Change in exercise = change in insulin requirements?

[Emck]

Hi all!

I have recently changed my exercise routine from a 3-4 x weekly (at home) hiit class (about 45mins to an hour) to a more weights based workout programme.

I’m not feeling brave enough to back to the gym yet, but wanted a change so signed up to the nobs home guide (https://www.nobsguides.co.uk/nobs-home-guide).

I’m really enjoying it, and I’ve increased my weights beyond anything I was regularly lifting in the gym for this volume of reps (e.g. 16kg for 40 reps of squats). Not huge, but tough enough for me (I would have previously been squatting 10kg in gym pump class) and there is focus on upper body which I haven’t done before.

I’m getting good results and feeling stronger.

However, I have noticed that my insulin requirements seem to have increased. My basal has increased by 5u overnight.

I generally workout before dinner, with hiit I would have needed a 50-75% bolus reduction but with this programme the same length of workout probably only needs a 25% reduction despite getting my heart rate to the same levels and leaving me wrecked afterwards.

Has anyone else seen a uplift in insulin after swapping to weights? It’s really messing with my levels and is taking me some time to figure out.

 

[ert]

Resistance training doesn't decrease my blood sugars as much as more cardio-based exercise, which means I would need less of a bolus reduction for weights like you have found.

https://care.diabetesjournals.org/c...able early postexercise glucose concentration.

 

[NicoleC1971]

Insulin is an an anabolic hormone so needing more might be a sign you are building some new muscles though I'd expect that your sugars might go down after a session as you become more insulin sensitive unless your new fitness focus has caused changes in what you're eating? WHey protein shakes don't come with fat so tend to be more glucose generating for example.
Pump is all about muscle endurance rather than building strength so those classes would drop your sugars more than the reps/weight you describe.
I guess it is all an experiment with your N of 1 as with all type 1s!