Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
On June 18, 2023, strongman Ivan Makarov shared a video of himself capturing a 476-kilogram (1,049.4-pound) deadlift for two reps during a training session. The strength feat is a personal record (PR) for the Russian athlete and marks another milestone as he pursues the all-time deadlift World Record of 501 kilograms (1,104.5 pounds), held by Hafthor Björnsson. Makarov will make another attempt at the legendary figure at the 2023 World Deadlift Championships (WDC) on September 2, 2023, in Cardiff, Wales.
To achieve this massive two-rep deadlift PR, Makarov was wore a lifting suit and lifting belt, and utilized lifting straps to help lift his loaded barbell. This equipment is entirely legal under the context of strongman rules. The Russian strongman completed his pull from a conventional stance with a double-overhand grip.
While Makarov has displayed versatility with his strength in the past — a 190-kilogram (418.9-pound) overhead press from November 2022 comes to mind — the athlete is primarily known for his deadlift prowess, and especially of late. Even a quick perusal of Makarov’s events resume on Strongman Archives will lend credence to this fact: most of the athlete’s recent competitive appearances have featured him solely attempting a Max Deadlift.
The same sentiment applies to Makarov’s Instagram profile where, in most any recent instance, a training update is likely of the athlete deadlifting a monstrous amount of weight. That performance is likely expected, as Makarov captured the 2021 WDC title with a 475-kilogram (1,047.2-pound) deadlift. The mark continues to inch higher each year.
“New knowledge, I got new opportunities to stay healthy and very strong.”
In his most recent attempt at the all-time deadlift World Record, Makarov fell short at the 2022 WDC. Thanks to a 453.5-kilogram max pull, the competitor finished tied for second place with three other competitors — the 2023 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion Mitchell Hooper, the 2023 Europe’s Strongest Man (ESM) victor Pavlo Nakonechnyy, and Graham Hicks. Estonia’s Rauno Heinla captured the eventual title en route to a Masters World Record deadlift of 476 kilograms (1,049.4 pounds), a weight that Makarov has now shown he can pull twice.
At the time of this writing, the 2023 WDC roster features notable returning competitors like the defending champion Heinla, 2020 WSM winner Oleksii Novikov, and even powerlifter Jamal Browner. Giants Live embeds the prestigious annual WDC (or Max Deadlift) into the overall annual Giants Live World Open.
Regardless of a stacked field, Makarov figures to be one of the top contenders for the pursuit of one of strength sports’ more hallowed accomplishments. Should Makarov or any of the other participating athletes achieve it, they’ll be $55,000 richer as a result. One gets the sense the fame of scoring such a mark is worth just as much as any prize money.
“Regarding this week’s SWS, I believe you are conflating a cliched pop culture term, that doesn’t really have an agreed-upon definition with a complete misunderstanding of what monastic life actually is. Frankly, it’s a mess. Spending a period of time, away from distractions and outside influence in order to focus, think deeply, and crystallize one’s ideas followed by getting those ideas out in the world is how real progress is made. Breakthroughs don’t happen through groupthink or committees. I could go on, but basically, you are suggesting a false choice.“
Tongotea wore a lifting belt and knee sleeves, and utilized wrist wraps to help herself rewrite the IPF record books with her squat. That equipment qualifies as raw in a sanctioned powerlifting context. The 2023 IPF Worlds took place in Valletta, Malta, from June 11-18, 2023. The 2023 edition of the contest was Tongotea’s debut at the prestigious competition, and she made the most of this initial appearance by winning her first IPF World title.
Before breaking through on one of the biggest international stages, Tongotea primarily made her trade as a prolific New Zealand powerlifter. According to her personal page on Open Powerlifting, Tongotea is the reigning raw New Zealand National Champion (2022) and has dominated in other competitive strength capacities throughout the famed Oceania islands.
Here’s an overview of the competitor’s top stats from the 2023 IPF Worlds:
Karlina Tongotea (76KG) | 2023 IPF Worlds Top Stats
Squat — 225.5 kilograms (497.1 pounds) | IPF World Record
After an appearance in the United Kingdom during the 2023 Sheffield Championships, Tongotea has now competed just three times outside of the purview of Australia and New Zealand. The athlete can boast 12 victories in 16 competitive appearances dating back to the start of her career in April 2018.
In a post in the 2023 IPF Worlds’ aftermath, Tongotea seemed emotional about her competitive journey. The athlete, who is a doctor by trade, looked back on her tremendous progress over the last half-decade and took in the fact that she is now on top of one of powerlifting’s tallest summits.
Of course, she plans to stay there.
“I walked into [New Zealand Powerlifting Academy] in 2018 telling my coach, ‘I have one year to enjoy this sport before I start GP training and exams,’ and I got back the message in this post. We’ve kept this one between ourselves. We remembered it when I won my first nationals, when I first became No. 1 in New Zealand when I won a [World Powerlifting] title, but it never quite felt like we’d fulfilled it yet. Now, I’m an IPF Classic Open World Champion of the [76-kilogram division], and I couldn’t have done it without this partnership. It feels fulfilled. We did the damn thing, Dom [Tongotea’s coach]. We gotta do it again, though.”
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
Zac Meyers is accustomed to lifting unfathomable amounts of weight — one perusal of his training-laden Instagram profile says as much. Though this 29-year-old powerlifting star clearly excels in multiple strength landscapes.
On June 17, 2023, by the end of the World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) King of the Cave 3, Meyers recorded a raw 1,077.4-kilogram (2,375.4-pound) total. The number is officially an all-time raw World Record in the 140-kilogram competitive division and gave Meyers the victory. It’s the latest in a string of remarkable achievements for a prolific athlete in the powerlifting world.
To amass his World Record-breaking total, Meyers scored an all-time raw competition best squat of 404.9 kilograms (892.8 pounds), an all-time raw competition best bench press of 285 kilograms (628.3 pounds), and an all-time raw competition best deadlift of 387.5 kilograms (854.3 pounds). The athlete wore a lifting belt, knee sleeves, and wrist wraps during his top squat. Meyers used a lifting belt and wrist wraps during his bench press, and a belt alone while deadlifting.
According to the database on Open Powerlifting, Meyers now possesses the raw World Record in two separate divisions. In addition to his latest mark, Meyers also owns the raw World Record total of 1,054.9 kilograms (2,325.8 pounds) in the 125-kilogram class. He captured that mark at the 2022 WRPF American Pro en route to a first-place performance.
