Keto And Muscle Gain: A Powerful Combination

The ketogenic diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet that has become increasingly popular. It involves drastically lowering your carb intake and consuming fat instead. This helps your body transition into a metabolic state known as ketosis, where your body uses fat and ketone bodies as its primary energy source.

For a long time, many people assumed that it was impossible to build muscle on a keto diet. This is because low-carb diets restrict carbs, which promote the release of insulin, an anabolic hormone that helps create conditions that drive muscle growth.

However, recent studies have shown that it is possible to build muscle on the keto diet. For example, a study in 25 college-aged men found that a traditional Western diet and the ketogenic diet were equally effective for muscle gain, strength, and performance. Other studies have shown that keto may provide similar strength and performance gains as a conventional high-carb diet while also helping shed body fat.

To build muscle on a keto diet, it is recommended to determine your calorie intake, eat plenty of protein, track your carb intake, and increase your fat intake. Resistance training is also crucial for building muscle on the keto diet.

Resistance training is key

Resistance training typically involves lifting weights or doing other strength-based exercises to build strength and gain muscle mass. According to a review of ten studies, resistance training at least twice a week was more effective at promoting muscle growth than training once per week. Try incorporating exercises like squats, bench presses, pull-ups, and push-ups into your weekly resistance training routine to encourage muscle growth.

If you're new to the gym, consider hiring a personal trainer to show you the proper techniques to maximise your efforts and reduce your risk of injury.

If you're already following a resistance exercise program you like, feel free to continue using it. A training program that is effective on a standard high-carb diet is also effective on a low-carb diet like keto.

Progressive overload is the most important thing for gaining muscle and strength. Always try to increase the weight you use or do one more rep with a certain weight.

Anything between 3 and 30 reps works for building muscle. From a practical standpoint, 6-15 is a good starting point. Always using heavy weights taxes your joints, and high-rep training to failure can be mentally exhausting.

You should perform at least ten sets per muscle group and week if you want optimal results in the form of muscle growth. It doesn't matter whether you work a muscle once or five times a week, as long as your total weekly training volume is the same. You will benefit from spreading your training volume over several workouts if you're into high-volume training. Otherwise, the quality of your sets may suffer.

Rest for two minutes or longer between sets. Include a variety of exercises to target your muscle fibres from different angles, and mix and match compound movements and isolation exercises instead of relying solely on one or the other.

Consume adequate calories

Consuming an adequate number of calories is essential for building muscle on a keto diet. Here are some tips to ensure you're getting enough calories while following a ketogenic diet:

Determine Your Calorie Needs

First, you need to determine how many calories your body requires to maintain its current weight. This is known as your maintenance calories. You can use an online calorie calculator or manually track your calorie intake and expenditure over a week to determine this number. If your weight remains stable, then you've found your maintenance calories.

Calorie Surplus for Muscle Gain

If your primary goal is to build muscle, you'll likely need to consume more calories than you burn. Aim for a slight calorie surplus of around 200-500 calories above your maintenance level. This ensures you're gaining lean mass rather than body fat.

Focus on Healthy Keto Foods

To increase your calorie intake, focus on healthy, calorie-dense keto foods. Include more olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, nuts, fatty fish, eggs, full-fat dairy, and butter in your diet. These foods will help you meet your calorie needs while also adhering to the keto diet.

Prioritize Protein

Protein is crucial for muscle growth and repair. Include protein-rich foods in every meal, such as meat, fish, eggs, and dairy. A general guideline is to consume between 1.4-2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.

Track Your Macros

Keep track of your macronutrient intake to ensure you're getting enough calories from the right sources. Use a food tracking app or manually record your food intake to make sure you're meeting your calorie and macronutrient goals.

Manage Your Snacking

Snacking can be a great way to increase your calorie intake, but it can also lead to overeating if not done mindfully. Choose healthy, protein-rich snacks like nuts, eggs, or nut butter. Avoid high-sugar snacks, and base your snacking frequency on your activity level.

Get Sufficient Sleep

Sleep plays a vital role in muscle recovery and growth. Aim for at least seven hours of quality sleep each night to support your muscle-building goals and regulate your appetite and hormones.

