If you're currently thinking of jumping on the low carb bandwagon along with what seems like everyone else in this day and age, it really is essential to consider some things first.

While low carb diets can definitely be very effective as far as weight loss goes, unless you are following a correct set-up, you could just be asking for problems.

Perhaps the biggest thing to factor in is how the low carb diet will affect your exercise performance capability.

Unless you understand the basics behind low carb and exercise, you are going to find your workouts suffering.

Here's what you need to know.

Type Of Exercise Completed

First, it's important to have a look at the type of exercise that you're completing. If it's just a moderate paced cardio session, you're probably fine with just continuing with your typical low carb diet.

But, if you hope to perform either intense weight lifting or sprint sessions, then carbohydrates are a must.

You're body is going to run off ATP for fuel for these exercise sessions, and it's only going to get this ATP from carbohydrates that are eaten.

Recovery

Second, it's important to think about recovery. Since you are only going to grow fitter between your workouts if your body is able to repair itself.

Due to the fact the muscles have just been depleted of their glycogen, it's going to be an optimal time to restock this by eating carbohydrates.

Therefore, in order to fully promote good recovery between sessions, you're going to want to be eating carbohydrates both before and after each of your higher intensity workouts.

How many carbohydrates you need will depend to a large extent on the nature of the workout and your total calorie allowance, but a good place to start is at least 25 grams before and 25 grams after.

Post-Workout Muscular Soreness

Finally, the last factor to keep in mind is post-workout muscular soreness. While carbs before the workout can help to provide the energy to complete the workout with, it's the carbohydrates consumed afterwards that are really going to make a difference in how sore you are from workout to workout.

Some muscular soreness is expected when working out, especially if you're changing around the exercises you're doing, altering the exercise order, or just increasing the weight you are using, but to be constantly sore and unable to hardly move is definitely telling you there is a problem.

If this is the case, try increasing the carbs right after your workout, as this should help to take away some of the pain.

Also remember to stretch immediately after your workouts, as this in itself will also help reduce the amount of soreness that you feel.

So, before you get going on that low carb diet you've been considering, be sure you keep these points in mind.

Going too long on low carb without carbing up while trying to maintain the intensity of your workouts is definitely going to be a surefire strategy to burn yourself out and potentially even injure yourself in the process.