Here’s an overview of the top stats from Meyers’ latest competitive appearance:
Zac Meyers (140KG) | 2023 WRPF King of the Cave 3
Squat — 404.9 kilograms (892.8 pounds) | All-Time Raw Competition Best
Bench Press — 285 kilograms (628.3 pounds) | All-Time Raw Competition Best
Deadlift — 387.5 kilograms (854.3 pounds) | All-Time Raw Competition Best
Total — 1,077.4 kilograms (2,375.4 pounds) | All-Time World Record
Per his personal page on Open Powerlifting, Meyers’ win at the 2023 WRPF King of the Cave 3 is his sixth consecutive triumph dating back to the 2020 United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) No Luck Needed Open. Overall, Meyers has lost just twice in an extensive career that started in December 2015.
In a reflective post on his Instagram, Meyers wrote that he felt like he had “another 10-15 pounds” in him on his monster squat. Overall, the sentiment of his post made it seem as if the athlete left a lot on the table despite a World Record. Given someone of his stature, having a new lofty goal as motivation probably isn’t a bad development for the future.
Muluh wore a lifting belt and knee sleeves and utilized wrist wraps to help her notch the squat milestone. Each of those pieces of equipment is considered raw in an officially sanctioned powerlifting environment. While Muluh’s staggering number is a World Record in the IPF’s highest division for Women’s athletes, it also carries the distinction of being the all-time raw World Record for any Women’s competitor ever.
The record was previously, and briefly, held by fellow 2023 IPF Worlds competitor Brittany Schlater, who squatted 281 kilograms (619.5 pounds) during her performance at the contest shortly before Muluh’s attempt. Prior to that, the record belonged to perennial IPF World Champion Bonica Brown, who squatted 280 kilograms (617.3 pounds) during a fifth-place performance at the 2023 Sheffield Powerlifting Championships.
Muluh’s squat eclipses Brown’s lift by an astounding 5.5 kilograms (12.1 pounds). Notably, Brown actually squatted more than Muluh during her 2023 IPF Worlds appearance, with a lift of 289 kilograms (637.1 pounds) on the athlete’s final attempt. However, because Brown couldn’t notch one successful deadlift pull, none of her statistics were officially recorded.
From an overarching perspective, Muluh’s second-place raw total of 688.5 kilograms (1,517.9 pounds) could’ve been seen as admirable. That’s because the eventual plus-84-kilogram class winner Brittany Schlater scored an all-time raw World Record total of 693.5 kilograms (1,528.9 pounds) for her victory.
Here’s an overview of the plus-84-kilogram division podium:
2023 IPF Worlds | +84KG Podium
Brittany Schlater: 693.5 kilograms (1,528.9 pounds) | IPF World Record
Sonita Muluh: 688.5 kilograms (1,517.9 pounds)
Jewel Tasi: 647.5 kilograms (1,427.5 pounds)
According to her personal page on Open Powerlifting, this runner-up finish at the 2023 IPF Worlds is the first time Muluh has fallen short of a victory since the 2022 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships where she placed sixth. Overall, Muluh has nine wins in 13 competitive appearances dating back to February 2020.
Muluh has made headlines in the past with her strength. Achieving a monstrous squat on one of the biggest international stages is a surefire way to build even more traction in an already promising career.
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
Justin Bergh is stepping down from his position as CrossFit’s General Manager of Sport, according to CrossFit CEO Don Faul. Bergh had been in the role for 18 months and is leaving the job effective immediately. Per Faul, Dave Castro will take up Bergh’s former position as his replacement. Castro was previously fired from this role in January 2022 after roughly 15 years on the job.
Before leading CrossFit’s Sport team, Bergh was the organization’s Vice President of Sport and Partnerships from 2021 to 2022. He was previously the General Manager of the annual CrossFit Games from 2013 to 2020, with a work history with CrossFit dating back to some time in 2006. Not long after Castro’s ouster in early 2022, Bergh was named the General Manager of Sport. He held the role until mid-June 2023. A reasoning has not been provided for Bergh’s departure at the time of this writing.
A former Navy Seal, Castro returned to CrossFit in an affiliate-focused role five months after he was originally fired from his General Manager position. His responsibilities then were characterized as being a “key advisor” for the organization’s affiliate gyms and coaches. Faul was named Eric Roza’s successor as CrossFit’s new CEO in August 2022 — two months after Castro made his return.
In a statement provided to BarBend, Faul had glowing words about the work Bergh accomplished as the leader of CrossFit’s Sport team. At the same time, he endorsed Castro in his old stomping grounds as the lead-up to the 2023 CrossFit Games in early August begins to heat up.
“After 13 years, Justin Bergh will be leaving CrossFit,” Faul said. “[Bergh] has done so much for our community, and we’re incredibly grateful for the role he’s played in making CrossFit what it is today. Dave Castro will step in to lead our Sport Team, who are prepping to make sure we have an amazing 2023 [CrossFit] Games.”
At the time of this article’s publication, without more firsthand knowledge of the organization’s process, it is unclear how Bergh’s departure and Castro’s elevation will affect any aspect of the 2023 CrossFit Games. Even on a several-week timeline before the competition in Madison, WI, on Aug. 1-6, 2023, it is difficult to ascertain Castro’s scope and influence.
Nonetheless, this remains a massive shift in leadership for CrossFit’s chief organizing body and one to monitor in the coming weeks and months.
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
In the spring on 2023, powerlifter Inderraj Singh Dhillon put himself within shouting distance of one of strength sports’ more hallowed marks — the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) raw World Record deadlift in the 120-kilogram division. When the athlete successfully pulled 385.5 kilograms (849.8 pounds) for the British powerlifting record and matched the World Record in the process in late March 2023, it was suddenly a distinct possibility that his name would dot the top of the global record books. That possibility is now a clear-eyed reality.
On June 11-18, 2023, during his debut at the 2023 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships in Valletta, Malta, Singh Dhillon locked out a raw 386-kilogram (850.9-pound) deadlift while competing in his 120-kilogram class. The milestone is officially an IPF World Record. The number surpasses Singh Dhillon’s peer, Bryce Krawczyk, who deadlifted 385.5 kilograms (849.9 pounds) at the 2021 edition of the IPF World Championships. Singh Dhillon wore a lifting belt and completed his massive pull from a conventional stance while utilizing a mixed grip.
Thanks to his record pull, Singh Dhillon would eventually finish with third place in the 120-kilogram division. Singh Dhillon’s countryman, Tony Cliffe, took home the top title in the category. Nevertheless, for Singh Dhillon to finish on the podium and score a monstrous record in his IPF Worlds debut is no small feat.
Here’s an overview of the top stats from Singh Dhillon’s performance:
Inderraj Singh Dhillon (120KG) | 2023 IPF Worlds Top Stats
Deadlift — 386 kilograms (850.9 pounds) | IPF World Record
Total — 906 kilograms (1,997.3 pounds)
While he still has a ways to go, Singh Dhillon has now put himself within official earshot of becoming the first 120-kilogram powerlifter ever to deadlift at least 400 kilograms (881.8 pounds) raw.
