Beyond
Body Opus - Exploring the Outer Limits of Slackness
PART 2
It’s been a while since the original blog post, and
while that post talked in general terms, I want this post to focus on specifics
in terms of exploring what I call the “Outer Limits of Slackness.” As I said in the original post, my
interpretation of exploring the limits of slackness as putting in the minimum
amount of effort to achieve a given task.
While this sounds counterintuitive, when you look at sustaining anything
over a long period of time (in this case, a cyclic ketogenic diet (CKD) for
life), I’ve found that doing less leads to making that process sustainable over
time.
SIDE EFFECTS
Low-carbohydrate living has many <ahem> ‘features’ that can become pitfalls that can derail your efforts
to sustain it for the long run. Imagine
the sped-up voiceover common to most drug ads as I list SOME of those features:
- ·
Sugar
cravings
- ·
Irritability
- ·
Reduced
energy (due to caloric deficit)
- ·
Social
awkwardness due to food (what you don’t eat)
- ·
Social
awkwardness due to food (what you do eat)
- ·
Social
awkwardness due to food (reading food labels)
- ·
Social
awkwardness due to food (carb up weekends)
- ·
Social
awkwardness at the gym (strength vs. cardio)
- ·
Social
awkwardness at the gym (depletion workout)
- ·
Social
awkwardness in general (explaining Body Opus)
The majority of this ‘side effects’ are get solved
over time. After several years on Body Opus/CKD,
you get used to the questions/quizzical looks and uninformed comments about
how/what/why and when you eat what you eat.
The reality is very few people are actually interested in how you eat,
so one strategy is to play it straight, run it all down and wait for their eyes
to glaze over. You’re on a path “seldom
chosen by the multitude,” so embrace the solitude and never apologize. As far as cravings, irritability and reduced
energy, the first two solve themselves over time as you get used to low carbohydrate
intake. Reduced energy can be solved on
two fronts:
- Leveraging the inefficiency of
ketones as fuel and being looser with caloric restrictions. Ketones yield somewhat less than 9 kcal of
energy per gram due to the extra energy required to disassemble the fat cells,
so you can (theoretically) be at or close to your maintenance calories and
still have an intake deficit.
- Adding Medium Chain Triglycerides
(MCT) to your diet. MCT’s are
quickly absorbed and converted to energy, so they can provide a quick boost.
The
Workouts
Dan wrote Body Opus with bodybuilders in mind. Specifically, it’s written for bodybuilders
preparing for a contest. Unless you’re
preparing for a bodybuilding contest, if your goal is to sustain the CKD for an
extended time, some things in Body Opus can be modified to suit your needs.
The workouts, except for the depletion workout
(which I’ll address next), as described by Dan in the book can be replaced with
workouts more in line with what you’re comfortable with. Additionally, while
Dan talks about cardio is something you can tack on after your strength
training, my approach has been to program strength and cardio into my weekly
training plan. I’ve found that when I
get more deliberate (but not excessive) about cardio training, I see the
results I am looking for. When you’re in
ketosis, that’s prime time for cardio training.
Strength training is equally as important, and works in consonance with
cardio to get glycogen levels as low as possible before recomposition.
The
Depletion Workout
The depletion workout is another opportunity for
tweaking. As I’ve said in previous
posts, while Dan sets the depletion workout as being anywhere from 90 minutes
to two hours, I ask the question, “Who has that kind of time?” Yes, preparing for a bodybuilding contest justifies
that kind of time, but otherwise, there are smarter strategies to prepare your
body for the “carb-up,” or recomposition.
The first strategy is to combine cardio with your strength
training to deplete as much muscle glycogen as you can during the week. My current plan is split equally between
strength training and cardio. If I’m
training for a running event, I might program in more cardio, and have the
strength training support running.
Either way, the depletion workout combines both.
I’ve mentioned it before, and it’s worth repeating
that kettlebell workouts provide the biggest bang for the buck. First, there is a lot you can do with just
one kettlebell, so investing in that provides you with myriad at-home workout
options. Second, if you use some of the
timed workout protocols (Viking Warrior Conditioning, Swing Ladders, EDT), you
can accomplish strength training AND cardio benefit in the same workout.
Of the three, Viking Warrior Conditioning is the
most efficient and self-contained protocol.
The basic 15:15 protocol consists of doing a set number of kettlebell
snatches within 15 seconds, that’s one set.
Rest for 15 seconds, switch arms and repeat. Once you cannot perform your set number of
snatches within 15 seconds, you stop. Of
course, you can apply this to the depletion workout by setting a goal of X-number
of sets. This allows you to predict how
long a workout will take. With the 1:1
work/rest ratio, you would do 40 sets in 20 minutes, 60 sets in 30 minutes, and
80 sets in 40 minutes. While 20 minutes
is probably at the bottom limit of a good depletion workout, 60 sets is a solid
effort.
Escalating Density Training (EDT) is a close
second in efficiency. Designed by
Charles Staley, EDT training pairs two antagonistic (or bilateral) exercises
done as a superset (e.g. pushups and pull-ups) for 15 minutes. You’ll do the same number of reps per set for
each exercise and the goal is to do as many reps in 15 minutes as you can. Then pick another two exercises and
repeat. Two to three rounds should
depleted you well inside of Dan’s recommended 90 minutes.
Coming in a close third is Swing Ladders. It’s simple, the only exercise is the
kettlebell swing. The protocol is to
start off doing 10 swings, rest for as long as it took you to do those swings
(1:1 work/rest ratio), then do 20 swings, rest (1:1 work rest ratio), perform
30 swings (1:1 work/rest ratio), and finally 40 swings (1:1 work rest ratio). That is one set, which equals 100 swings. Aim
for at least three sets (300 swings). I
usually shoot for 5 sets (500 swings) for a depletion workout if I’m in a
hurry. Ideally (for me) a depletion
workout with swing ladders is 1,000 swings (10 sets). That usually takes me anywhere from 45 to 50
minutes, again, well inside Dan’s 90 minute minimum.
Recomposition
– Carb-Up
In previous posts, I’ve noted the requirement for
feeding every 2.5 hours after the depletion workout is probably overkill if you’re
not prepping for a contest. I would pay
attention to Dan’s statements about insulin sensitivity being an ever-closing
window over the recomposition stage and program the highest glycemic index
foods and supplements (carbohydrate powders) earlier in recomposition, and
ending with lower glycemic foods.
Recomposition is also a time to add glucose disposal agents like
chromium and vanadyl sulfate to help the process along. Those agents are also worth considering at
the end of recomposition when go back to low carbohydrates.
Deciding when to end recomposition is another
consideration. Dan recommends starting it
at 6:00PM on Sunday. I tried that for a
number of years and the advantage was that I could (with chromium and vanadyl sulfate)
be showing small ketones by Monday morning.
Dan also talks about deciding (if you were less than rigorous with the
feedings every 2.5 hours) to keep carbing up until bedtime. I tried that the last couple of months and
think it helps in terms of training. If I’m training for a running event and
plan on running that Monday, the extra glycogen makes a difference on that
run. If I have a 5k on that Sunday, the
extra time helps me restart recomposition to replace glycogen used on the
run. If Monday is a strength training
day, I can feel the difference. From a
social perspective, waiting until bedtime opens up dinner possibilities.
This is far from an exhaustive list of tips and
tricks from the “Outer Limits of Slackness,” and I’m sure there are some things
you have questions about, so feel free to ask questions about areas you’d like
to know more about. Thanks for reading.
