Carbs are essential for high-intensity workouts, be it running, skipping, or sprinting. These activities may not be the best when following a ketogenic diet because the diet insists on as minimal as possible carbs for desirable results. But, that does not mean you should not work out.

Incorporating low-intensity workouts into your routine can help you improve your energy, stay active and remain productive. If you are looking for gym workouts that complement keto, these discussed below can be viable options.

Cardio Workouts

If your primary exercise is cardio, it is easy to follow the keto diet alongside gym workouts without straining or lowering performance. Remember, you do not have to exercise at high intensities that require your body to be loaded with sugar. All you need to do is get your heart rate up and keep it consistent during cardio.

With cardio, you will benefit in many ways other than burning fat. Your mind will be clearer, and your performance will improve and, ultimately, your productivity. You might notice an increase in endurance doing cardio while on a keto diet.

It is important to keep the intensity at low to moderate, so you do not burn out. On this note, you should aim for a heart rate between 50 to 70 % and be careful not to go past that. If you are starting on keto, aim to stay within a lower range and gradually increase as you adapt.

Here are some cardio exercises that you do at the gym while on keto;

Weight Lifting

You can increase your strength, power and muscle mass while on a ketogenic diet. The best part is that you can improve all three with the same workout, hence more desirable results. However, weightlifting while on keto is a little different than on a regular diet.

You need to do very short sets since the body can sustain activities less than 10 seconds without glucose. And, since the body has little to no glucose as fuel, sets less than 10 seconds are recommended. Aim for a program that prescribes five or more sets of five or fewer reps per exercise.

Lower sets can maximize hypertrophy, which in layman’s terms is muscle gain. That means that your muscles do not need more than ten reps to grow. The most important thing is for your muscles to grow and increase every week.

Therefore, when weightlifting, it is advisable to go slow. You would rather do more short reps than go all out and burn out. If you wish to go strong and adopt traditional bodybuilding, you would need to supplement your diet with a few carbs. You might need some pre-workouts and other supplements if your ultimate goal is to add muscle mass.

Exercise is important whether or not you are on a specific diet. With keto, you can engage in low to moderate exercises to keep your productivity booming and energy thriving. The suitability of these exercises varies from one individual to another, so it would be best to try light and build up as you go.