In a post on his Instagram, Singh Dhillon reflected on his performance. The athlete seemed taken aback by the gravitas of the moment on an international stage but appeared appreciative of what he just experienced and accomplished.
“What an incredible experience surrounded by the strongest from around the world,” Singh Dhillon wrote. “The speed of the competition was astounding, and we capped it all off with a 120-kilogram World record deadlift at 386 kilograms and the biggest pull of the competition! Thank you, Maharaj!”
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
The closer a car gets to having six-figure mileage, the more important basic care and maintenance becomes. Our bodies are, unfortunately, pretty much the same — even more so for those of us who lift weights regularly.
Most of us understand that it’s a bad idea to roll back the car’s odometer and pretend everything’s still in perfect working order. What we sometimes have trouble admitting is that being “middle-aged” means it’s time to take inventory of which of our own parts are no longer in factory-fresh condition.
Credit: Ground Picture / Shutterstock
Nobody’s saying you need to give up the gym. The opposite, really. You need to keep training, but you also need to support that training with some tips, tricks, and hacks that will boost a recovery ability that just isn’t as quick as it used to be. Here’s where to start.
You shouldn’t necessarily revamp your entire training program, but adjusting a few variables can definitely crank up your recovery. Better recovery means better performance when you train, since you’re going into each workout feeling fresher.
Improved recovery also means better results, since your body is better able to respond to the training stimulus and adapt by adding strength and muscle.
Rethink the “Need” for Muscular Failure
Grinding out a set until the bar doesn’t move an inch can be an intense highlight of any workout. However, hitting muscular failure comes with a physical price.
Reaching muscular failure also prolongs post-workout muscular fatigue, as well as neuromuscular fatigue. (1) When you dial up the intensity to that level, your body will demand a similar level of recovery.
Research has repeatedly shown that stopping sets before reaching failure can trigger the same degree of strength gains and muscle growth with a lower degree of cortisol (an inflammatory stress hormone), compared to taking sets to failure. (2)(3)(4)
Credit: Slava Dumchev / Shutterstock
Leaving a rep or two “in the tank” on each set might feel counterintuitive, especially if you’ve been training to failure ever since Frank the Tank tried to go streaking through the quad. If you can get over the mental hurdle, put yourself through a not-to-failure experiment for a few weeks and see if you notice the same results with less joint stress.
Volume vs. Intensity vs. Frequency
Every training plan has three fundamental components. The first is training volume — the sets and reps or how much you do in a workout. The second is training intensity — how close to muscular failure each set is performed or how hard you’re training. And the third is training frequency — how many times per week you train a given exercise or body part, or how often you train.
Manipulating those three factors will influence your training program and they will also determine how much general recovery you need. You can’t go full throttle on all three — doing a ton of very high intensity sets every day of the week — or you’ll burnout.
You can, at best, put the pedal down on just one at a time. It’s sometimes possible to increase two of those factors at the same time, but it needs to be used as a short-term approach to avoid overtraining.
For example, grease the groove training is highly effective because it relies on high frequency, low intensity, and low volume. Trying to train with high frequency and high intensity, such as heavy squatting every day, would require low volume (using 1-3 sets of 1-3 reps). And even then, it’s best-suited for a four to six week specialization phase rather than a prolonged, multi-month routine.
Take a look at your current training plan. Make sure you’re not pulling yourself in three directions at once. You can either train a lot or you can train super-hard or you can train very often. You can’t, sustainably, do all three at once.
Soreness Doesn’t Mean a Workout Worked
Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is that all-too-familiar muscular twinge that can rear its head a day or two after a hard training session. You often notice DOMS while doing something innocuous like lifting a leg into your pants or brushing your teeth.
That’s when those formerly targeted muscles enthusiastically speak up like the lost kids from “Beyond Thunderdome.” “‘Member this? Triceps from pushdowns. ‘Member this? Quads from leg press. ‘Member this? Abs!”
Some hardcore lifters actually take a sigh of relief when DOMS kicks in because they’ve accepted the old ‘no pain, no gain’ mantra as gospel. These gluttons for punishment almost demand to feel sore after a workout. Unfortunately for them, DOMS is not a necessary evil.
Research has shown no reliable connection between feeling post-workout muscle soreness and the productivity of a workout. (5) Not only can productive workouts sometimes deliver no muscle soreness but, more importantly, non-productive workouts can often lead to soreness.
Credit: wavebreakmedia / Shutterstock
Certain types of training and certain exercises — particularly using slow eccentric (stretching) phases and exercises with a deep stretch component — are shown to trigger more soreness than other training methods. Some people may actually be genetically predisposed to feel more soreness, regardless of their training. (6)
So if you’re regularly performing movements like incline curls, dumbbell flyes, or deep squats, you can expect to be sore whether or not your workout was productive overall. While muscle tissue damage — the kind of damage which causes DOMS — can be one component of the growth stimulus, it’s not the only way to trigger muscle growth. (7)
Track your results objectively, whether it’s with a logbook or tape measure. More importantly, treat DOMS with less regard than more reliable, definable progress markers.
Mandatory Mobility
Most lifters in the gym like to do just that — lift weights. Hopping on a treadmill is often a low priority, while stretching or mobility drills are usually an even lower priority. But that type of narrow focus leaves gaps in your physical development by neglecting flexibility and joint mobility. It also misses an opportunity for restorative exercise, using the mobility session as a way to reduce any lingering aches and pains. (8)
Just like you change your car tires every 60,000 miles, or sooner depending on how much you use them, consider putting yourself through a mobility session every 48 hours… or sooner depending on how much you do.
You don’t need to feel overwhelmed when finding a mobility routine. You can see and feel benefits by emphasizing bang-for-the-buck movements that focus on your upper back (thoracic spine) and hips. Those are two zones that are notorious for causing issues — shoulder twinges, pinched traps, lower back pain, tight hips, etc.
“The world’s greatest stretch” is a good place to start. Because, really, if most personal trainers on the planet agree to label something “the world’s greatest,” it’s at least worth trying. You’d probably want to try the world’s greatest burger and you’ll likely enjoy a movie starring the world’s greatest actor. This is the same idea, only with a full-body mobility drill.
Perform two to five repetitions per side, after a general warm-up but before any weight training. This is a great way to target nearly every joint in your body, along with the majority of muscle groups. The cat/camel (sometimes called the cat/cow) is another relatively simple and very effective way to target your upper back and hips in just a few repetitions.
If you truly can’t bring yourself to do these yoga-looking movements, grab a very light dumbbell and do the Turkish get-up for two sets of two reps per side before each workout. That should appease any desire to “just lift weights” while still working on mobility from head to toe.
