Friday, 14 December 2018

The Correct Number of Reps Per Set in the Gym

I have a lot of people ask me, “How many reps should I do per set?”

Unfortunately, there’s no easy, perfect answer to this question without a little more information, but I’m going to do my best to dig into the nitty gritty with today’s article and get you fixed up!

Regardless of what type of strength training you’re doing, having specific sets and reps to aim for will help you reach your goals. After all, as they say, what gets measured gets improved.

What you need to figure out is what you really want to accomplish.

Some people’s goals are to lose weight, which would require a certain rep range, and others’ goals are to build muscle mass, which requires a different range as well.

Think about the physique of a sprinter or bodybuilder versus a marathon runner. A sprinter is built for power and speed in short bursts, so their training sessions exist in small increments (10 second races).

A marathon runner is built for endurance, which means their training sessions are much longer (hours at a time).

Working out is no different.

I’m gonna go out on a limb and assume you’re reading this article because you have approximately one million questions about how you should be training in the gym. Should you do different muscle groups each day? Should you do 5 sets of 4 or 4 sets of 5? What about Starting Strength? Is it the most useful advice ever created? And how do you know you have good form on your squats and deadlifts?

These are all great questions, and they’re the same questions I asked when I got started. Unfortunately, I was an idiot and spent 6 years training the wrong way in the gym before I finally cracked the code and got stronger and healthier.

I’m guessing you don’t have 6 years to struggle as I did, or you’re just looking for expert guidance and accountability. Which is why we created our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program! You’ll get paired with a coach that gets to know you and your life, creates a workout program for you, and helps keep you accountable and can answer all of the questions you might have about this stuff.

You can learn more about the program by clicking in the image below to schedule a call with us!

How many Reps should I do?

“Rep” stands for “repetition” and defines one complete motion of an exercise. When deciding on how many reps to do, first and foremost, decide below what you want to get out of a workout. Then read how to get there. We cover this stuff in significantly greater detail over in our Strength Training 101 intro, but the content below should get you started.

We’ll group different rep ranges into different goals, for muscular endurance, muscle size, and overall strength and power. It’ll get us thinking about endurance vs. hypertrophy.

Let’s chat about the following:

1) Muscular endurance – Endurance means we want your muscles to perform for an extended period time. Thus, your heaviest sets should be greater than 12 repetitions. Aim for a range from 12 to 20 reps. Obviously you won’t be able to lift heavy amounts of weight for 20 reps, so you’ll be lifting lighter loads. Also, because you’re going for endurance, you want to decrease the amount of rest between sets. 30 seconds to a minute, but certainly no more. You want your muscles trained to be ready to constantly be putting forth effort and prepared for the long haul. If you are a runner or cyclist, strength training with higher repetitions can help your muscles develop more endurance as well!

  • Reps for increased muscular endurance: 12 plus

2) Muscle Size ( Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy) – This is for guys or gals looking to build muscle size.

Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy focuses on increasing the amount of sarcoplasm, the non-contractile fluid found in your muscle. Up to 30% of your muscle’s size is attributed to the sarcoplasm, so focusing on this type of hypertrophy helps build overall size.

If you’re looking to get bigger, you want to keep the number of reps per set in the 6 – 12 range per set. I find this is best accomplished by doing between 3-5 sets, each time increasing the weight and decreasing the reps. (12 reps at 200 lbs, 10 reps at 220 lbs, 8 reps at 240 lbs, etc.)

Rest time between sets should be short, not as short as for endurance, between 60 and 90 seconds.

  • Reps for increased muscle size: 6-12

3) Strength and Power (Myofibril hypertrophy) – If you’re happy with your size, or you’re training for specific sports and just want to get stronger with more power, this is for you. This type of training focuses on strengthening the myofibril, the contractile part of the muscle. However, not only are you shocking your muscles, you’re also putting a lot of pressure on your body’s central nervous system. This forces it too to adapt and become stronger, critical for strength and power.[1]

It should be noted, that given proper nutrition, you’ll still develop some muscle and size with high weight and low reps. It just isn’t the primary goal.

For strength and power, your reps are going to be less than 6 with each set, and an increased amount of time waiting between sets (2-3 minutes). You’re going to be lifting crazy amounts of weight for sometimes just 1 repetition, so you need to have a spotter and absolutely perfect form or you could severely hurt yourself. This is how powerlifters train. Low reps, high weight, long time between sets. You need to increase your rest period because lifting this heavy fatigues the central nervous system and you’ll need longer to recover.

  • Reps for increased strength and power: Less than 6

How many Sets should I do?

A “set” describes a group of repetitions performed for an exercise without stopping.

For example, if you drop down and do 10 push-ups right now, you just did 1 SET of 10 reps of push-ups.

How many sets should you do? In the section above, I mentioned doing “3-5” sets of a given exercise. This is a good rule of thumb in general.

Why?

It’s a rule of thumb with an origin story.

3 sets became popular in 1948 when the physician Thomas L. DeLorme suggested 3 sets of 10 reps to be an effective form of weight training. Delorme came to his conclusion after prescribing strength training to his injured patients, as a way for them to rebuild muscle and rehabilitate. He recorded and analyzed their improvements. When Delorme published his findings, it was one of the first academic looks on how to strength train. As one of the pioneers, Delorme’s recommendations stuck and became “permanently etched into the collective subconscious of the fitness community.”[2]

That’s the history of 3 sets at 10 repetitions…

Which is certainly more information than you needed. Sorry.

