Complete Guide to Low Carb Ironman Triathlon Training

[@buckaby]

I'm very overweight and just did my first triathlon, a super sprint. I'm dealing with knee issues, humility from getting my butt kicked on the way coast waves during my swim, and am generally a novice to all things tri. Dude, EVERY SINGLE VIDEO I've seen by you I find SUPER HELPFUL! I just wanted you to know. Thank you, Taren! I'm your newest Trainiac!

[@jw2par]

Agree 100%

[@ady110fv]

I do that lchf and I run pretty good I have just done 15 miles no water20 g carbs I am flying you are spot on I think people are scared of doing it because they are addicted to suger

[@mikehammersley3489]

Good stuff Taren! So happy it went so well for you. Thanks for sharing in such detail!

[@EricGlenn]

Thanks for this explanation. This makes sense from my experience. I found some of this but it was totally on accident. Thanks again for the motivation you're videos provide.

[@roarman75]

Nice. I agree mostly with what you said. I have done my best Ironman times while on Low Carb, and having some carbs on the race. I agree with you how the race felt easier. My last race was a total mess up, though. I think it's mostly my fault for a few reasons but one of them was choosing the right carb nutrition. I could not longer get the nutrition i used to use and was forced to use what they had on course. I had terrible stomach cramps, which i have NEVER had before. I wish we could get S-Fuel here in South Africa and the other nutrition products you have available.

[@anushkadeshpande8754]

Hey taren, Can you do a video on traveling with your bike for new triathletes especially when you're on a budget?

[@hopesteadplanting8468]

Any specific airline (s) better when traveling with a race bike?

[@clydea.hutchisoniv5742]

www.orucase.com/products/the-airport-ninja-bicycle-travel-case

[@dr.plinioferraz7212]

Thank's for the opportunity to know and execute it.

[@slipperytriathlete1316]

Nice job on challenge Taren!!

[@mister_ray]

Thanks for pointing out Keto is not sustainable. I see many that profess Keto claim that fruits/vegi do not count towards the 50g limit.

[@jasfowler10]

Super helpful Taren! Im racing KoNa in handcycle division in the fall and had been IM training on keto for four months and struggled. This addition is the keys to the kingdom! I’m thinking this will allow me to fuel without 16 bottles of carbs that create a bloat bomb in my gut. I’m gonna try hvmn, have you tried? Thank u

[@MrCharulvarma]

This is so so so good video.... I am going thru ketosis right now and I shall go thru what you said.... Thank you taren.....

[@darrynwhelan3050]

Would love to see your diary of how u ate during the low carb session.

[@scotts6067]

Thank you . All your tips are a tool box of awesome.

[@gregsandifer2398]

Makes sense as you explain it but as a high carb low fat plant based guy, that consumes very little oil , it would be hard for me to consider...you are killing it though! Keep up the good work!

[@scubamike50]

I was lucky to take part of the FIRST 40 kickoff with Endurance IQ, LDT101. Great information and The Plews gives you details as to why and how, Pre, Duiring and Post race. If I don't drink coffee, what do others substitute for a bullet proof drink in the morning?

[@joeyhinton2624]

Michael Lord try Matcha Very high in L Thiamine. Great for focus and fat burning.

[@scubamike50]

@@joeyhinton2624 thanks

[@rhodrickharalson6898]

Thank you for some great insights

[@Lifeover60]

I have a question. I do ironman triathlons. I have been doing keto for almost 3 years. If I am fat adapted, meaning my body uses its fat stores for energy during training sessions. I do my races without carbs and I seem to have the same kind of results as when I useed to eat carbs. So, why is it necessary to also have carbs during a race? Are there videos or resources I can read to better understand this. I am just curious in the why with regards to incorporating carbs into some training sessions and then during the actual ironman. Thank you

[@rickfoster3281]

Taren - great KZbin. After the Keto portion and you increase your carbs to 130g/day what is recommended in grams or percentage of your diet for Fats and Proteins?

[@hanziel]

Hey Taren, thx for the explanation of the diet. I have downloaded your excel calculator. Since I am a designer and thought the layout wouldn't mind a small redesign.If you want I can send you the Google Sheets Link. I figured you wouldn't want the calculator here in public (;

[@NatalieSisson1]

So helpful thanks buddy

[@buckaby]

Taren, I put my name and email in the landing page for "theplews" but it won't let me submit my info. is that offer for the low carb starter pack not available anymore?

[@kajet666]

Congrats on your success with this, but the math is based on inflated assumptions. The 60 g of carbs an hour assumption has been outdated for like a decade. Many athletes are known to asborb upward of 100, and you can easily assume at least 1 gram per kg of body weight an hour (Jonathan Lee of Trainerroad digests twice that). To burn 1000 kcal an hour at IM pace you have to be a huge dude, in which case we're talking about 90-100 g of carbs an hour at least. There goes your deficit.

[@trepidati0n533]

So if some high performing athletes can absorb 100g per hour then all can?

[@noahmcburnett5310]

Taren, you had the 1.2 g/min before the low carb training. MAF says it is the training, not the food per se. I am sure the split is 80/20. From your videos it was the years of low intensity training.

[@ashleyhouse9690]

Thank for for one of the most honest and informative of videos on low carb endurance training I have ever seen. Every other one seems to infer that you can do a full Ironman whilst training on bacon and eggs and just eating an avocado during the event. OK, maybe a bit of an exaggeration there but they all seem to make claims about competing solely on ketones which is patently just nonsense. You need carbs to perform at high levels of exertion!!

[@edmartinez5345]

Great content sir! Again, congrats on your Challenge Roth finish. How do you know/determine your fat burning ability?

