Gaining Muscle on Low-Carb and Keto Diet

There have been a lot of buzz about low carb diets for fat loss but what about muscle gain and improved exercise performance? Some have speculating that low carb diets may enhance exercise performance due to people becoming fat adapted & better at using fat for fuel

In ultra endurance athletes this appears to be fine, but once you get above 70% of a VO2 Max we start to see significant performance decrements on low carb diets.

During high intensity exercise we see even greater impairments in exercise performance from low carb diets, likely due to decreased glycogen availability in muscle. While muscle can use fat for fuel at low intensities (aerobic exercise) it is unable to use fat during high intensity (anaerobic) exercise. Thus, when glycogen is limited, less glucose is available for anaerobic metabolism & performance is impaired.

When it comes to muscle gain, there is some evidence from Vargas et al that men who resistance trained while on a low carb diet gained LESS muscle and strength than those who at the same calories and protein on a higher carb diet. While carbohydrates do not stimulate protein synthesis they do decrease muscle protein breakdown & this may explain the differences observed in these studies as well as possible differences in exercise performance making it more difficult to create progressive overload in the low carb group.

In this video I break it all down 😬

[Credi]

I’ve been on keto for 3 months and I’ve gained a lot of muscle and lost fat at the same time!

[richardmiller]

The problem with low carb and keto for muscle gain is that you need to trigger insulin for mTor to kick in. Keto, especially when combined with fasting, is very muscle sparing. You just never grow. The best method I have found after 2 1/2 years of keto(it's therapeutic for my ADHD) is to work out with heavy weights or high intensity at the end of a fast and break the fast with enough carbs to trigger an insulin response combined with a lean protein source. MTor will be triggered at a much higher rate and the body will usually convert back to fat for fuel after about an hour. The secret is to never combine carbs and fats in the same meal. You can use carbs on keto if you are working out. It's all about timing.

[Michael_Lak]

It's more important to have less fat around one's internal organs than having the extra strength/size. You are going to have a much better and healthier life.

[sr-elgt]

I’d did Keto for 2 years and lost 40lbs. Felt great and happy to look thin. However, I was squishy and aesthetically not really where I wanted to be. I’m now strength training and focus on hitting protein goal, increased carbs, modest fat and still in 15pc calorie deficit. I’m absolutely over the moon to see my body recomp and I’m getting leaner and stronger. It all depends on the goal one wants to achieve with any dietary intervention. One size doesn’t fit all. I now see this as self care than a ‘ diet’ and that change in mindset has been a big influence in being consistent and adherent.

[godsgifttoarth]

One of the things that sets layne apart from other commentators, he actually offers and opinion or outcome at the end. "I think that x is happening". Most just vaguely dance around the subject and then end the video and I've learnt as much as I did from reading the study prior.

[christophergriffith]

"Not optimal" being key there. I'm a big keto proponent and have been for years and you're absolutely right. Less glycogen causes noticeable differences in strength training. I noticed this when I'd do my monthly caution-to-the wind- cheat day and load up on Chipotle burritos on that Friday. My Saturday leg day after loading up on carbs was ALWAYS better all hopped up on glucose.

[uncommonsense]

You can definitely grow and gain strength on a keto which I have done over the last few months but I
Never really feel super strong everything feels kind of heavy and my strength can diminish very quickly from one rep to the next . I always train and grow better when carbs are in my diet for sure . I just find it harder to keep in control my diet with carbs included as they are so addictive ! I’d say keep your fats really high on the keto for best performance.

[kasimirb]

I appreciate your precise analysis and cautious word finding. I agree, optimal and fastest results for muscle building are to be expected with a high carb diet. Regarding the performance on a keto diet though, there are studies which seem to prove the equality of a keto diet. "One striking finding is
that there were no differences in pre-exercise muscle glycogen concentrations or the rate of glycogen synthesis during recovery compared with athletes in the high-carbohydrate diet group." (Volek JS, Freidenreich DJ, Saenz C, Kunces LJ, Creighton BC,
Bartley JM, Davitt PM, Munoz CX, Anderson JM, Maresh CM, et al. Metabolic characteristics of keto-adapted ultra-endurance runners. Metabolism 2016;65(3):100–10.) It is all about adaption. That needs time - which most studies cannot afford.

[TES-btsv]

I have been doing resistance training since 1975. I was forced to go low-carb when an Auto-Immune attack destroyed my pancreas in 2017. Since low-carb, I went from 200 lbs to 160 lbs. Since I choose not to bolus, the carb-insulin connection just does not allow for more than approximately 40 grams of carbs per day. I have given up rice, bread, flour, sugar, and fruit, yet I do not miss them. Although I have lost approximately 25% of my strength, I feel that I am in great shape. I have had several fellow gym-members comment on how 'cut' I am. My experience is in-line with what you are saying here.