Anyway, don’t overthink how many sets to do. Don’t stress yourself out by worrying if you should do 4 sets or 3 sets. Pick one, record how you do with it, and get stronger the next time you do that movement. 

It should be noted, there is evidence of more sets performed leading to more gains, in both endurance, size, and strength.[3] Which makes sense, because you are forcing your muscles to do more work overall. After your third set, if you feel like you can do a fourth, it might be a good idea to try it. Or a fifth. Any more than that, and you should be thinking about increasing your weight instead.

  • Rule of thumb for the number of sets to do: 3-5 after a warm-up.

Exception: if you are doing endurance work, you may want to do only 2 sets with more reps. Less recovery time will test your muscle’s endurance.

Building a routine!

Now that you have “edumacated” yourself on how your specific goals influence the number of reps per set, and what sets actually are, you can build your workout program around this info.

Don’t want to build your own routine? Not sure what sets and reps to do? Want to remove all the confusion and be told what to do? I got ya! Download our free, comprehensive Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know, as we dig into the answers of all those questions 🙂 I’ll send it to you right away after you sign up for the Rebellion in the box below:

There’s a lot of different truths and fallacies on plateaus and how your muscles can get “used” to working out and stop growing. If that’s something you’re battling, here’s a way to keep them guessing or send your workout program into a jolt:

Spend a week in a different rep range with different amounts of weight to throw them off. You can go with less weight and more reps. Or vice versa. Experiment with both. This will introduce a little chaos into the system, which could be a good thing, unless you’re Batman.

After a week of mixing it up, go back to your regularly scheduled routine and you’ll be right back on track.

Make sure you know what you want, and then design a plan to get there.

-Steve

PS: If you’re somebody that wants an expert to guide them through the training process, I hear you. I have a fitness coach myself who programs my workouts!

IF YOU WANT TO BE TOLD EXACTLY WHAT TO DO:

  • Consider our 1-on-1 coaching program where we’ll build a powerlifting and nutrition program for you based on your situation and current level of experience, with video form checks and expert guidance.

  • On a bit tighter of a budget? No problem! Check out our self-paced online course, the Nerd Fitness Academy, which eases you into strength training with both bodyweight and gym routines.

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All photo citations can be found right here[3]



source https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/the-correct-number-of-reps-per-set-in-the-gym/
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Friday, 7 December 2018

Strength Training 101: Inverted Rows

When I go to the gym, I try to keep things as simple and efficient as possible.

I’m a huge supporter of pull ups and chin ups, as those are the exercises that are a great test of somebody’s fitness level.

There’s just something inherently badass about being able to lift up your entire body, which is why competitions like Ninja Warrior require ridiculous back and bicep strength.

I know many people reading this article could be just getting started with fitness training, and doing a pull up seems like an absolute impossibility.

That’s okay! I’d guess that 80% of this country probably can’t do a pull up either, so don’t beat yourself up too much.  Just because you can’t do a pull up now doesn’t mean you shouldn’t work out your back.

We HAVE written a resource on how to get your first pull-up here, but let’s start with the steps before that!

I have just the exercise for you instead: the bodyweight row! It’s a great exercise you can work on as you start to delve deeper into the wonderful world of strength training!

The Bodyweight (Inverted) Row

So what the hell is an inverted bodyweight row you ask?

GREAT QUESTION.  In fact, it’s a question I get all the time in emails, so I figured I’d add it to the repertoire of explained exercises here on Nerd Fitness.

I’ll be using “bodyweight row” and “inverted row” interchangeably in this article.

You’ve probably heard of the regular barbell row.  You pick up a barbell, bend over at the waist (keeping your back straight), and pull the weight up towards your chest.

This can be a great exercise, but improper form could cause complications or not give you a great workout!

Luckily, the inverted row takes care of all of that.  You get to use your body weight, and there’s no extra stress on your back.  As an added bonus, you get a decent core workout too.

This exercise has been referred to as the reverse bench press, as you grab a bar like you were getting ready to bench press it, but instead of lifting the weight down towards you, you’re pulling your body up towards the bar.  Think of it like this: “benchpress” is to “pushing” as “inverted row” is to “pulling.”

Balance FTW!

Why the inverted bodyweight row is so great: I’m a huge fan of compound exercises (like the squat and deadlift, pull-ups and push-ups), and I’m also a huge fan of exercises that don’t require expensive machines or lots of extra bells and whistles.

An inverted row works all of your pull muscles: your back, biceps, traps, and all the stabilizer muscles in between.  If you’ve been doing just pushups and bench presses, you need to start doing an equal amount of work with your back to stay in balance and away from injury.

If you want to eventually be able to do pull-ups, THIS is the exercise you need to add into your routine until you can do a full pull up.

Speaking of which, if you are just getting started with bodyweight rows to eventually do a pull-up, download our free, comprehensive guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know. 

In it, we have workout plans to follow whether you’re at home doing bodyweight training or at the gym with weights. Put your email in the box below and I’ll send you the guide free so you can get started today!

How To Do An Inverted Bodyweight Row

Let’s start with the people who have access to a gym (see a variation for No-Gym people at the end).  You know I hate machines for pretty much every exercise, due to the fact they restrict your body’s natural tendency to move.

I grabbed a video of Staci from Team NF demonstrating a bodyweight row with gymnastic rings from our premium course (The Nerd Fitness Academy), but don’t worry if you don’t have rings – you can see how to do them with a Smith Machine or barbell under this demonstration.