Nutrition Tips for Recovery
Just like an army marches on its stomach, a lifter gains with their stomach. Hopefully that’s with their stomach, and not on their stomach. Underestimating the importance of nutrition is probably the most common and most easily fixable mistake many people make.
A workout in the gym takes an hour or so, but nutrition is something that requires 12 to 16 hours of your attention every day — whether it’s knowing what to eat, what not to eat, or when to eat. With a few simple adjustments to your current diet plan, you can make sure you’re recovering from whatever you put yourself through in the gym.
Focus on Daily Protein Intake
Muscle protein synthesis — the rate at which your muscles repair and rebuild — is arguably the most important physiological factor when it comes to actually building muscle. (9) While hard training increases your body’s demand for muscle protein synthesis, you can support the process by, you guessed it, ample protein intake.
Protein-rich foods including meat, poultry, and dairy contain the amino acids your body “puts to work” building new muscle tissue. Without enough of this literal building block, you’ll be left spinning your wheels.
Aiming for roughly .75 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight has been shown to be an effective guideline. (10) For the sake of simpler mathematics, there’s no harm in rounding up. The time-tested call for “one gram per pound of bodyweight” has been a reliable, if sometimes hard to hit, target.
To reach this daily goal, plan on a generally equal split throughout the course of the day. While not necessarily inefficient or ineffective, overloading your protein into a single meal and filling in with additional protein-sparse meals can be impractical, and likely indigestible.
Every time you eat, be sure to have a serving of high-quality protein. Ideal sources are animal-based products including meat, eggs, poultry, fish, or dairy. Protein shakes can also be a convenient way to get a significant serving of protein quickly and relatively easily, especially for those with busy schedules who can’t necessarily cook, prepare, or pack three or more meals every day.
Have Your Workout Shake
Protein shakes aren’t necessary to see results, they can be incredibly useful under the right conditions. Just like barbells aren’t necessary to see results, but they, too, are incredibly useful under the right conditions.
When you train hard, you deplete your body’s glycogen stores and begin muscle breakdown. A workout shake containing protein and carbohydrates is an easy step toward kickstarting recovery as soon as possible.
Whether you grab a whey protein smoothie from your gym, mix up a shake in your own “blender bottle” on the way to the car, or walk from your garage gym into the kitchen for a legit high-protein blender bomb, it’s critical that you get quality nutrition into your body ASAP.
Credit: Miljan Zivkovic / Shutterstock
Research has repeatedly shown recovery benefits of a carb-protein mix shortly after, or sometimes before, training. (11)(12) Even something as simple as a large glass of chocolate milk, which is loaded with high-quality protein, has been shown to be beneficial. (13)
In terms of practicality and efficiency, workout shakes have a leg up on solid foods, both in terms of easier digestion and simplicity. Not too many people want to go to town on a Tupperware full of chicken breast and rice in the locker room or in their car, but a protein and carb shake couldn’t be much easier.
Supplement Wisely
It’s the 21st century. Sport supplements have come a long way from desiccated liver tablets and overhyped, underdosed nonsense (even though, unfortunately, you can still find both of those being sold today).
To maximize recovery between training sessions, consider strategic supplementation with science-backed ingredients. As a gray-haired lifter, that means nutrients like collagen for the joints (plus some nice skin and hair benefits) and creatine which has been shown to benefit everything from strength and recovery to brain health. (14)(15)
Staples like vitamin D and fish oil should also be on your radar for consideration, as both have been shown to have myriad benefits for overall health.(16)(17) Improving your recovery from weight training is one thing; improving your overall health is another, arguably more foundational, priority.
Some lifters become begrudgingly set in their ways, seeming to flaunt a sense of misguided superiority over not taking any supplements. “Those helpers? Oh, I don’t use those.” Ultimately, that approach only shoots yourself in the foot by deliberately overlooking a verifiably beneficial addition to your nutrition plan.
In the training world, you don’t win bonus points for making things unnecessarily difficult for yourself. Electricity has been around for more than 150 years and, odds are, you turn the lights on in your gym. It’s okay to rely on modern sports science for research-based supplements that can improve your health, recovery, and results.
Lifestyle Tips for Recovery
The things you lift and the things you eat are still only part of the recovery picture. There are a few additional steps you can implement into your regular routine that can boost overall progress.
Sleep: Quality Over Quantity
It’s easy for researchers to recommend “sleeping at least eight hours per day.” What’s not easy is to actually follow-through on that advice when you’ve got overtime at work, kids to put to bed (or kids to expect home by curfew), late-night arguments with your partner about paying the bills, and a dozen other factors weighing on your mind.
The data is fairly conclusive. Getting seven or more hours of mostly uninterrupted sleep each night can help with strength, muscle mass, recovery, overall health, hormone production, and a number of other health markers. (18)(19)
Unfortunately, that data only goes so far when it’s 1:26 a.m. and you’re staring at the ceiling because your brain wants to remember the name of the Lone Ranger’s nephew’s horse. (It was Victor).
Rather than overfocusing on how many hours you sleep each night, even though it’s irrefutably important, you can focus on steps to improve your sleep quality, sometimes called “sleep hygiene.” This includes things like creating a dark room by covering any windows with blackout curtains, considering effective non-prescription sleep aids like ZMA (zinc-magnesium) or melatonin, cutting off caffeine by mid-afternoon, using white noise like a fan, and making your bedroom relatively cool.
Credit: Dario Lo Presti / Shutterstock
One final sleep hygiene tip, and likely the most challenging for some, is avoiding electronics for at least one hour before bed. (20) No scrolling on the phone, no reading on the tablet, nothing that creates “blue light” — a particular wavelength of light that essentially tells your brain, “It’s daytime, so don’t go to sleep yet.”
While you may not have total control over your sleeping hours, you can set yourself up for sleeping success by practicing good hygiene.
Learn to Love Contrast Showers
Speaking of hygiene, you (hopefully) shower off after a hard workout. If so, you’re perfectly set up for a relatively low effort technique that can reduce muscle soreness, improve overall recovery, and maybe even boost your immune system. (21)(22)(23)
Alternating hot water with cold water during a standard shower has been shown to provide all of those benefits — reduced muscle soreness, improved post-workout recovery, decreased perception of fatigue, and more.
You don’t need to alternate between Johnny Storm and Jack Torrance, but switch between a noticeably hotter than normal temperature (within a safe and tolerable range) and a distinctly colder than normal temperature. Do your best to maintain a normal, or deeper than normal, breathing pattern.
Hold each temperature for at least 30 seconds, or 15 to 20 slow, deep breaths. Ideally aim for approximately 90 seconds, or roughly 50 slow, deep breaths and eventually work up to three or four “rounds” at each temperature. It can definitely take some getting used to, but you’re likely to notice the fatigue-reducing benefits almost immediately.
