Keto Exercise Plan for Women Over 40 | Tone & Boost Energy

Are you currently on the keto diet and want to get the most out of your training? Then you need to try this workout plan.

While training can largely remain the same, certain tweaks can support energy levels, enhance results, and improve performance.

In this article, we discuss the keto exercise plan for women. We explore the best types of exercise, training structure, common mistakes, and programs to help you achieve amazing results.

How the Keto Diet Affects Exercise Performance

The keto diet can help improve exercise performance. Research shows that a long-term keto diet of over 60 days revealed improved performance, fat-burning, and enhanced body composition.

During endurance events, carbohydrates are the most efficient energy source, however, because carbohydrates and glycogen (muscle and liver stored energy) are unavailable, the body utilizes fat for fuel. This is where keto shines as fat is abundant, providing a substantial fuel source, which may enhance endurance.

Best Types of Exercise for Women on Keto

Keto is an excellent diet for improving our physical health and when it is combined with regular exercise it can truly change your life. Below we have listed the best exercises for women on keto.

Strength Training for Fat Loss and Muscle Toning

Strength training is vital for health and longevity, increasing muscle mass, and bone mass, and maintaining function. Strength training consists of two different forms of exercise, compound lifts and isolation exercises.

Research shows that compound exercises engage multiple muscles and joints, allowing for greater loads to be lifted, resulting in greater energy expenditure. Meanwhile, isolation exercises can increase training volume for specific muscle groups, enhancing growth.

What makes this more interesting is strength training’s ability to increase resting energy expenditure. Studies show that strength training can elevate resting energy expenditure for 24 hours post-workout.

This illustrates how effective it can be for body composition. Decreasing body fat, while developing lean muscle, revealing a feminine, toned physique.

Low-Intensity Cardio for Fat-Burning

When it comes to burning fat, few things get the job don’t like low-intensity cardio. Also known as steady-state cardio, it refers to low to moderate exercise performed for an extended duration.

Scientific evidence shows that it is as effective as high-intensity interval training. This however will take longer, but it is far more gentle, making it accessible. Adding this to your exercise routine can increase energy expenditure, leading to greater fat loss.

Low-intensity cardio can be performed outdoors, or using treadmills, stationary bikes, and ellipticals. We recommend performing your low-intensity after your strength training routine on rest days.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) for Metabolism Boost

HIIT is the other side of the spectrum, adopting intensity short burst exercise to boost energy expenditure. Characterized by short, intense bursts of exercise performed in regular intervals, it utilizes different forms of exercise to challenge the muscles and cardiovascular system.

As mentioned, it is the equivalent of steady-state cardio, however, due to the increased intensity, results can be achieved in a shorter amount of time. Combining sprinting, calisthenics, free weights, and plyometrics, it gets the blood pumping and muscle burning.

The downside is the intensity can decrease enjoyment, making it challenging to stick to long-term. However, programmed correctly, it can be an incredible asset to your keto diet workout.

Flexibility and Recovery Workouts (Yoga, Pilates, Mobility Drills)

Flexibility, mobility, and recovery are essential for supporting function and longevity. If you are over 30, gone are the days when you wake up fresh from every workout.

Recovery and flexibility-based training such as yoga, Pilates, and mobility training provide you with that gentle, active, recharge time that can help keep the body fresh.

Sources show that Pilates and yoga are beneficial for weight management, and improving posture, flexibility, and cardiovascular function. They both also are associated with better function, balance, and muscle strength, improving quality of life.

This can supplemented with non-exercise-based recovery techniques such as massage and mindfulness practices.

For example, research shows that massage is effective in reducing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and perceived fatigue. Meanwhile, other sources indicate that mindfulness practices such as meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, exposure to nature, and park walking can reduce perceived stress. This results in feeling rested, less irritable, and happier.

Structuring a Weekly Keto Exercise Plan

To effectively structure a weekly keto workout we need to identify the type of training and the frequency. Below, we outline the components of the weekly exercise plan including different training splits and how to include cardio and flexibility for a highly effective workout.

Training Splits

Training splits are ways to organize your resistance training session where you can divide your workouts into different muscle groups of movement patterns.

Organizing sessions this way can allow for greater recovery, and training volume, which studies show is a powerful way to increase muscle growth. Here is a list of common training splits.

Full-Body — Targets all muscle groups to increase muscle mass and strength. This requires a rest day between sessions for recovery.

This split is often used by beginners and for anyone who has minimal chances to train in the gym. If you are performing full-body strength sessions, we recommend performing three to four per week.

Upper and Lower Body — The natural progression from the full-body training session, the upper and lower body split divides you into upper and lower body sessions. This allows you to spend more time on each muscle group, and can also be used to reduce time in the gym.

Push, Pull, and Legs — Unlike the other splits on this list, the push, pull, and leg split divides workouts based on movement. This is a phenomenal way to increase function and develop strength. Because sessions focus on different muscle groups, you can program this routine for three to five days per week, which still allows for rest days.

Bro Split — Opposite to the push, pull, and leg split, the bro split divides the session into the body part. Typically performed across four to five days, this split allows you to commit to a significant time to each muscle group, helping promote growth.

Recovery Considerations

When planning your weekly training schedule you must take into account recovery and rest days. As mentioned, this can be done through yoga, Pilates, flexibility, and mobility training.

However, it is also important to program actual rest days to not only allow your body to rest and give you time away from exercise.

Research shows that between 48–72 hours of rest is required between training muscle groups. For example, a full-body workout requires a day's rest for recovery, while other training splits listed above allow you to train opposing muscle groups on back-to-back days.