How to do a bodyweight row with explanation:

If you don’t have rings, here’s Staci demonstrating the same movement, just with an anchored barbell in a squat rack:

  • Lie on the floor underneath the bar (which should be set just above where you can reach from the ground).
  • Grab the bar with an overhand grip (palms facing AWAY from you).
  • Contract your abs, and try to keep your body a completely straight line. Your ears, shoulders, hips legs, and feet should all be in a straight line.
  • Pull yourself up to the bar until your chest touches the bar.
  • Lower yourself back down.

If you’re still struggling and they’re too difficult, it’s okay.  We just need to back up a few steps.  Set the bar higher so that when you lean back, your body isn’t down on the ground; maybe it’s only at a 45 degree angle.

Here’s Staci again demonstrating it at a higher angle:

By setting the bar higher and your body higher, it takes more of your body weight out of the equation.  As you get stronger (and/or lose weight), you’ll be able to drop the bar until you’re parallel when pulling yourself up.

Some tips and tricks:

  • Don’t let your butt sag (squeeze your buttcheeks, flex your stomach, and keep your body rigid from head to toe).
  • Don’t flail your elbows. Grab the bar with your hands a little closer than you would if you were doing a bench press, and keep your elbows at that angle from your body.
  • Pull the bar towards the middle of your chest. Don’t pull the bar up towards your throat, or down towards your belly button.  Right in the middle!
  • Keep your abs tight. Keep your abs tight throughout the whole routine.  Your body should be a straight line the whole time, and the only thing moving is your arms
  • Think of pulling your shoulder blades together at the top of the exercise.
  • GO all the way. Don’t half-ass it.  Lower yourself until your arms are completely extended, and raise yourself until your chest touches the bar.

When should you do this exercise:

When I go into a gym, my time is extremely limited, and I’m working towards developing strength.  I’ll try to do one leg exercise (either squats or deadlifts), followed by a pushing exercise (either bench press or overhead press), and then a pulling exercise (pull ups or inverted rows).  Here’s a sample two day split for me:

  • Day 1: Squats, bench press, inverted rows, dips
  • Day 2: OFF
  • Day 3: Deadlifts, Overhead Press, Pull Ups (or chin ups), Planks (Floor Swipes).
  • Day 4: OFF

Both days work my full body, I can do a full routine in less than 40 minutes, and I’m building strength.  If you can’t do dips on Day 1, you can do pushups.  If you can’t do pull ups on day 2, you can substitute assisted pull ups or lat pull downs (although I don’t like lat pull downs very much).

On the rows, aim for 3 sets of 10. If you can’t do that, do 3 sets to exhaustion, and build your way up to 3 sets of 10.  Once you can do that, put your feet up on a chair, throw some weights in a backpack, put it on reverse (so the bag is hanging in front of you), and then do the rows.

You got this.

If you are doing this on your own, but are overwhelmed and confused about strength training, I know how that feels. It can be scary enough to keep MOST people from starting, which is actually why we created our 1-on-1 Coaching Program. Our coach gets to know you, builds a program based on your experience and goals, will check your form on each movement (via video), and keep you accountable and on track!

You can learn more about our coaches and schedule a free call with us by clicking the image below:

What if I don’t have access to a gym?

Just because you don’t have access to a gym doesn’t mean you can’t work out your back, you just need to get VERY creative.  Try these few things for example:

  • Get a really thick wooden dowel or pipe, something strong enough to support your weight.  Lie it across two of your kitchen chairs, and then lie down underneath it.  Make sure its sturdy, and the bar isn’t going to break/move on ya, and pull yourself up.
  • Use your kitchen table. Or your desk (if it’s in the middle of the room and doesn’t have a back).  Be very careful with this one.  Lie underneath your table so your head and shoulder are sticking out above it.  Grab the table edge with an overhand grip, and pull yourself up (just like it’s explained above).  Warning, don’t pull the table over with you, and make sure you’re not gonna break the thing.  Obviously this is a pretty crude way to get the job done, but it works.

Don’t forget, you want to stay in balance. Don’t just do push ups at home if you can help it, try to work out your back too.  If you don’t have a pull up bar, find a way to do some bodyweight rows whether it’s between two chairs or under a table.  You’re smart, get creative.

Here’s a video of me explaining how to do Inverted Body Weight Rows using just my kitchen table:

This is a great movement that can help you get started to building up your often ignored pull muscles. If you have poor posture, and spend all day at a desk hunched over a keyboard, mixing in bodyweight rows to your routine can be incredibly beneficial!

Any more questions about the inverted bodyweight row? Leave em below!

-Steve

PS: Be sure to check out the rest of the Strength Training 101 series:

You can also get the guide free when you sign up in the box below and join the Rebellion!

PPS: Looking for more specific instruction? I’ll again remind you of our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program! Your own Nerd Fitness Coach who will get to know you, your goals, and your lifestyle, and develop a workout plan (with rows) that’s specific to not only your body, but also to your schedule and life.

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source https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/inverted-row-are-you-missing-out-on-this-great-exercise/
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Thursday, 6 December 2018

50 Keto Snacks: The Ultimate Low Carb Snack Guide

Everybody loves snacks.

Unfortunately, most of the snacks you’ll encounter are definitely not healthy. Delicious? Yes. Keto-friendly? Oh, most certainly not.

