Today I beat my previous records for cycling because I increased my vO2 max. I have a favorite route of about 45 km with about 750 meters of elevation gain. It goes from Marseille to Cassis and back. Every time I want to do a fast workout, I take this route. I have done it at least 20 times so far, I know it like the back of my hand. Today I beat my previous records, and I haven't even went HARD on it. So what has changed is my vO2 max.
This is how I did it: fractional uphill running. For a while now, I have been finishing each running session with fractional intervals of 20s sprint and 40s recovery run. I do this 3-4 times a week. The park where I run is on a hill and half of it is just steep alleys, perfect for this type of training. It can get pretty crazy, my lungs and heart are on fire. So what's happening here? Certainly some fiziological changes, the lungs probably get more vascularised, the red blood cell count increases and generally the vascular system gets fitter. I started this workout 5 weeks ago to increase VO2 max, and now I see that it actually works.
There is another way to improve performance - by switching your metabolism to burn primarily fat instead of carbs. This takes some addaptation which is not easy when your typical diet is more than 50% carbohydrates. To get your body used to burning fat, you need to lower your carbohydrate intake to less than 20% and avoid sugar altogether. Your diet should consist of 15%-20% carbohydrates, 50% fat and 30% protein (plant-based or animal) - this is called a ketogenic diet. I've done it several times, and my usual diet is very low in carbs.
To help your body transition faster, here is what you can do:
Day 1: Fasting and moderate exercise - you can do a light jog for about 30 minutes and then do pull-ups or push-ups (something intense) for 5 minutes.
Day 2: Skip breakfast. For lunch have a big, fat salad with kale, tomatoes, chicken and 8MCT oil (caprylic acid); sprinkle on some parmesan and garnish with a nice vinaigrette - you can actually make it with the 8MCT oil instead of olive oil. Do the same workout routine as the day before. You can skip dinner, but if you are feeling hungry, just make yourself a delicious omelet with spinach, mushrooms and parsley.
Day3: Skip breakfast. Depending on how you are feeling, you can make yourself a steak (not too big) with the same type of salad on the side; do not forget the 8MCT oil. Now that you have got the hang of it, you can get creative - go online and search for ketogenic diet recipes.
Important:
1) No sugar
2) Use the 8MCT oil (as your main fat source) for at least the first week
3) Exercise
4) Take potassium supplements - you will sweat more than usual and lose more salts, electrolytes mix are good too, but without added sugar!
5) Avoid fast carbs: white bread, pasta, white rice, bananas. The 20% you need can come from vegetables, like zucini, chickpeas, spinach, buckwheat, these are good sources of carbs. Make a list and go shopping :)
7) Skip breakfast and reduce your meals to 1 or maximum 2 meals.
This is how I did it: fractional uphill running. For a while now, I have been finishing each running session with fractional intervals of 20s sprint and 40s recovery run. I do this 3-4 times a week. The park where I run is on a hill and half of it is just steep alleys, perfect for this type of training. It can get pretty crazy, my lungs and heart are on fire. So what's happening here? Certainly some fiziological changes, the lungs probably get more vascularised, the red blood cell count increases and generally the vascular system gets fitter. I started this workout 5 weeks ago to increase VO2 max, and now I see that it actually works.
There is another way to improve performance - by switching your metabolism to burn primarily fat instead of carbs. This takes some addaptation which is not easy when your typical diet is more than 50% carbohydrates. To get your body used to burning fat, you need to lower your carbohydrate intake to less than 20% and avoid sugar altogether. Your diet should consist of 15%-20% carbohydrates, 50% fat and 30% protein (plant-based or animal) - this is called a ketogenic diet. I've done it several times, and my usual diet is very low in carbs.
To help your body transition faster, here is what you can do:
Day 1: Fasting and moderate exercise - you can do a light jog for about 30 minutes and then do pull-ups or push-ups (something intense) for 5 minutes.
Day 2: Skip breakfast. For lunch have a big, fat salad with kale, tomatoes, chicken and 8MCT oil (caprylic acid); sprinkle on some parmesan and garnish with a nice vinaigrette - you can actually make it with the 8MCT oil instead of olive oil. Do the same workout routine as the day before. You can skip dinner, but if you are feeling hungry, just make yourself a delicious omelet with spinach, mushrooms and parsley.
Day3: Skip breakfast. Depending on how you are feeling, you can make yourself a steak (not too big) with the same type of salad on the side; do not forget the 8MCT oil. Now that you have got the hang of it, you can get creative - go online and search for ketogenic diet recipes.
Important:
1) No sugar
2) Use the 8MCT oil (as your main fat source) for at least the first week
3) Exercise
4) Take potassium supplements - you will sweat more than usual and lose more salts, electrolytes mix are good too, but without added sugar!
5) Avoid fast carbs: white bread, pasta, white rice, bananas. The 20% you need can come from vegetables, like zucini, chickpeas, spinach, buckwheat, these are good sources of carbs. Make a list and go shopping :)
7) Skip breakfast and reduce your meals to 1 or maximum 2 meals.
Do you have a way to track your VO2 levels? I am very interested in this. I am already doing the Ketogenic diet and fasting. No breakfast, MCT with tea and little dinner. I do the 18hrs fast 6 hrs eating window. I am not doing a lot of resistance training but lots of walking outdoors. I gradually want to step up my workout but I need to keep an eye on a lot of other things - particularly my potassium levels.
Thank you for sharing this.. please continue to share your progress.
The ketogenic diet is interesting and helps with performance mainly by extending energy levels and reducing inflammation. While my buddies eat sugar and drink energy gels and bars I'm pretty good just with water.