[coybardin]

There needs to be a long term study it could potentially take 6 months to be fully fat adapted, I lifted significantly less when switching to keto but after my body got used to it my endurance and strength has gone through the roof

[eoinhernon]

Great info and good to hear he’s not biased and totally against keto!! I have to say though as someone who has been lifting on and off for years and have been injured for the last 1.5 years I was always on the normal bodybuilding diet but the biggest problem is since I can remember I’ve been addicted to carbs, I have done cutting and bulking and even with bulking I couldn’t wait for the cheat meal which always turned into the cheat weekend and then I struggled for the week with cravings!! Since I went on the keto diet I feel much better and very little to no cravings for sweet things, honestly I feel free from an addiction which I know sounds stupid but it’s true!! So everyone is different but when I go back training and let’s say the keto diet is not as optimum as a bodybuilding diet but who cares if you feel better and at least get shredded easier!! Also again everyone is different you might be able to stay in keto and have a certain amount of carbs post/pre workout if you train hard so best of both worlds?

[Tuner]

The studies should include the specs on the ketogenic dieters. 75% Fat, 20% Protein, 5% Carb. But there was a study done relatively recently (don't remember who did it) but, they found that as long as you maintain the keto ratio 75/20/5 then you can increase the amount of carbs/protein/fats by increasing caloric intake to build/bulk muscle. For example if I were to consume my weight in protein I'd need to consume 4100 calories to maintain the 75/20/5 ratio and I would still be in ketosis because my body would be burning fat 1st and anytime I consumed carbs it would temporarily switch and store. BTW fat, protein, and carbs can be converted into glucose, not just carbs.

[truthbetold]

I did keto last year with 5 x 5 strong lifts, i have a lot of experience with keto been doing on and off since bodyopus dan duchaine back in 1996. Most people on keto fail to take there electrolytes which makes a huge difference, also creatine works wonders on keto and eating enough calories.

But keto is not for everyone lots of people won't stick with it.

For me keto is more for cancer prevention and health issues.

[michaelameier]

I think targeted keto or cyclical keto will give one the best of both worlds (training with and without carbs). Wish there was a study showing the differences between keto and targeted or cyclical keto in regards to the gains.

[Kyshalise]

This was the best most important informative video I’ve seen all of the other people talking about this just dance around the topic thank you for getting straight to the point and being clear about it!!!

[LaserStarlet]

I've read something to this effect but this is the first really good review of what might explain my issues. After hiting a weight loss plateau, I started a keto diet (from an initial fat fast), and I must say that my running abilities dropped to nearly zero. It's been a month - I wanted to give this a chance - and, while I used to run 5km in a breeze (4 x per week), now I can't do a full 1 km without stopping to catch my breath. It's as if I were running in water, or on a jovian planet. As a side note, I have not noticed any effect on lifting moderate weights. But the keto did break my plateau, and I feel great in my mind otherwise. I guess there is always a tradeoff!

[pchuck]

This makes so much sense! At one time I was fasting and doing low carbs. I had to cut down volume on all my barbell training. I went from 3x5 to 3x3. I notice fat loss and some muscle development. I can see how heavy band training can be a good alternative to free weights while on a low carb diet. If there's any data on that, I'd love to see it!

[afhollister]

Great info! What I’ve seen in my 4 years doing keto is the most folks are doing keto for treatment of health issues/weight loss. When it comes to weight maintenance, strength gaining/lean bulking, those folks typically implement a targeted or cyclical ketogenic diet which will be optimal especially when it’s paired with a high protein keto diet. Like you said, carbs for muscle gaining = optimal, but ≠ essential. 🙏🏼

[christopherdoran]

The hormone response to food is what its all about. Keep insulin low and don't gain fat. I do 16/8 so two meals a day with 70% fat the rest protein pretty much and keep getting stronger at the gym and clothes are getting looser in the waist. Also my bloodwork is completely normal across the board since doing this which is certainly good for longevity. Find what works for you.

[mabe]

The thing is that it takes 1-2 years for your body to completely adapt to a keto diet. Those studies only look at the first few moths at max and therefore catch people at their weakest time with depleted glycogen stores. Obviously they can't build much muscle in that time. After 1-2 years your muscle glycogen will be always filled up by just eating meat. Great fat and ketone metabolism in all organs ensure that glucose/glycogen is spared and only required for the hardest of tasks, while liver gluconeogenesis gets faster and faster over time up to a point at which empy glycogen stores are filled up by a stomach full of fatty meat. that's how it works and that's the reason why most carnivore animals are fast and strong. Or how do you think they fill up their glycogen?

Don't worry, if you are young and active 6 month is enough for most (80-90%) of the adaptation to take place in most people and you aleady feel like a superhuman. but for studies please use 100% adapted ketonebuddies.