to your lifts or learn some new exercises, but you end up feeling like your body is muscle-resistant.

What gives?

In the most basic sense, you’re completely normal. Plateau is a natural part of body transformation.

At a higher level, you’re digging your own grave by ignoring a few simple rules. You see, you need to add in specialization that targets your weak points and gives them no choice but to change into what you desire.

To bust past your plateau and start gaining muscle fast, you usually have to stop following the same traditional methods and become more innovative with your workouts.

Remember, muscle growth is primarily the result of three factors: muscle tension, metabolic stress, and muscle damage. That means just adding weight is not enough. You need to challenge your muscles in ways that force them to grow. 

Having a hard time gaining muscle or jumpstarting a lack of progress? Good, you’re not alone. But with a specialized approach, as pointed out below by muscle-building specialist Bryan Krahn, you can jumpstart almost any stagnant plan.

Adding Muscle: The New Rules of Specialization for Size

In the simplest sense, you want gains. New muscle. More size. Something you can look at in the mirror and think, “Awesome, my body changed.”

To make that happen, select a body part and then make it a focus for at least 4 to 6 weeks. Follow the rules below, and you will see the type of changes you want, but be forewarned: it will require quite a bit of extra effort.

• Design: Yes, there is a time and place for body part trainng. One body part or muscle group (chest, back, legs, arms, etc) at a time.
• Sets: 40-50 sets per week
• Frequency: 2-4 sessions per week. Spreading the weekly volume over more training days typically works better.
• Rep range: All of them! 4-6, 8-15, 12-25. Even sets of 50. The only range to avoid would be sets of 3 or less, especially if frequency is on the high end. Save that for a dedicated functional hypertrophy phase.
• Exercises: All of them. Compound lifts are great but isolation work earns its stripes during a specialization phase. Also include both unilateral and bilateral movements.

The Muscle-Building Difference

Variety is a strong hypertrophy driver, so during specialization phases I like to program exercises that I haven’t used consistently in two years at least.

This doesn’t mean making up silly exercises – just switching from wide-grip barbell curls to medium grip. Buy Bill Pearl’s book The Keys to the Inner Universe. You’ll find plenty of options

Intensity Techniques

If your workout just consists of the, “same old, same old” you probably won’t notice much difference, although the added frequency will probably cause a spark. This is about creativity that makes your muscles feel alive.

Add in techniques like mid-rep pauses, peak contractions, accentuated stretches, drop sets, super sets, and compound sets. Just not all in the same workout. More is more…up to a certain point. So take a technique or two, and then add it to your workout.

Oh yeah, and one of thing: Avoid techniques like forced reps or negative reps.

But What About The Other Body Parts?

Think maintenance. Use full body workouts with basic, compound exercises performed with perfect technique while leaving a few “reps in the hole.” This will provide a solid training effect and make you feel like you’re actually doing something worthwhile. Which you are — reinforcing great technique.

Duration

Use this approach for 4-6 weeks max. You need to reduce volume to allow supercompensation to occur. It’s also wise to return to more “normal” training before embarking on another specialization phase.

For example:

• 4-6 week arm-specialization
• 1-2 week unloading (reduce your volume)
• 4-8 week “normal” training
• 4-6 week leg specialization

Note: Never do back-to-back specialization phases for the same muscle group. It doesn’t work.

What does this look like? Read more about Krahn’s specific strategies, and understand why you’re too boring to build muscle.

It addresses many of the common issues of stalled progress, and provides a path to make sure you keep growing.

A Different Approach to Muscle

Tired of the same results? At Born Fitness, we like to show you a different way. Learn more here.

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post The New Rules of Specialization: How to Add Muscle Mass appeared first on Born Fitness.

Back then, I was so worried about finding the right plan for me that I missed out on the two most fundamental aspects of exercise: movement and strength.

Movement is easy to figure out, and yet mostly misunderstand. Yes, you want to learn how to squat, push (think bench press), and pull (rows), but you also want to rotate, move in different planes, and even crawl, jump, and climb.