However, as the Keto Diet and the low-carb trend continues to skyrocket in popularity, the marketplace is reacting. For example, even SlimFast now makes “Keto Snacks.”

“The times they are a-changin’.”

Is this good news? Bad news? Do you have free rein on these low-carb snacks? Or are you setting yourself up for failure by thinking “low carb” and “Keto” mean you can eat junk food?

We’ll explore all that and more in today’s article. We shall address:

  • The best Keto or low-carb friendly snacks to buy
  • The best Keto or low-carb friendly snacks to make
  • Snacks you’ll definitely want to avoid
  • Why snacking could be signs of other issues
  • What “Team No Snack” is all about

I’ll cover the ins and outs of Keto first, and then dive into the best snacks for your money if you’re trying to stay on the low-carb straight and narrow.

Let’s dive in!

Low-Carb and Keto Diet 101

If this article is the first time you’ve heard the term “Keto,” you should really check out our resource The Beginner’s Guide to the Keto Diet. We discuss everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Keto and low-carb diets – including whether or not you should even DO Keto. It’s certainly not for anybody, but I know it’s hot in the streets and it’s probably why you’re reading THIS resource on snacks!

Plus, there’s a sweet Ninja Turtles GIF in my article and I’m super proud of it.

I’ll wait for you to read it.

I’m patient.

…and you’re back. Good to see you. I like what you’ve done with your hair.

Before we jump into our low-carb snacks recommendations, I want to remind you of the Keto food groups:

  • Meat. Red meat (like steak), pork products (sausage and bacon and ham), and white meat (like chicken and turkey).
  • Fish. High-fat fish like tuna and salmon are the go-to for Keto.
  • Eggs and dairy. White, yellowish, fats and protein for the win.
  • Healthy fats. Nuts, seeds, and avocados should be your staples. Although the later, avocados, contains decent carbs. More on this later.
  • Dressings and oils. Greek dressing, Caesar dressing (check the ingredients first!), ranch, aioli. When you need an oil, stick to extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil.
  • Veggies. Prioritize the less starchy, green ones like spinach, kale, broccoli, and cauliflower (ok, it’s white).
  • Meatless proteins. Tempeh, tofu, and seitan can take the place of meats in a vegetarian or vegan Keto Diet. Gotta get that protein from somewhere, right?

Most of what you eat, snack or no snack, should be from the above if your goal is to follow a ketogenic diet

And your goal, even if you are Keto, will be to eat snacks and meals that fit into your calorie goals for the day (Hooray thermodynamics).

Cool? Cool.

If you are hungry, there’s nothing stopping you from eating leftover chicken and a little avocado. A “snack” can be all sorts of things and can look like a small meal. I’ll touch on this again later.

For now, let’s get you what you’re here for.

30 Keto or Low-Carb snacks to buy

When thinking about snacks, the simpler the better.

A good way to determine simplicity is through the ingredients. Is the jerky just beef, salt, and pepper? Or is it beef, sugar, salt, soy sauce, fructose, hydrolyzed corn protein… you get the idea[1].

Here are recommendations you can purchase to fill your pantry with some low-carb snacks.

