How to Lift Weights on a Low-Carb Diet and Burn Fat

Low-carb diets are a commonly used for weight loss, and when calories are controlled too, they can deliver excellent results. However, they can also leave you lacking in energy, which can be problematic when it comes to training. During your weight training sessions, you may feel tired and lethargic; therefore, it's important to tweak your program slightly when embarking on your low-carb diet. Check with your doctor before starting the program, especially if you have health problems.

Your focus in training should be on compound exercises -- ones that work multiple muscle groups at once. This will enable you to still train all your muscle groups, but you won't need to do lots of exercises -- four or five will do. Concentrate on squats, deadlifts, presses and row variations. According to Christian Thibaudeau, author of "The Black Book of Training Secrets," compound exercises are the most effective overall mass builders, so should make up the majority of your program.

Keep your sessions short -- no longer than 60 minutes. When you restrict carbohydrate intake to very low levels, you enter a depleted state, and all your body's stored glycogen is burnt off. While your body can run perfectly fine using fats as fuel, you may still lack energy due to the glycogen depletion. For this reason, it's vital that you don't spend hours in the gym; otherwise, you risk burning out.

You will need more frequent rest periods when going low carb, to allow your body to regain energy between sets. Perform five sets of five reps on your lower body movements, and three sets of eight for your upper body, resting for around 60 seconds on light sets, and up to three minutes for your heavier sets.

If you're using a low-carb diet for fat loss, you may well be including cardio in your routine, too. If you are, do your weight training first. You'll have more energy at the start of your session, and your glycogen levels won't be fully depleted yet. Doing weights after cardio is a recipe for disaster.

Nearly all low-carb diets include some kind of high carb days, or re-feeds. Lyle McDonald, author of "Ultimate Diet 2.0," recommends having one high-carb day per week, and combining that with a very high intensity weightlifting session. Hit your whole body, and train to failure on each exercise. Your increased energy levels and elevated glycogen stores should make this an extremely productive session, and give your body enough nutrients and carbs to recover fully for the next phase of your low-carb diet.