Active Recovery Sessions
This potential solution might technically be better suited for this article’s “Training” section, except for the fact that, if it’s done right, it’s not actually training. Active recovery is a general term for sub-maximal exercise performed on “rest days” that can stimulate overall recovery rather than tapping into the body’s already taxed energy supply. (24)
Credit: Krakenimages.com / Shutterstock
Active recovery could be taking a 30-minute walk, playing nine holes of golf, doing an online yoga class, or performing a light weight, low volume, low intensity workout. Just be careful with that last one.
Any type of weight training must be low intensity and relatively low volume in order to stimulate recovery. If you think you’ll have trouble reeling it in, either don’t tempt yourself or stick with only bodyweight exercises. For the majority of experienced lifters, basic bodyweight training will be relatively low intensity as long as you avoid reaching failure. So go ahead and knock out some push-ups and lunges.
Active recovery is different from passive recovery because you’ve reframed a “rest day” as a “recovery day.” If you can boost your overall recovery, increase blood flow, and improve mobility by doing something, instead of doing nothing, seize the opportunity.
Get to the Doctor
This is likely the least popular piece of advice in the list. You’re probably overdue for a doctor’s checkup. If you’re not, excellent. Stay on schedule. But the reality is, when you’re over 40, the yearly check-in with your primary is a bare minimum.
Find a reputable cardiologist to keep tabs on your ticker. Possibly look into a qualified endocrinologist, since men’s and women’s hormones are naturally decreasing by this age, whether it’s the start of andropause or menopause.
Monitoring basic bloodwork and cardiovascular health will help you set up an appropriate training and nutrition plan. More relevant to lifters, it’s time to finally diagnose any problematic joint pain that you’ve been “tolerating” for far too long.
Whether it’s a chronic shoulder issue, cranky knee, or troublesome ankle, it’s time to have it looked at by an expert and treated properly — even if it means a few weeks of physical therapy and a temporarily altered gym routine.
Putting out these smoldering fires before they become raging infernos is just good long-term planning, and you do want to keep lifting for the long-term, right?
“Act Your Age” Isn’t an Insult
You can dye the hair, Botox away the wrinkles, and take any other cosmetic steps to try not looking over-40. Your body still knows how long it’s been around and it’ll remind you when you train, and after you train. The sooner you start treating your body with the respect it deserves (or maybe even a little more than you think it deserves), the sooner you can align all your systems toward getting serious results while avoiding unnecessary, self-inflicted obstacles.
References
Refalo, M.C., Helms, E.R., Hamilton, D.L. et al. Influence of Resistance Training Proximity-to-Failure, Determined by Repetitions-in-Reserve, on Neuromuscular Fatigue in Resistance-Trained Males and Females. Sports Med – Open 9, 10 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-023-00554-y
Grgic, J., Schoenfeld, B. J., Orazem, J., & Sabol, F. (2022). Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of sport and health science, 11(2), 202–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2021.01.007
Izquierdo, M., Ibañez, J., González-Badillo, J. J., Häkkinen, K., Ratamess, N. A., Kraemer, W. J., French, D. N., Eslava, J., Altadill, A., Asiain, X., & Gorostiaga, E. M. (2006). Differential effects of strength training leading to failure versus not to failure on hormonal responses, strength, and muscle power gains. Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985), 100(5), 1647–1656. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.01400.2005
Davies, T., Orr, R., Halaki, M., & Hackett, D. (2016). Effect of Training Leading to Repetition Failure on Muscular Strength: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 46(4), 487–502. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0451-3
Flann, K. L., LaStayo, P. C., McClain, D. A., Hazel, M., & Lindstedt, S. L. (2011). Muscle damage and muscle remodeling: no pain, no gain?. The Journal of experimental biology, 214(Pt 4), 674–679. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.050112
Hubal, M. J., Devaney, J. M., Hoffman, E. P., Zambraski, E. J., Gordish-Dressman, H., Kearns, A. K., Larkin, J. S., Adham, K., Patel, R. R., & Clarkson, P. M. (2010). CCL2 and CCR2 polymorphisms are associated with markers of exercise-induced skeletal muscle damage. Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985), 108(6), 1651–1658. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00361.2009
Damas, F., Libardi, C. A., & Ugrinowitsch, C. (2018). The development of skeletal muscle hypertrophy through resistance training: the role of muscle damage and muscle protein synthesis. European journal of applied physiology, 118(3), 485–500. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-017-3792-9
Page P. (2012). Current concepts in muscle stretching for exercise and rehabilitation. International journal of sports physical therapy, 7(1), 109–119.
Witard, O. C., Bannock, L., & Tipton, K. D. (2022). Making Sense of Muscle Protein Synthesis: A Focus on Muscle Growth During Resistance Training. International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism, 32(1), 49–61. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.2021-0139
Morton, R. W., Murphy, K. T., McKellar, S. R., Schoenfeld, B. J., Henselmans, M., Helms, E., Aragon, A. A., Devries, M. C., Banfield, L., Krieger, J. W., & Phillips, S. M. (2018). A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. British journal of sports medicine, 52(6), 376–384. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-097608
Goldstein, E. R., Stout, J. R., Wells, A. J., Antonio, J., Vasenina, E., & Fukuda, D. H. (2023). Carbohydrate-Protein drink is effective for restoring endurance capacity in masters class athletes after a two-Hour recovery. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 20(1), 2178858. https://doi.org/10.1080/15502783.2023.2178858
Pasiakos, S. M., McLellan, T. M., & Lieberman, H. R. (2015). The effects of protein supplements on muscle mass, strength, and aerobic and anaerobic power in healthy adults: a systematic review. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 45(1), 111–131. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-014-0242-2
Amiri, M., Ghiasvand, R., Kaviani, M. et al. Chocolate milk for recovery from exercise: a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials. Eur J Clin Nutr 73, 835–849 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-018-0187-x
Zdzieblik, D., Oesser, S., Baumstark, M. W., Gollhofer, A., & König, D. (2015). Collagen peptide supplementation in combination with resistance training improves body composition and increases muscle strength in elderly sarcopenic men: a randomised controlled trial. The British journal of nutrition, 114(8), 1237–1245. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114515002810
Kreider, R. B., Kalman, D. S., Antonio, J., Ziegenfuss, T. N., Wildman, R., Collins, R., Candow, D. G., Kleiner, S. M., Almada, A. L., & Lopez, H. L. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14, 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z
Zhang Y, Fang F, Tang J, Jia L, Feng Y, Xu P et al. Association between vitamin D supplementation and mortality: systematic review and meta-analysis BMJ 2019; 366 :l4673 doi:10.1136/bmj.l4673
Ghasemi Fard, S., Wang, F., Sinclair, A. J., Elliott, G., & Turchini, G. M. (2019). How does high DHA fish oil affect health? A systematic review of evidence. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 59(11), 1684–1727. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2018.1425978
Knowles, O. E., Drinkwater, E. J., Urwin, C. S., Lamon, S., & Aisbett, B. (2018). Inadequate sleep and muscle strength: Implications for resistance training. Journal of science and medicine in sport, 21(9), 959–968. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2018.01.012
Auyeung, T. W., Kwok, T., Leung, J., Lee, J. S., Ohlsson, C., Vandenput, L., Wing, Y. K., & Woo, J. (2015). Sleep Duration and Disturbances Were Associated With Testosterone Level, Muscle Mass, and Muscle Strength–A Cross-Sectional Study in 1274 Older Men. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 16(7), 630.e1–630.e6306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2015.04.006
Tähkämö, L., Partonen, T., & Pesonen, A. K. (2019). Systematic review of light exposure impact on human circadian rhythm. Chronobiology international, 36(2), 151–170. https://doi.org/10.1080/07420528.2018.1527773
Vaile, J. M., Gill, N. D., & Blazevich, A. J. (2007). The effect of contrast water therapy on symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 21(3), 697–702. https://doi.org/10.1519/R-19355.1
Bieuzen, F., Bleakley, C. M., & Costello, J. T. (2013). Contrast water therapy and exercise induced muscle damage: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PloS one, 8(4), e62356. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0062356
Buijze, G. A., Sierevelt, I. N., van der Heijden, B. C., Dijkgraaf, M. G., & Frings-Dresen, M. H. (2016). The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work: A Randomized Controlled Trial. PloS one, 11(9), e0161749. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0161749
Ortiz, R. O., Jr, Sinclair Elder, A. J., Elder, C. L., & Dawes, J. J. (2019). A Systematic Review on the Effectiveness of Active Recovery Interventions on Athletic Performance of Professional-, Collegiate-, and Competitive-Level Adult Athletes. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 33(8), 2275–2287. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002589
The keto diet may have achieved mainstream popularity as a weight-loss strategy, but it has also piqued the interest of athletes looking to optimize performance as well as body composition.