If you are performing a three-per-week strength training program there will be plenty of time for recovery sessions and rest. However, if you are upping your training with training splits exceeding four days per week, more planning is required.

To show you how this will work, here are two weekly schedules for a three-day beginner and four-day intermediate keto workout schedule.

Beginner Schedule Example

• Program: 3 x Full-body workout
• Cardio: 1 x Steady-State
• Recovery: 1 x Pilate/Yoga
• Rest: 1 x Day

Intermediate Schedule Example

• Program: 2 x Upper Body, 2 x Lower Body
• Cardio: 1 x Steady-State
• Recovery: 1 x Pilate/Yoga
• Rest: 1 x Day

Sample Keto Exercise Program

Now that we have outlined weekly schedules, here is a sample exercise program to help you get started. The program contains a three-day full-body strength training workout, steady-state cardio session, and recovery yoga session.

Below, you will find the exercise, sets, repetitions, durations, rest times, and weekly schedule to help you create a concrete routine.

Weekly Schedule

Monday, Wednesday, Friday – Full-Body Keto Workout

Tuesday – Steady-State Cardio Workout

Saturday – Recovery Yoga

Common Mistakes Women Make When Exercising on Keto

Altering our training routine can be exciting, however, it's not without its pitfalls. Below, share the common mistakes, and how to avoid them.

Not Getting Enough Electrolytes and Hydration

A common mistake seen during the keto diet is not getting enough electrolytes and inadequate hydration.

Research shows that the keto diet’s reduction of carbohydrate foods such as grains, fruits, and vegetables means can lead to nutrient deficiencies. One set of nutrients in particular is electrolytes which studies show can result in fatigue, weakness, fatigue, dizziness, and impaired cognitive function.

Because of this, hydration and electrolytes must be prioritized. Electrolytes can be consumed through keto-friendly foods such as spinach, kale, iceberg lettuce, pumpkin seeds, mushrooms, and fatty fish.

Meanwhile, Evidence suggests women should consume 2,200 ml to maintain hydration. We recommend carrying a water bottle and sipping regularly throughout the day.

Overtraining Without Proper Recovery

A common mistake seen in the gym is overtraining. During the initial weeks and months of training, many women experience increased muscle mass and strength. This provides them with a wave of dopamine, boosting motivation and a desire to train every day at the expense of recovery.

Sadly, while this can feel incredible in the interim, it can lead to overtraining, which research shows can lead to feelings of fatigue, disinterest, burnout, irritability, depression, and poor performance.

When you are on a roll with your training, taking regular breaks can be challenging. However, it is essential, not only to help you physically recover but also mentally. This will help you sustain training longer, leading to greater results.

Expecting Immediate Performance Gains Without Adaptation

The final common mistake we often see is women expecting immediate results on the keto diet.

Whether this is due to the media coverage of keto’s rapid weight loss, or a friend's success with the diet, many place unrealistic expectations on themselves to achieve rapid results, which sadly leave many discouraged and disappointed.

However, the keto diet is not a magic nutrition plan that shortcuts your road to performance and weight loss success, but rather a tool that can help you optimize your health.

Like all diets and nutrition plans, the body still has to adapt to your training stimulus and adjust to your nutrition plan to achieve results.

If you are on the keto diet, we recommend adhering to it for at least two months before passing judgment on its efficacy. This amount of time will help you place helpful expectations, allowing you to achieve great results.

Recap: Building a Sustainable Keto Exercise Plan

Developing a sustainable keto exercise plan requires the coming together of many different components.

While the keto diet is incredible for enhancing weight loss, lowering resistance, and reducing the risk of metabolic disorders,

The Best Workout Types for Keto Women

The best workout types for keto women include strength training, cardio, and flexibility and recovery training, which come in different configurations depending on your goals. Below is a brief recap of each type of exercise and its benefits.

• Strength Training — Increase muscle mass, strength, and function. Furthermore, it can increase resting energy expenditure, contributing to weight loss.

• Steady-State Cardio — Low impact and as effective as HIIT making it accessible for all experience levels.

• High-Intensity Interval Training — Boost energy expenditure, while challenging muscles and the cardiovascular system. Its high intensity means it achieves this in a shorter amount of time.

• Recovery and Flexibility — Yoga, Pilates, stretching, and mindfulness. All are incredible for slowing down, allowing the body to rest and improve function.

Key Tips for Fueling Workouts and Recovering Efficiently

To get the most out of your keto workout you must be fueling your body with healthy fats and protein. Foods containing healthy fats are nutrient-dense which supports overall health. These include:

• Fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, herring, tuna)
• Meat (steak, ham, sausage, bacon, bacon, turkey
• Egg
• Avocado Oil
• Chia Seeds
• Olive Oil
• Cheese
• Nuts
• Seeds

Protein intake should also be a top priority. Research shows that it can help improve satiety and build and repair muscle tissue. Studies show the recommended daily intake for active individuals is 1.4–1.6 grams per kilogram. We recommend adding 25–30 grams to each meal to hit these daily targets.

Staying Consistent for Long-Term Health and Fitness

Consistency is one of the most effective ways to ensure the success of your keto workout. However, this does not mean we take the ‘no-days-off’ approach but rather utilize our rest and recovery days to ensure our body is fresh for consistent training. This can be accomplished by:

• Programming rest days
• Executing recovery workouts
• Getting enough sleep
• Prioritizing protein intake
• Practicing mindfulness

During our keto workout, exercise must be a choice to improve our physical and mental health, not about the scale weight. It's not only about challenging the body but also supporting healthy practices for optimal function and well-being.

Providing it with adequate sleep, quality nutrition, and practicing mindfulness to reduce stress can help you achieve long-term health and fitness, enhancing quality of life.

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