  1. Almonds. On the nut spectrum, almonds would be towards the fatter side. A great low-carb snack. Just watch portion control with roasted and salted kinds. It’s easy to devour quite mindlessly.
    • Recommended Brand: Blue Diamond Almonds
    • Serving size: 28g (28 nuts)
    • Calories: 170
    • Net Carbs: 2g
    • Protein: 6g
    • Fat: 16g
  2. Almond Butter. One of my go-to snacks is almond butter. Although I generally eat it when I’m trying to GAIN weight. That’s because, as you’ll see, it contains quite a bit of calories per serving.
    • Recommended Brand: 365 Everyday Value
    • Serving size: Two tablespoons (32g)
    • Calories: 190
    • Net Carbs: 4g
    • Protein: 7g
    • Fat: 17g
  3. Beef Jerky. Who doesn’t love beef jerky?[2] Just make sure they don’t sneak added sugar to it! Sugar is the enemy of Keto.
    • Recommended Brand: The People’s Choice
    • Serving size: 28g
    • Calories: 90
    • Carbs: 0g
    • Protein: 16g
    • Fat: 2.5g
  4. Beef Sticks. If you need a solid kick of protein, a beef stick will do it. The least processed, the better. For hints on how processed your beef stick is, check the ingredients.
    • Recommended Brand: Country Archer
    • Serving size: 28g
    • Calories: 100
    • Net Carbs: 1g
    • Protein: 9g
    • Fat: 7g
  5. Brazil Nuts.  Another Keto friendly nut comes from South America. The Brazil nut has low carbs, decent protein, and lots of fat. Plus, it’s a great source of nutrients like selenium. Be careful of calorie content though, as with most nuts.
    • Recommended Brand: Food to Live
    • Serving size: 28g
    • Calories: 186
    • Net Carbs: 1g
    • Protein: 4g
    • Fat: 19g
  6. Cheese Chips.  Cheese is great for Keto. If you want to travel with some, a few companies make a “chip” that is pure cheese. Quite popular in the low-carb community.  
    • Recommended Brand: Moon Cheese
    • Serving size: 607 pieces (12g)
    • Calories: 67
    • Net Carbs: 0g
    • Protein: 5g
    • Fat: 5g
  7. Cheese Slices.  If you have access to a fridge during your day, you can easily store cheese slices for a quick snack. Roll it up with deli meat for a hearty mini-meal.
    • Recommended Brand: Tillamook Sharp Cheddar
    • Serving size: three slices (12g)
    • Calories: 140
    • Net Carbs: 1g
    • Protein: 8g
    • Fat: 12g 
  8. Cocoa Nibs.  If you were to buy chocolate in its purest form, it would be cocoa nibs, made from crushed cacao beans. The good news for those following Keto, is the raw nibs are high in fat, low in carbs, and strong in flavor. Also, cocoa is a great source of antioxidants.
    • Recommended Brand: Healthworks
    • Serving size: One ounce (32g)
    • Calories: 130
    • Net Carbs: 2g
    • Protein: 4g
    • Fat: 14g
  9. Coconut Butter.  If you need a quick Keto snack, a scoop full of coconut butter will work great. It’s sweet but doesn’t contain much sugar. You can even keep a jar and spoon in your office. We all have secrets.
    • Recommended Brand: Artisana Organics
    • Serving size: Two tablespoons (32g)
    • Calories: 210
    • Net Carbs: 3g
    • Protein: 2g
    • Fat: 21g
  10. Cottage Cheese.  Following our trend of full-fat dairy is great for Keto, I introduce cottage cheese. While not my personal favorite, it is a solid source of protein. Buy the highest fat content you can find.
    • Recommended Brand: Horizon
    • Serving size: Half a cup (11g)
    • Calories: 120
    • Net Carbs: 4g
    • Protein: 14g
    • Fat: 5g
  11. Deli Meat.  If you need a quick source of protein, deli meat like turkey will do the trick. Roll it up with cheese slices for extra calories, fat, and happiness.
  12. Greek Yogurt.  While there are some carbs in yogurt, it is a food source high in protein and fat. Greek yogurt tends to have the lowest amount of sugar. Read the label and try and get as much fat as you can.
    • Recommended Brand: Fage
    • Serving size: One container (200g)
    • Calories: 190
    • Net Carbs: 6g
    • Protein: 18g
    • Fat: 10g
  13. Jell-O (sugar-free). On the one hand, they have zero carbs. On the other hand, they have zero nutrients and are highly processed. However, Jell-O can be useful to quell sugar cravings that might otherwise derail low-carb goals.
    • Recommended Brand: Jell-O
    • Serving size: One “snack:
    • Calories: 10
    • Net Carbs: 0g
    • Protein: 1g
    • Fat: 0g
  14. Kale Chips. Out of all the chip substitutes, kale isn’t a bad option for low-carb. Try to find brands without much stuff added to them. Preferably just a little oil and salt.
    • Recommended Brand: Made in Nature
    • Serving size: 28g
    • Calories: 150
    • Net Carbs: 8g
    • Protein: 5g
    • Fat: 11g
  15. Macadamia Nuts. I’ll first state that macadamia nuts can be expensive. However, they are some of the fattest nuts in existence. Not a bad option if you get tired of almonds.
    • Recommended Brand: Food to Live
    • Serving size: 10-12 kernels (28g)
    • Calories: 203
    • Net Carbs: 2g
    • Protein: 2g
    • Fat: 21g
  16. Macadamia Nut Butter. As the Low-Carb High-Fat trend continues to skyrocket, more unconventional nut butters are hitting the market. Like macadamia nut butter. 