As you might imagine, this has caused no small amount of pearl-clutching in sports circles. Keto diets require you to strictly limit carb intake—the antithesis of the standard sports nutrition advice.Fueling strength workouts and endurance training sessions without loading up on carbs?! Is it even possible? Safe?
I can personally attest to the power of switching from being an obligate carb-burner to a fat-burning beast. Likewise, I could point to many examples of high-performing athletes who eat a low-carb or keto diet (at least sometimes throughout the year) with great success. There’s KetoGains cofounder Luis Villasenor and “Keto Savage” Robert Sykes—both impressive physical specimens whose physiques are walking answers to the question, “Can you build muscle on keto?” (Yes.) Record-breaking ultrarunner Zach Bitter and Ironman champions Dave Scott and Jan van Berkel use ketogenic and low-carb diets to enhance their training. Virta Health founder Sami Inkinen and his wife Meredith Loring rowed a small boat from San Francisco to Hawaii—2,400 miles in 45 days—on ultra low-carb, high-fat selections like dehydrated beef, salmon, and vegetables, along with fruit, nuts, and olive oil.
But these are all anecdotes. Maybe these athletes are just freaks of nature (and they’re probably blessed with genetic gifts). Just because THEY can do it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s possible for every athlete, nor that it’s advantageous for athletes to limit their carb intake… but I think it is. Or at least it can be.
Here’s why.
Why Should Athletes Consider Trying Keto?
Five good reasons to think about doing a Keto Reset if you’re serious about your sport:
1. Being fat-adapted will benefit every athlete, regardless of sport, competitive ambition, and current fitness level.
I’ve long preached the benefits of becoming fat-adapted for athletes:
Access to nearly unlimited energy stores in the form of body fat
Less reliance on carb refeedings before and after exercise
Less reliance on sugary fuels like gels during prolonged workouts, which are a common source of gastrointestinal distress
Often improved body composition
However, many athletes and coaches alike still worship at the altar of carbs. For decades, conventional wisdom has preached that fat is the preferred fuel at low-level, aerobic exercise intensities but that glucose burning predominates once you hit intensities around 60 percent of VO2max. (An imperfect proxy for that is the point at which breathing through your nose only would start to become difficult—a moderate-to-brisk jog for many people.)
Furthermore, say the physiology textbooks, once you hit the upper levels of effort of 85 or 90 percent VO2max, you’re basically burning only glucose. Thus, athletes “need” carbs if they want to go fast or hard. If you don’t eat carbs before, during, and after exercise, you can’t be competitive and won’t reach your full potential. Or so the story goes.
However, more recent studies have called that paradigm into question. Take Jeff Volek and colleagues’ landmark 2016 FASTER study, which looked at elite male ultrarunners and triathletes who had been doing keto for two years on average.1 Compared to similarly trained and fit athletes eating a typical carb-fest, the keto athletes were twice as efficient at burning fat for fuel. They burned more fat at higher exercise intensities than was supposed to be humanly possible. These guys were topping out around 1.5 g/min, whereas the peak fat oxidation rate was thought to be closer to 1 g/min. (Although Stephen Phinney, an author on this paper, had documented the same peak fat oxidation of ~1.5 g/min in keto-adapted cyclists three decades earlier.2)
In short, these guys were the definition of fat-burning beasts, yet—and this is key—their performance on endurance tests was the same as their carb-fueled counterparts. Plus, muscle biopsies showed that both groups had comparable levels of stored muscle glycogen. That means that the fat-fueled athletes did have access to glucose when and if they needed it.
Lest you think the FASTER study was a one-off, a dozen or more other studies have likewise found that when athletes adopt a low-carb, ketogenic diet, their ability to burn fat skyrockets, even at exercise intensities well above the aerobic threshold.3 In short, the evidence is clear: fat is a viable fuel for athletes—with other clear benefits, like…
2. More, and more efficient, mitochondria.
You don’t have to eat a strict ketogenic diet to train your body to use fat for fuel, although it sure does help. The lower your habitual carb intake, the less insulin your pancreas will be releasing on a 24-hour basis (lower insulin AUC, or area under the curve). Fewer carbs plus less insulin equals more fatty acids in circulation, which leads to more fat (and ketones) being used for energy.
To utilize those fatty acids and ketones, you need more, and more efficient, mitochondria. Mitochondria are the cellular organelles where fat is metabolized to ATP, the body’s energy currency. Two things that reliably spur mitochondrial biogenesis (the creation of new mitochondria) and make existing mitochondria work better? Exercise and ketogenic diets.45
3. Faster recovery? Yes, please.
I’ve already said that breaking free of the sugar train enhances recovery, a phenomenon that I experienced myself as an athlete. Once I went Primal, the aches and pains I considered an inevitable part of elite-level training virtually disappeared. Countless readers have reported the same over the years. I always chalked that up to a Primal diet being less inflammatory than the Standard American Diet—fewer gut-busting grains, more omega-3s, that sort of thing. That’s true, but there’s more to the story. Ketones also have direct anti-inflammatory properties.