Exercise Regularly

Engage in regular strength training and resistance exercises to stimulate muscle growth. Combine this with a calorie surplus, and you'll create the optimal environment for muscle growth and development.

Remember, building muscle on a keto diet is possible, but it requires a thoughtful approach to ensure you're consuming enough calories and the right types of foods.

Eat plenty of protein

Protein is a key macronutrient when it comes to building muscle on keto. Here are some tips to ensure you're eating enough:

Calculate Your Protein Needs

First, you need to work out how much protein you should be eating. A good rule of thumb is to consume between 1.2 and 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. If you're very active, you may need up to 2 grams per kilogram. Use an online calculator or consult a nutritionist to get a more precise figure.

Spread Your Protein Intake Throughout the Day

Don't try to cram all your protein into one meal. Eating protein at every meal will help keep your ketone levels consistent and ensure your body has a steady supply of amino acids to build muscle. Aim for at least 20 grams of protein per meal.

Choose Protein-Rich Foods

Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy are all excellent sources of protein. When it comes to meat, opt for fattier cuts. Nuts and seeds are also good sources of protein, but be mindful of their carb content.

Consider Protein Supplements

If you're struggling to meet your protein goals, consider adding protein supplements to your diet. Collagen protein supplements are a good option, as collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and offers a range of health benefits.

Don't Fear Gluconeogenesis

Some people worry that eating too much protein will kick them out of ketosis through a process called gluconeogenesis, where the body converts protein into glucose. However, this process is necessary for survival and won't interfere with ketosis.

Track your carb intake

Tracking Your Carb Intake

Tracking your carb intake is an important part of sticking to a keto diet. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you monitor your carbohydrate consumption:

Step 1: Identify Individual Food Items

Note down each food item in your meal. If you're cooking from a recipe, list all the ingredients used. For pre-packaged foods with nutrition labels, you can skip this step.

Step 2: Calculate Serving Sizes

If your food has a nutrition label, check the "serving size" and "servings per container." Convert the units from your recipe to match the label's serving size units, then calculate how many servings are in your recipe. This will help determine the amount of carbohydrates per serving.

Step 3: Use the USDA Food Search Tool

For fresh foods without nutrition labels, use the USDA Food Search tool (https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list) to find the specific food item. This tool will provide nutritional information for a variety of fresh foods.

Step 4: Search and Modify Quantity

Once you've found the food item, scroll horizontally to find the quantity that matches your recipe. You can modify the column by entering the desired serving size to get the corresponding nutritional values.

Step 5: Identify and Record Carb Content

Locate the total carbohydrate content for the quantity you selected. Record this value for each food item in your recipe, and repeat this process for all items.

Step 6: Sum the Carbohydrate Values

Add up the carb values for each food item in your meal. This will give you the total grams of carbohydrates in your dish.

Step 7: Convert to Calories

To convert the total grams of carbs into calories, multiply the sum by 4. This will give you the total calories derived from carbohydrates in your meal.

Step 8: Estimate Your Consumption

Estimate how much of the dish you consumed as a decimal. For example, if you ate half the dish, it would be 0.5. Multiply this decimal by the total grams and calories of carbs to determine your carb intake for that meal.

Repeat this process for each meal and snack throughout the day to get a comprehensive understanding of your carb intake. Additionally, consider using food tracking apps or journals to make the process easier and to help you meet your athletic or weight loss goals.

Increase your fat intake

When on a keto diet, your body relies primarily on fat for fuel. This is because when you limit your carb intake, your body enters a metabolic state called ketosis, where it uses fat and ketone bodies as its primary energy source.

To increase your fat intake, you should calculate your fat requirements based on your protein and carb needs. Both protein and carbs provide 4 calories per gram, while fat provides 9. After determining your protein and carb needs, subtract that number from your daily calorie needs, then divide the final number by 9. This will give you your daily fat requirements in grams.

For example, if you require 2,300 calories for muscle gain, and you're consuming 110 grams of protein and 50 grams of carbs, you will need to get the remaining 1,660 calories from fat. This equates to approximately 185 grams of fat.

It's important to note that the keto diet has no set limit for fat intake. It is determined by your energy requirements, which vary depending on your body size and activity level.

Frequently asked questions