    • Recommended Brand: FBOMB
    • Serving size: One packet (one ounce)
    • Calories: 215
    • Net Carbs: 1g
    • Protein: 2g
    • Fat: 22g
  17. Olives. One of the fattiest fruits you can find is the olive, which is why they make a great snack for Keto. You can often find them at an olive bar in a grocery store, or you can get them online.
    • Recommended Brand: Auzoud Oil-Cured Black Olives
    • Serving size: 100g
    • Calories: 105
    • Net Carbs: 1g
    • Protein: 0.9g
    • Fat: 4g
  18. Peanut Butter. Peanut butter can be a quick way to consume nutrients between meals. Use it as a veggie dip! Just watch your portions, as you’ll see from below it’s easy to munch a bunch of calories. Also, look for simple ingredients, like just peanuts and salt.
    • Recommended Brand: Fix and Fogg
    • Serving size: One tablespoon (15g)
    • Calories: 90
    • Net Carbs: 0g
    • Protein: 8g
    • Fat: 5g
  19. Pecans. Another nut that tends to be on the lower side of a carb count is the pecan. Conversely, pecans are very high in fat.
  20. Pepperoni slices: Pepperoni slices are dangerous. Highly processed, highly delicious, and full of calories. However as any mutant turtle can tell you, when paired with cheese, pepperoni slices are amazing. Sans bread, of course, for Keto. I won’t tell Michelangelo.
    • Recommended Brand: Margherita
    • Serving size: 28g
    • Calories: 190
    • Net Carbs: 1g
    • Protein: 3g
    • Fat: 20g
  21. Pickles. If you’re craving something salty, a pickle might just do the trick. Eat it by itself, or dip it in ranch dressing to bump up your calories. Just make sure you grab a brand without added sugar. Yes, pickles can have added sugar.
    • Recommended Brand: Vlasic
    • Serving size: One ounce (⅔ of pickle)
    • Calories: 0
    • Net Carbs: 1g
    • Protein: 0g
    • Fat: 0g
  22. Pork Rinds. If there is one snack associated with the Keto Diet, it’s pork rinds. Probably because they have zero carbs, plenty of protein and fat, and are crunchy. No Keto ready pantry would be complete without.
    • Recommended Brand: Utz Pork Rinds
    • Serving size: 14g
    • Calories: 80
    • Net Carbs: 1g
    • Protein: 5g
    • Fat: 8g
  23. Protein Bars. You need to be careful with protein bars. While you can find some that are low in Net Carbs, they’ll generally contain quite a bit of calories, low-carb or no low-carb. However, if you’re trapped in an airport, they can help you stick to your Keto goals. Just watch your portion control on these and make sure to read my full warning in the “Revisiting ‘Team No Snack’” section.
    • Recommended Brand: Quest Nutrition
    • Serving size: One bar (60g)
    • Calories: 200
    • Net Carbs: 7g
    • Protein: 21g
    • Fat: 9g
  24. Pumpkin Seeds. If you need a good “take anywhere” snack, look to pumpkin seeds. They have lots of fiber so they actually net out at zero carbs. Plus a good source of fat.
    • Recommended Brand: Eden Organic
    • Serving size: 33g
    • Calories: 200
    • Net Carbs: 0g
    • Protein: 9g
    • Fat: 16g
  25. Sardines. This might not be everyone’s favorite. However, sardines are a fatty fish, meaning great for Keto. To make em palatable, try mixing them with some veggies, olive oil, and vinegar which will create a light salad.
    1. Recommended Brand: King Oscar
    2. Serving size: One can (85g)
    3. Calories: 240
    4. Net Carbs: 0g
    5. Protein: 14g
    6. Fat: 20g
  26. Seaweed Snacks. On first glance, this might not seem the most appetizing munchie. But they are crunchy, a sought-after trait on the Keto Diet, where a lot of food like cheese can be rather soft. Plus, seaweed has good nutrients for you. Pretend you’re Aquaman.
    • Recommended Brand: SeaSnax
    • Serving size: One pack (5g)
    • Calories: 15
    • Net Carbs: 0g
    • Protein: 0.3g
    • Fat: 2g
  27. Smoked Oysters. If you like oysters, you’re in luck. Our shelled friends make a good Keto snack, which can be eaten straight out of the can. Oysters provide a great source of zinc and iron.  
    • Recommended Brand: Crown Prince
    • Serving size: One can (65g)
    • Calories: 150
    • Net Carbs: 7g
    • Protein: 11g
    • Fat: 8g
  28. String cheese. For a great snack to take with, look to string cheese. If you find a full-fat variety, you can have a quick bite while running from one errand to another.
    • Recommended Brand: Frigo Cheese Heads
    • Serving size: One piece (28g)
    • Calories: 80
    • Net Carbs: 1g
    • Protein: 6g
    • Fat: 6g
  29. Toasted Coconut Flakes. As long as you don’t get any with added sugar, coconut flakes can be a great low-carb snack. Great to mix with a salad or just by themselves.
    • Recommended Brand: Let’s Do Organic
    • Serving size: Three tablespoons (15g)
    • Calories: 100
    • Net Carbs: 2g
    • Protein: 1g
    • Fat: 10g
  30. Walnuts. Another high fat snack are walnuts. Plus, they have good nutrients.
    • Recommended Brand: Nature’s Eats
    • Serving size: One pack (5g)
    • Calories: 15
    • Net Carbs: 0g
    • Protein: 0.3g
    • Fat: 2g