4. Athletes benefit from not carrying around excess body fat.
Keto is a highly effective tool for losing excess fat while protecting lean mass.67 Protein and fat, the core macronutrients of a keto diet, are highly satiating, and ketones themselves tend to suppress appetite. Weight loss can feel almost effortless. This can also become a double-edged sword for athletes, though, for whom proper fueling is paramount. More on this later.
5. All those general health perks.
Let’s not ignore all the other good stuff that happens when you regulate blood sugar and insulin, reduce inflammation, and provide your brain with ketones. For athletes who are trying to train their bodies into well-oiled machines, these can be especially appreciable.
In one study, researchers asked ten highly trained male runners to do a month of keto and a month of eating a typical high-carb diet.8 Three of the athletes had fasting blood glucose in a prediabetic range to start despite being lean and fit. These three also had the most profound response to the ketogenic diet condition, showing the greatest drops in blood glucose and the highest rates of fat oxidation.
In another small pilot study, five athletes did keto for ten weeks. Despite a few hiccups, by the end, “athletes were keen to pursue a modified low-carbohydrate, high-fat eating style moving forward due to the unexpected health benefits [enhanced well-being, … improved recovery, improvements in skin conditions and reduced inflammation] they experienced.”9
Does Keto Improve or Impair Endurance?
All these arguments in favor of keto are all well and good, but some athletes are mostly interested in the bottom line: finishing time and whether they nab a spot on the podium. These folks are taking a bigger gamble by switching up the tried and true carb fueling paradigm in favor of fat—or are they?
Rumor on the streets is that keto hurts high-end power and endurance. Without carbs, you can’t eke out that last little bit that can spell the difference between a top-10 finish or a middle-of-the-pack time. But the data don’t actually back that up. In controlled research studies comparing high-fat, low-carb (HFLC) diets to low-fat, high-carb (LFHC) diets, high-carb sometimes outperforms keto, and keto sometimes outperforms high-carb;10 but the bulk of the evidence finds little difference. One 2021 review, for example, concluded that the two diets were equivalent in 10 out of the 13 studies they analyzed. 11
Other recent reviews reach similar conclusions. Furthermore, the minority of studies that show decrements on keto usually measure endurance performance via brief time to exhaustion tests (Wingate tests, which if you’ve ever tried one, you know are brutal) or repeat sprints. That doesn’t really reflect the type of endurance the average “endurance athlete” is going for. They’re grinding out sessions that take an hour, two hours, half a day at 60 or 70 percent VO2 max, maybe even less. Realistically, most everyday endurance athletes rarely or never reaching for that top-end power anyway.
Why then did keto get a reputation for being “bad” for endurance athletes? Probably because keto-adaptation takes time. Energy, performance, and “oomph” often tank for the first month or two. After that, if you tough it out, energy and performance rebound, and keto athletes do just as well as sugar-fueled athletes.1213 I suspect many athletes quit before the magic happens.
Can You Build and Maintain Muscle on Keto?
Ok, you’re thinking, keto might work for endurance athletes, but what about strength athletes? Is it possible to get strong and ripped without a ton of carbs?
Unequivocally yes, you can build and maintain muscle on keto. Study after study comparing keto to conventional high-carb diets finds no meaningful difference between the two provided that you (1) eat enough food overall, (2) eat sufficient protein to hit your leucine threshold and provide the necessary amino acid building blocks, and (3) deliver the appropriate stimulus in the form of lifting heavy things.141516
Mistakes Athletes Make When Trying Keto
Clearly, it’s possible to be strong and have excellent cardiovascular and muscular endurance without shoveling hundreds of grams of carbs down your gullet each day. Still, I hear from athletes all the time who are struggling in training and competition after going keto. Almost universally, this is a problem with execution, not due to any inherent inferiority with keto itself. These are the most common mistakes I see:
Mistake #1: Not eating enough
Carb restriction and caloric restriction often go hand-in-hand, whether intentionally or not. While you can rely on body fat to make up a deficit, there’s a limit to how much you want to draw on those reserves, especially if you’re already lean.
Mistake #2: Not supplementing electrolytes
Nine times out of ten, when an athlete complains about headaches, low energy, muscle fatigue, cramps, or brain fog, they need more electrolytes. Sodium especially, but also potassium and magnesium.
Mistake #3: Not giving it enough time to work
Many of the most-cited studies supposedly showing that keto “hurts performance” or “doesn’t work” for athletes have ludicrously short adaptation periods—like less than a week. It takes minimally three to four weeks for the process to really get going. Athletes, who require a lot of energy to sustain their training, may need several months to feel totally normal again.17
Mistake #4: Going keto at the wrong time
Because it takes time to adapt, I recommend that athletes who are brand new to keto, or who have been away for a long time, save a Keto Reset for the off-season. Wait until you can reduce the volume and/or intensity of your training as needed. Don’t completely switch up your diet a month before your A race. You will almost certainly regret it.
Mistake #5: Fearing carbs
Carbs are not the enemy here. I’ve said over and overagain that athletes who “burn and earn” carbs can and should replenish them—but that they should opt for Primal carb sources, and they should, in my opinion, strive to find the minimum effective dose that supports their training load (even if they choose to exceed it sometimes).
While a more sedentary person typically needs to limit intake to 30 to 50 grams of carbs per day to stay in ketosis, hard-charging athletes can probably consume several times that. They’ll still spend much of their time in ketosis because those carbs are used for fuel immediately during their workouts and for replenishing glycogen stores after.
To find your personal carb tolerance, use a blood or breath meter to measure your ketones at different carb intakes.
Mistake #6: Adding back carbs too soon
Hard-charging athletes might ultimately prefer a targeted or cyclical keto approach where they titrate carbs up or down depending on the volume or intensity of their current training cycle. In fact, many successful “low-carb” elite athletes reportedly consume hundreds of grams of carbs per day when they’re really pushing their training. While that might sound like a lot, it’s still considerably less than their conventional peers who might consume two, three, even four times that amount. It’s all relative. Plus, low-carb athletes might still be in ketosis even consuming a couple hundred grams of carbs per day since they are regularly depleting glycogen.
I have no problems with using carbs strategically, but I recommend waiting until you’re fully keto-adapted and feeling “normal” again on keto before experimenting with a targeted or cyclical keto approach. Otherwise, you’re just delaying the adaptation process.
What about Female Athletes? Can Keto Work for Them?
Yes, but with caveats.