[@aka7947]

Holy True! I Agree in 100%

[@juliusv2073]

Does this diet plan apply to cycling, where you need full gas 20sec - 3 min high intensity sprints?

[@kimfraser-rybinski9554]

How much is the Plews course? Most of us are already battling to get the money for this sport. I think I will probably spend close to $10,000 on training, accommodation, race entrance fees, and travelling to events. I am strong believer in this way of eating but there are plenty of free websites and “experts” who can provide a pathway to endurance sport success. Tim Phinney and Jeff Volek are the original authors of this way of eating. It just takes a little bit of research and experimentation. Having said that, congrats on your excellent performance at Roth. You’ll be at Kona in no time I think. I’m grateful for the tips you share but realistically for the average guy (and girl) doing the amount of training you do is not feasible.

[@stephenwells2464]

Unrelated but what are the things you hang your bikes on called??

[@israelfurlonge5597]

Good Day Taren, I'm a new cyclist and want to start using Zwift to start training. However, I'm having difficulty deciding on which Smart Trainer to buy as their seems to be issues with each of them. Can you please give advice?

[@nicla1763]

Does it means you need to weight and note everything you eat during LCHF training?

[@johnnyb1897]

Hey TT. Did your research and planning come from coaching and tips you got from the pros? Not sure sustainable this can be for me.

[@kevinperkins8358]

Senza (sp?) app to track food. Can’t find it in App Store. Help please.

[@trepidati0n533]

map my fitness works just fine....actually a better tracking tool IMO since its barcode database is massive and it has the ability to scrape recipes from websites on stuff you make.

[@angelfreytez449]

what about bad breath? amonia and ketones

[@floriandommergues1332]

Quick question Taren, if i’m correct lors carb training is for that last 2000 calories that you are burning at the end of a long race. That means that it is not that useful or at least not as useful in half ironmans since they are a lot shorter. Correct ?

[@trepidati0n533]

Might be speaking out of turn...but if you are not burning 900+ calories per hour for many hours then the benefits of "low carb" become smaller. For slow fatties like me...I push around 700 calories per hour and thus that deficit doesn't exist. Simply put...if you do a race...fuel as best as you can...and racing within your capabilities and you still "bonk" then it is worth digging further into IMO.

[@maximilianwitt6491]

Look at the channel of Daniel Pugge. He shows that performing on keto is absolutely possible. No matter what. 5k, 10k marathon.

[@tonycastro6805]

Your email links are too long and confusing can you shorten them up?

[@james4727]

hahaha turns out Dan Plews works at the university just down the street from me.

[@davidhelms6653]

Thanks for this.

[@josephcole9321]

60 g is wrong, 90 is average and most can do more

[@Thekidisalright]

Do you have any links for that? Cos everywhere I go it’s 60g too, just want to see the science behind it, thanks.

[@josephcole9321]

99% of all carb products combine glucose and fructose at a 2:1 ratio. At this rate the human body benefits from the use of both SGLT1 and GLUT5 carriers receiving a supply of carbohydrate at up to and above 90 grams per hour. This vital piece of research was first discovered in 2004 and has since been proven time and time again and many suggest a lot more. A quick google can prove this, its wrong to suggest otherwise and research back it

[@Thekidisalright]

Joseph Cole cool, thanks for the info my friend, will research on that

[@Greenphil111]

Can talk about IM Bolton and how you completely disrespect UK Triathlete

[@JohnLee-ir2qj]

Which UK triathlete is that?

[@ifonly2675]

No disrespect here but i don't get the obsession with diets from so many people/athletes. Our bodies are designed and need all food groups. just eat healthy wholesome varied foods and you'll be fine. I'm a senior runner and eat the exact same foods than when i was a kid and i'm doing fine. Eat local and seasonal and stop giving into the hype

[@trepidati0n533]

Not everyone is you and not everyone is okay with "doing fine".

[@markmm29]

😕. You used to do balanced videos that looked at lots of different approaches. Now it’s non stop low Carb. You trained hard, had all the best kit and equipment and did a half decent Ironman and rather than thank your own efforts you thanked a diet.

[@urbanciber6839]

Mark Matthews could not agree more. balance is everything. keto and vegan are probably both unhealthy

[@seandalt]

I mean he discusses the traditional approach and how it holds you back when you run out of muscle glycogen, which will 100% happen when you’re racing endurance. He’s just showing why the low carb training approach is great for utilizing fat stores efficiently. He has been discussing it quite frequently I agree, but it’s also because he practices what he preaches and his channel is very personal. We kinda follow his training and he talks about it as he goes. He’s tested this and it seems to have worked for him.

[@markmm29]

Sean Dalton I like your point that it’s personal and we choose to follow his approach, that is very fair and something I overlooked. I question what “good” looks like for him. With a lot of freedom to train, a great coach and all the best kit I actually don’t think 9’40 is very good, especially on that course in that field.

[@michaelkennedy9031]

@@urbanciber6839 Vegan isn't a diet. 100% processed could be vegan and a whole food plant based are is considered Vegan. One is considered extremely unhealthy while the other has been proven as the only diet to reverse heart disease

[@scottcollins5522]

Why do you continually make keto sound dangerous painful or whatever? There are loads of keto athletes including LeBron James. There are loads of keto diet clinics sponsored by major universities. The Armed Forces in the US is considering switching to a keto diet. Yet you seem to think you have some special insight. Is there something that your deep research knows that the rest of the world does not? Please share.

[@michaelkennedy9031]

The Keto diet was never created for the norm. It was designed to help people with epilepsy. Asking the body to create and use ketones instead of carbs and fat I have yet to see any research that states this is the way to go. If you do I would be interested to have a read or even any professional long course triathletes who use ketones as their fuel source