That should get your pantry and fridge full of premade low-carb snacks.

20 Keto or Low-Carb snacks to make

Fancy yourself a decent cook?

With a little bit of preparation, you can have many, many Keto snacks in your home. Would you say, a plethora of low-carb snacks?

Something to note for all of the servings below: KEEP AN EYE ON CALORIE COUNT! Your body still obeys the laws of thermodynamics. Eating 5,000 calories of keto-pancakes won’t result in weight loss. So make sure you are consuming foods that fit into your calorie goals for your weight!

  1. Bacon. Naturally.
  2. Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers. If you fancy a little bit of spice, Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers can serve as a great Keto snack. It’s essentially bacon, jalapenos, and a mixture of cream and cheddar cheese.
    • Recommended Recipe: Tasteaholics
    • Serving size: Eight poppers (four jalapenos)
    • Calories per serving: 225
    • Net Carbs: 3g
    • Protein: 10g
    • Fat: 18g
  3. Cheesy Broccoli. For Keto, a snack is often just finding a low-carb food and covering it in cheese. That’s the story around cheesy broccoli. But hey, broccoli!
    • Recommended Recipe: Diet Doctor
    • Serving size: One-quarter of the batch (six ounces)
    • Calories per serving: 359
    • Net Carbs: 6g
    • Protein: 13g
    • Fat: 32g
  4. Eggs Muffins. If you need a quick snack on the way out the door in the morning, an egg muffin would be perfect. It’s more or less just egg and cheese, but they store well and can be used in the AM when there’s no time to spare.
    • Recommended Recipe: Diet Doctor
    • Serving size: Two muffins
    • Calories per serving: 336
    • Net Carbs: 2g
    • Protein: 28g
    • Fat: 26g
  5. Hard-boiled Eggs. An egg could quite possibly be the best Keto food when you consider the protein to fat ratio and all the nutrients included. Store in the fridge when you need a quick snack.
    • Recommended Recipe: Food Network
    • Serving size: One egg
    • Calories per serving: 78
    • Net Carbs: 0g
    • Protein: 6.3g
    • Fat: 5.3g
  6. Ice Cream (Keto). Ice cream? Ice cream. The beauty of the Low-Carb High-Fat Diet comes in with the “high fat.” As long as you keep the sugar content down, ice cream can be a Keto treat. Just remember the “treat” part.
    • Recommended Recipe: Chocolate Chunk Avocado Ice Cream from Ruled.Me.
    • Serving size: one-sixth of the batch
    • Calories per serving: 216
    • Net Carbs: 3.7g
    • Protein: 3.9g
    • Fat: 19.4g
  7. Guacamole. Avocados are great for you. And guacamole is delicious. However, while avocados are a great source of healthy fat, they might contain enough carbs to knock you out of Ketosis (check carbs below). Be careful.
    • Recommended Recipe: Keto Summit
    • Serving size: Half of the recipe
    • Calories per serving: 180
    • Net Carbs: 6g
    • Protein: 3g
    • Fat: 15g
  8. Lettuce Wrap. A sandwich can make a great snack. Lose the bread, wrap it in lettuce and BOOM! Keto snack.
  9. Keto Bread. If you miss bread on your low-carb diet, you can make your own substitute. It’s debatable if it’s anything like actual bread, but it’s full of eggs and almond flour, so you’ll get plenty of fat.
    • Recommended Recipe: Delish
    • Serving size: Quarter loaf
    • Calories per serving: 450
    • Net Carbs: 5.5g
    • Protein: 18.8g
    • Fat: 40g
  10. Keto Cheesecake. With a lot of sour cream and cream cheese, plus a little erythritol (sugar alcohol), you can have Keto Cheesecake. Probably not something you want to eat all the time, but if you need a low-carb cake, voila.  
    • Recommended Recipe: Wholesome Yum
    • Serving size: One slice
    • Calories per serving: 325
    • Net Carbs: 5g
    • Protein: 7g
    • Fat: 31g
  11. Keto Pancakes. A genius workaround for “no flour” comes from using eggs and cheese for replacement. That’s the name of the game here with Keto Pancakes, which uses eggs and cottage cheese in the place of typical batter.
    • Recommended Recipe: Diet Doctor
    • Serving size: One pancake, with berries and heavy whipped cream.
    • Calories per serving: 425
    • Net Carbs: 5g
    • Protein: 13g
    • Fat: 39g
  12. Keto Pizza. There are those on Team Nerd Fitness who swear by Keto Pizza. Like pancakes, our flour substitute is egg and cheese for the crust. Pretty good, but it won’t fool a true ninja.
    • Recommended Recipe: Ruled.Me
    • Serving size: One pizza
    • Calories per serving: 459
    • Net Carbs: 3.5g:
    • Protein: 27g
    • Fat: 35g
  13. Protein Shake. If you’re building muscle, getting enough protein is a must. A shake, both low-carb and Keto friendly, can be a great way to get you there. Just watch your calorie intake.
  14. Ranch Dressings. If you make Keto friendly ranch dressing, you can use it to cover any low-carb food your heart desires. If you want something to dip your veggies in, here you go.
    • Recommended Recipe: Ruled.Me
    • Serving size: One tablespoon
    • Calories per serving: 106
    • Net Carbs: 0.6g
    • Protein: 0.6g
    • Fat: 11.3g
  15. Seed Crackers. Craving a cracker replacement? Want to try something other than cheese? Use seeds! Almond flour, various seeds, and coconut oil make up this low-carb snack. All the fiber in the seeds brings the net carb count very low.
    • Recommended Recipe: Diet Doctor
    • Serving size: One cracker
    • Calories per serving: 61
    • Net Carbs: 1g
    • Protein: 2g
    • Fat: 6g
  16. Sliced Zucchini. Having sliced veggies on hand in the fridge can be great for a snack. Zucchini is a solid choice because it’s low in carbs. It can also be sliced all sorts of different ways and used as a dipping tool. What to dip it in, you say? How about some fatty ranch dressing or guacamole.
    • Recommended Recipe: WikiHow
    • Serving size: Medium zucchini (196g)
    • Calories per serving: 33
    • Net Carbs: 4g
    • Protein: 2.4g
    • Fat: 0.6g
  17. Spicy Tuna Avocado Boat. Fish? Check. Avocado? Check. Cheese? Sounds like a Keto friendly snack to me.
    • Recommended Recipe: Peace, Love and Low Carb
    • Serving size: One boat
    • Calories per serving: 245
    • Net Carbs: 4.8g
    • Protein: 17g
    • Fat: 14g
  18. Steak Tips. If you have carnivorous tendencies, you can snack on steak tips. Eat them with sliced veggies and you almost have a full meal.
    • Recommended Recipe: Jennifer Banz
    • Serving size: Quarter pound
    • Calories per serving: 489
    • Net Carbs: 1g
    • Protein: 23g
    • Fat: 44g
  19. Zucchini Chips. If you’re looking for another chip substitute, zucchini will work great. While they can take a while to cook, if you get them just right, they’ll crunch just like a normal chip.
    • Recommended Recipe: All Recipes
    • Serving size: Half the batch
    • Calories per serving: 111
    • Net Carbs: 7g
    • Protein: 4g
  20. Whipped Cream. Part of doing Keto successfully comes down to covering things in extra fat. That’s what they made whipped cream for! Make your own low-carb version.
    • Recommended Recipe: Perfect Keto
    • Serving size: One tablespoon
    • Calories per serving: 60
    • Net Carbs: 0g
    • Protein: 0g

If you make each of the above recipes, I’ll dub thee the “Keto Chef Master.”

