Sep 29, 2020
To watch this episode, please visit Rachel’s YouTube channel.
Listeners can find Robert Sikes at his website Keto Savage, on Instagram @ketosavage, on Facebook @TeamSavage, and You Tube @LiveSavage.
Robert Orion Sikes is a lifetime natural, competitive bodybuilder. He started training as a junior in high school weighing a whopping 115 pounds. In the beginning, he followed traditional, “bro-dieting” wisdom which consisted of eating 6 or 7 meals a day filled with carbohydrates and very high protein. This nutritional protocol led to a downward spiral of health issues and disordered eating. After his third bodybuilding competition, Robert decided to try something new and began experimenting with a high fat, strict ketogenic approach to bodybuilding. He formulated his own approach to contest prep nutrition leveraging keto, and earned his pro-status with bodybuilding in 2017. Robert has since dedicated his life to learning and teaching others the benefits of following a well-formulated, ketogenic lifestyle. The lessons learned led to his creation of the Keto Brick, a 1,000 calorie, ketogenic performance meal.
Robert now works alongside his wife Crystal and their amazing team to continually create content and add a ton of value within this community. His mission is, and will continue to be, empowering others to believe in themselves and truly tap into their full potential by optimizing their body and mind.
In this episode, we talk about using a ketogenic diet for both competitive and ‘gen-pop’ bodybuilding, the effects of being in a continuous caloric deficit, the importance of nutritional periodization, reverse dieting, ‘practicing maintenance,’ pursuing business goals and more!
"When you can get to the point where your metabolism is upregulated enough that you can consume a surplus of calories and not have adverse effects, that's when you know you're doing something right." Robert Sikes
Top Takeaways:
- Why we can’t put on significant muscle without a little bit of body fat coming along for the ride
- Reasons keto may have stopped working for you after a period of time
- The importance of using other metrics alongside the scale to record data
- A wise piece of advice if you’re itching to start your own business
Show Notes:
- [0:00] Welcome back to MetFlex and Chill! Rachel introduces the listeners to special guest Robert Sikes @ketosavage
- [0:30] Robert chats about the early days of bodybuilding and traditional “bro-dieting” tactics
- [2:30] The concept of nutritional periodization
- [4:00] Can you talk about how you look at nutritional periodization in terms of going through cuts, going through periods of maintenance, going through periods of bulking? And what you've seen from that, and then also working with your clients?
- [11:30] Roberts perspective of reverse dieting for the general population vs. bodybuilding competitors
- [16:00] Maintenance in terms of a range vs. a specific number
- [20:00] The effects of being in a continuous caloric deficit
- [24:00] Is it possible to build as much muscle at maintenance level intake vs. a higher surplus?
- [26:00] Why can't we just put on muscle and not put on body fat?
- [27:30] What should you do when keto works fantastic until it doesn't? Three years later and gaining weight again.
- [34:00] I know you promote high fat? Is there any reason to taper fat down and increase protein?
- [37:30] What's your viewpoint on this concept of metabolic flexibility?
- [44:00] How long do you plan to keep up that amount of muscle? It seems super time-consuming.
- [47:00] Why would someone begin losing muscle, not enough calories, or not enough exercise?
- [49:00] Robert dives into the early stages of his business ideas and how he became a serial entrepreneur. In a great way!
- [1:01:30] What's something that you've changed your mind about in the last year? And why?
- [1:04:00] Episode 39: Becoming Lady Savage with Crystal Sikes
- [1:06:00] You can check out all of Roberts’ businesses here: Keto Brick, Live savage, apparel, Keto Savage
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Rachel Gregory (@rachelgregory.cns) is a Board-Certified Nutrition Specialist, Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and Author of the best-selling book, 21-Day Ketogenic Diet Weight Loss Challenge. She received her Master’s Degree in Nutrition & Exercise Physiology from James Madison University and Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Medicine from the University of Miami.
Rachel helps her clients transform their lives by starting with the physical (body), realizing the power of the mental (mindset), and ultimately gaining massive confidence that bleeds into every aspect of their lives (family, relationships, work, etc.).