Build these skills and your body will undeniably be better for it. And the younger you start the better.

The second element is basic but overcomplicated. Being strong will make it easier for you to achieve your fitness goals. Every. Single. One. From fat loss to muscle gain. Increased athleticism and speed. For men and women.

But becoming stronger–while a process and a science–is not wrapped up in complicated training methods, drop sets, supersets, and any other fancy training approach.

It’s about adding more weight to the bar workout after workout. Keep the programs simple, the exercises basic, and watch as you become stronger. Use great coaches and methods like biofeedback to understand what movements are best for you body, and then gradually become better.

Your beginner strength workouts can be viewed as boring and yet they are inherently rewarding. It’s very easy to monitor your workouts, become excited about your progress, and keep pushing ahead knowing that you’re becoming better.

When I meet most clients and perform an initial assessment, I’m usually surprised that their baseline level of strength is either

1. Lower than I’d imagine for someone with their experience in the gym
2. Wildly imbalanced (usually push is much stronger than pull, and upper body is more powerful than lower)

In order to move forward I take steps back to remove imbalances and build fundamental strength that will help prevent injuries, create the ability for enhanced fat loss, and allow you to add all the cool training techniques that enhance muscle building.

But what about those that are already strong? Is the end goal still becoming stronger? If the goal is lifting as much weight as possible, then yes, the path is much clearer.

And yet, for many people who workout that’s not why they’re in the gym. And it’s where confusion is created and workouts lead to plateaus and frustration.

What Happens After Strength?

On a basic level, you will always try to add more weight on exercises. But at some point, the speed by which you add weight becomes dramatically different, meaning you need to find new ways to increase workout intensity without forcing yourself into an endless cycles where you’re simply going through the motions instead of becoming better.

Progressive overload (gradually becoming stronger on all lifts) is great in the beginning of your training life, but it has less application the more advanced you become and as you age.

This isn’t to say you can’t still lift very heavy as you enter your 30s, 40s, and 50s, but the need to add more strength and punish your joints becomes less central to your general fitness goals of looking good, feeling great, being lean, and living longer.

Once you’re lifting decent weights on most exercises, your focus shifts to challenging your body in new ways without simply adding more plates to an exercise.

The ways to become better are endless and include everything for creating different “angles” to challenge your muscles, training at a faster pace, experimenting with frequency and the number of days you exercise, altering the length of your workouts, and ultimately trying to increase overall volume so you keep seeing progress without having to live in the gym.

If adding more weight was the only way, we’d all be squatting 500 pounds.

The proof exists at the highest level. Strength competitors and professional athletes who depend on lifting heavy weights don’t push for constant PR’s every session or on their assistance lifts.

What they understand is that first you build the foundation (strength), and then you create the home (adding other training variables and not obsessing over strength). You want to push your numbers when you can, but your main goal with many exercises will be to find new ways to increase the challenge and build conditioning without needing to become stronger.

Progress in the weight room has many faces. 

If you were able to squat 225 pounds and then decided to start adding eccentric holds at the bottom of the lift (for 2 to 4 seconds), you’ve made that exercise harder without adding weight.

If you row 50 pounds for 10 reps, and then decide to make your goal 11 for the next session, and then 12 after that, then you have made progress.

That’s not to say that the pursuit of strength should end, but that it doesn’t have to be your only focus or a path that constantly leads to injury.

Plenty of experts are specialists at making you stronger at all times. (For the master of PR every day, check out information and techniques from Dave Dellanave.)

But for many people going to the gym, the experience is not about the rush of lifting more weight. It doesn’t matter to them. So why force something that won’t keep them coming back session after session.

For those, gaining strength becomes an issue of pragmatism; you need strength to achieve any of your goals. But once you have it, then you can manipulate your training in a more specified way.

Once your initial gains for gaining strength diminish (a process that for many lasts several years), then the process shifts more to gaining small amounts of strength each year, without sacrificing the intensity or difficulty of your training plan.

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post Strength Is Not Always the Answer appeared first on Born Fitness.