Re-visiting “Team No Snack”

First tough love alert:

I’m the captain of Team No Snack. This means I generally don’t eat snacks.  

So instead, I practice intermittent fasting and try to eat two BIG meals each day (Lunch and Dinner) as opposed to lots of small ones throughout the day.

As I point out in the Intermittent Fasting article, the number of times you eat throughout the day won’t impact your waistline as much as the total quantity of calories. That’s right, your metabolism isn’t “stoked” by eating small meals or grazing all day. The science doesn’t back that up. Weight loss comes down to total calories consumed vs total calories burned over the long haul. Said another way: you can get in trouble if you eat big meals and then eat buckets of keto snacks between those big meals.

So snacking isn’t my cup of tea. And neither is Keto, though I know it works wonders for some people (Here’s the diet strategy I employ).

So Keto or no Keto, snack or no snack, what matters is overall compliance – if snacking in between meals allows you to NOT overeat during your big meals, and ALSO you stay under your caloric intake goal for the day, then snacks can be a good fit for you. Eating a Keto snack while on a road trip or at the airport instead of eating junk food (or unhealthy fast food) can be crucial for staying on track!

Speaking of fast food, have you seen our low-carb fast food guide? It’s legit.

Second tough love alert:

Food manufacturers are responding to the growing popularity of the Keto Diet. For evidence, I will again bring up the Keto Peanut Butter Cup by SlimFast. Their product description says “Weight loss has never been so indulgent.”

This should raise a giant red flag.

If you want to eat a peanut butter cup, fine. Reese’s are delicious. Just don’t delude yourself into thinking they are a tool for fat loss because you managed to stay in ketosis while eating them by the bagful.

By the way, the comparison of the Keto Peanut Butter Cup and the Reese’s is justified:

  • Calories in Peanut Butter cup from SlimFast: 90
  • Calories in Peanut Butter cup from Hershey’s: 87

It boils my blood to see candy marketed as health food. Don’t fall for this!

One of the great benefits of Keto is it forces you to think about the foods you choose. I talk about this in our article on “Mental Models.”

Instead of mindlessly eating, we ask ourselves a simple question: “Would the healthy badass version of me eat this?”

By being able to answer with a yes-or-no, black-or-white answer like:  “yes, it’s low-carb” or “no, it’s not vegan,” or “sure, I’ll have some, steak is paleo,” it gives us a chance to track our compliance and actually see some results.

The most important point isn’t actually the answer. The critical step is the question asked. Thinking about what to eat is important for achieving “the perfect diet.” No matter which perfect diet you pick: you have to actually STICK with it, for years, in order to have lasting results

So, if you make more healthy choices than unhealthy choices, over time your physique will start to reflect these improvements. Up the ratio even more, and then we’re talking a body you’re truly proud of.

All this to say: if you’re following Keto, don’t let a corporate executive hijack your Mental Model. Just because something is labeled low-carb, doesn’t mean it will help with weight loss.

No matter what snack you select, low-carb or non-low-carb, try to eat REAL food whenever possible. Real food, as defined in some dictionary you don’t have to bother checking, is food that grew from the ground, on a tree, came out of the sea, ran on the land, or flew through the air. Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, and fruit and nuts. The backbone of most successful Mental Models rests on REAL food.

If you want to learn more, check out our Guide to Healthy Eating.

If everything I’ve said is freaking you out, and you’re panicking because you haven’t discovered your Mental Model yet, we can help!

We designed a private coaching program to help busy people just like you navigate their fitness goals. Here’s how it works: you’ll partner with one of our trained coaches who will build you a custom workout program, and help you make better nutritional choices. We’ll have you take photos of each meal you consume, offer feedback to help guide your decisions, which ultimately can help you hit your long-term goals.

Interested? Click below and schedule a free call to see if we are a good fit for each other!

Snacking for the right reason

There’s nothing wrong with eating food. None of us would be here without nourishment.

The last time I checked, the “air” diet might stay popular, but doesn’t last long.

There’s no rule stating you can’t have that leftover omelet if you’re hungry before dinner, just make sure you adjust your dinner to stay within your goals. For ideas, check out our post on 10 easy meals to cook, all of which are low-carb friendly. You can cook in batches with leftovers in mind. These are great to have in your office fridge in case you’re hungry while at work.

Just make sure Jerry from Accounting doesn’t pillage your goods.


There’s a food thief in every office.

If cooking isn’t your thing, having a few low-carb friendly snacks already purchased can really help in a pinch. Better to eat a portion of nuts and olives, than hoping the vending machine has Keto compliant snacks.

Now, I want to hear from you:

  • What are your favorite low-carb snacks?
  • Do you buy Keto friendly choices, or make your own?
  • Not into any of this, and with me on eating only at meals?

Let me know in the comments!

-Steve

PS: If you want to want help moving from traditional snacks to REAL food, we can help. As mentioned above, we have a private one-on-one coaching program to help nerds level up their life. If you want help following Keto, or create your own way of eating, we’ll help you along the way.

Click on the image below to chat with a member of Team Nerd Fitness. We’d love to hear from you, no matter what!

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All photo citations can be found in this footnote[3].



source https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/50-keto-snacks-the-ultimate-low-carb-snack-guide/
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