Premenopausal females’ bodies are more attuned to dietary restriction, and relative energy deficiency is already a significant problem for high-level female athletes. I’d exercise caution here. Female athletes who are interested in keto must be very conscious of their overall food intake and be alert for signs that they are restricting too much. These include decreased energy or motivation to train, sleep issues, hair loss, or menstrual irregularities.
For the same reason, I wouldn’t recommend that (premenopausal) female athletes also engage in intermittent fasting alongside carbohydrate restriction. Choose one or the other.
The Bottom Line
The majority of the evidence finds keto to be just as effective for endurance and strength athletes as a conventional high-carb diet. Plus, with keto, you get all the anti-inflammatory, fat-burning, recovery-supporting perks.
Yes, there is a chance that you might lose some of your maximal power, speed, or strength, especially during the adaptation period. For most people, that seems a worthy sacrifice. The vast majority of people who toe the starting line of a half marathon or ironman triathlon aren’t there to win. They want to finish in a time that is respectable for them and not be totally wrecked after. Unless you’re being paid to be at the absolute top of your game, competing with the best of the best in a sport demanding all-out strength or speed, trading a little bit of top-end power for all the benefits of being a fat-burning beast is a good deal. Nay, a great deal.
When you feel better, sleep better, and recover more quickly, you’re also able to train more efficiently. It’s that much easier to motivate yourself to lace up your shoes and get out there. Everything feels easier and more enjoyable. Isn’t that what you ultimately want? To enjoy your sport? I know there are some masochistic athletes out there who are in it for the pain and the grind, but I think most of you are in it for fun, health, and camaraderie with other athletes.
And remember, you don’t need to be keto full time to reap the benefits.
In fact, I don’t believe anyone needs to be keto year-round except in specific medical circumstances. You can enjoy metabolic flexibility and everything that comes with it by doing a Keto Reset a couple times a year and otherwise moving between keto and Primal as you wish. Just as I encourage athletes to be intuitive, not rigid, with their training decisions, don’t be overly wedded to one way of eating.
Summary: How to Make Keto Work as an Athlete
Eat enough calories (energy). Embrace fat.
Get sufficient electrolytes! You’ll almost certainly need to supplement.
Give yourself enough time to adapt. Minimum three to four weeks, but six to eight weeks is probably a more realistic minimum (and it may be longer).
Ideally, start keto during the off-season or at a time where you can scale back training if needed.
After a period of strict keto, optionally experiment with adding carbs back in a strategic manner.
To build muscle on keto, do all of the above and…
Consume enough protein, which is really a good idea for everyone.
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
On an international level, the year 2022 was a coming out party, of sorts, for Polish powerlifter Agata Sitko. The athlete placed second in the 76-kilogram division at the 2022 International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Classic Powerlifting Championships, won the Junior division of that contest, and then took home respective wins in the 2022 Arnold Sports Festival and the 2022 European Powerlifting Federation (EPF) European Classic Powerlifting Championships. Sitko is picking up where she left off.
During the 2023 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships, which took place from June 11-18, 2023, in Valletta, Malta, Sitko scored a 153-kilogram (337.3-pound) raw bench press on her second attempt. While Sitko would come in second place in the 76-kilogram Open class to rival Karlina Tongotea, the mark is officially an Open and Junior IPF World Record in the 76-kilogram division. The press eclipsed Sitko’s own previous World Record in both divisions when the athlete lifted 146 kilograms (321.8 pounds) at the 2023 Sheffield Powerlifting Championships.
A powerhouse of strength at just 20 years old, the bench press is undoubtedly Sitko’s calling card. According to the IPF database, not only does the athlete possess both the Open and Junior IPF World Record bench press in the 76-kilogram category, that is also the simultaneous case for the 84-kilogram division where Sitko has complete upper-body dominion.
In addition to her bench press milestone, Sitko recorded a 240-kilogram (529.1-pound) raw deadlift for an IPF Junior World Record in the 76-kilogram class. The powerlifter’s final raw total of 590.5 kilograms (1,301.8 pounds) was also an IPF Junior World Record. The athlete’s top squat was 197.5 kilograms (435.4 pounds). Here’s an overview of Sitko’s best stats from the 2023 IPF Worlds:
Agata Sitko (76KG) | 2023 IPF Worlds Top Stats
Squat — 197.5 kilograms (435.4 pounds) |
Bench Press — 153 kilograms (337.3 pounds) | IPF Open and Junior World Record
Deadlift — 240 kilograms (529.1 pounds) | IPF Junior World Record
Total — 590.5 kilograms (1,301.8 pounds) | IPF Junior World Record
To date, Sitko has now won 13 individual competitions, some of which were where she competed as both an Open and Junior athlete. When factoring in her name all over the IPF World Record books, that is quite the rap sheet to possess for any established strength titan.
At the time of this writing, it’s unclear where and when Sitko will bring her talents to a sanctioned lifting platform again. The athlete clearly makes it a point to travel worldwide to showcase her excellence with a barbell in hand. For the most part, this young star hasn’t failed in her mission.
First, I want to say thank you for convincing me to do Tabata! I was struggling to lose weight and Finally I found something that helped! I really appreciate your coaching! - Craig T.
Ever since I was convinced to do Tabata I have seen huge results, I lost 6 pounds and gained energy in the first 3 weeks. I have been working out for 3 months before I decided to do Tabata and I struggled to lose weight.
At first I thought "How am I losing weight by bringing my heart rate up then cooling down then bringing it up again?" I don’t know how it works but it does!
Thank you!! - Theresa F.
The first day of Tabata, I wondered WHAT AM I DOING - I AM 56 !! Five weeks later I knew that it was what I needed. I learned that I could push myself well beyond my comfort zone and feel good later. I have a marked improvement in physical as well as emotional endurance. - Lyn C.
When I was first told about Tabata I was very excited from the word go, however that excitement stemmed from the fact that I had no clue what it meant. I missed the first week of class b/c I was traveling for work so when I came in during the 2nd week I had some making it up to do.
It was hard at first b/c my body wasn't used to working out at such a fast pace, but once I got into a rhythm I started to feel very good. These classes are no joke. If you stick with it you will leave there feeling stronger, healthier and overall better about yourself and what you've accomplished.
I would recommend these classes to anyone. Darrin is a great trainer and he'll keep you going with his energy.
- Jami L.
Warriors Fit Audio
Warrior Fit uses High Intensity Music to get ya Moooovin' So we can all "Get Our Sweat On"
The link below will give ya a freeee shot at Audible plus a couple audio books just to try it out and if you haven't used audio books on your commutes you are missing out. Get pumped up before you get to where you are going and exercise your mind. I use it Everyday. Go get yours now!
(@sonita_ml)
The 
For now classes are 6pm and 640pm at 2840 Wildwood st in the Boise Cloggers studio.
Book your class NOW!
click this ==>
