Dante Carrillo
The carnivore diet is a high-fat and high-protein diet with minimal carbs, and it can be effective for muscle building. To train hard on the carnivore diet, it is important to focus on getting enough protein, as this provides the amino acids necessary for muscle repair and growth. Animal proteins, such as those found in beef, chicken, pork, and fish, are ideal sources of protein. In addition to protein, it is crucial to consume enough calories and healthy fats, which can increase testosterone and support muscle growth. Timing meals around workouts is also important, with protein-rich meals 1-2 hours before and after training being ideal for muscle protein synthesis and recovery. To prevent electrolyte loss, a common issue on low-carb diets, it is recommended to salt meats or use electrolyte powders. Finally, adequate sleep is essential for muscle recovery and growth. While the carnivore diet may not be ideal for endurance-based activities or long workouts, it can support strength training and muscle building with proper nutrition and supplementation.
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What You'll Learn
- Consume high-quality protein sources like beef, chicken, pork, and fish
- Focus on strength training exercises like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses
- Prioritize sleep and recovery to allow muscles to rebuild and grow
- Consider intermittent fasting and timing meals around workouts for optimal muscle protein synthesis
- Maintain adequate electrolyte levels to avoid fatigue and support muscle function
Consume high-quality protein sources like beef, chicken, pork, and fish
The carnivore diet is a restrictive diet that only includes meat, fish, and other animal foods. It is claimed to aid an array of health issues, including weight loss, health and autoimmune issues. The diet focuses on animal-based foods, so it is important to choose high-quality sources of meat, fish, and poultry.
Beef is a powerhouse of nutrition, rich in essential nutrients like iron, vitamin B12, and zinc. It's also a great source of high-quality protein and saturated fats, crucial for energy and cellular health. Grass-fed beef, in particular, is higher in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. Prioritise whole cuts of meat, but processed meats can be included in moderation, such as bacon, beef jerky, and sausages.
Chicken is a lean source of protein that is lower in fat compared to red meats. It provides essential nutrients like niacin and selenium and is particularly beneficial for those watching their calorie intake. Pasture-raised chicken is preferable to ensure nutrient density. Chicken hearts and chicken breasts, thighs, and wings are also good options.
Pork, particularly fattier cuts, can be a great addition to the carnivore diet. It provides bioavailable heme iron and high-quality protein. Pork belly, bacon, and pork chops are popular choices. Pork brains are also a source of omega-3 fatty acids and nutrients like choline.
Fish is crucial for heart and brain health, especially oily fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Fish is also a great source of protein and provides vital vitamins like D and B12, often lacking in a meat-only diet. Wild-caught fish is ideal to ensure nutrient density.
To build muscle on the carnivore diet, it is important to focus on eating more calories and animal fats. Consuming liberal amounts of animal fat will help to meet your energy needs. In addition, aim to take in around 100 grams of carbs per day, split before and after your workouts. This will provide a positive insulin response to promote protein synthesis and increase your anabolic hormone response throughout the night.
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Focus on strength training exercises like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses
If you're following a carnivore diet, strength training can be challenging, but it's not impossible. In fact, it can be an effective way to build muscle. To train hard, focus on strength training exercises like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses, which are considered the most important exercises for bodybuilding and powerlifting. These compound exercises target multiple muscle groups and create a foundation for your physique, supporting all your other training.
The squat is a fundamental movement pattern that transfers into everyday life, improving your general mobility and flexibility. It builds strength in your quads, hamstrings, and glutes while also enhancing your core balance. To perform a basic squat, start with your feet hip-width apart and bend your knees as if you're about to sit back in a chair, keeping your torso upright. For added difficulty, you can hold a kettlebell in each hand, with the weight resting on your forearms. This puts extra focus on stabilising your spine and hips.
The bench press is another crucial exercise that targets the muscles in your back, legs, and core. To perform a bench press, lie on a bench press rack and lift a weight, typically a barbell or dumbbells. Make sure your hands are slightly wider than shoulder width, with your palms facing away from you. Lower the weight steadily towards your chest and then push it back up to the starting position, exhaling as you do so.
Deadlifts are considered one of the biggest compound exercises, working your entire body. They allow you to lift heavier weights and target multiple muscle groups, including your upper traps and calves. To perform a deadlift, start with the weight on the floor and lift it up, keeping your back straight and core tight.
When incorporating these exercises into your routine, consider performing them in the order of squats, bench presses, and deadlifts. This allows for proper warm-up and recovery between lifts. Additionally, focus on perfecting your form and gradually building up weight to prevent injuries and maximise the benefits. Remember to supplement your training with adequate sleep, salt intake, and a higher protein diet to support muscle growth and recovery.
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Prioritize sleep and recovery to allow muscles to rebuild and grow
Sleep is essential for muscle recovery and growth. During sleep, the body releases human growth hormone (HGH), which plays a crucial role in muscle repair and growth. HGH stimulates protein synthesis, the process by which damaged muscle fibres are repaired and new muscle tissue is built. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, deeper sleep leads to the release of more HGH. On the other hand, a deficiency of HGH is linked to loss of muscle mass and reduced exercise capacity.
Sleep also helps replenish muscle glycogen, a critical energy source that gets depleted when we work out. Myofibrillar proteins are the building blocks of myofibrils, tube-shaped cells that chain together to form muscle fibres. Weightlifting is catabolic, breaking down muscles. Sleep is anabolic, rebuilding them. During the non-REM sleep phase, your body physically repairs itself from the day. Your muscles undergo “damage” during training, causing microscopic tears. This activates cells from outside the muscle fibres, which rush to the area of the tears, replicate, mature into grown cells, and fuse to your muscle fibres.
Sleep is also important for the cellular, organic, and systemic functions of an organism. Its absence can be harmful to health, affecting feeding behaviour, glucose regulation, blood pressure, cognitive processes, and some hormonal axes. Sleep deprivation can lead to a decrease in muscle mass and muscle recovery. One study found that sleep-deprived men who exercised had less myofibrillar protein synthesis, leading to decreased muscle mass over time. Another study found that a group sleeping for 5.5 hours lost more muscle mass than fat, compared to a group sleeping for 8.5 hours.
To train hard on the carnivore diet, it is important to prioritize sleep and recovery. The carnivore diet is an effective nutrition program for muscle building, but it can be tricky. It is a low-carb diet, which reduces electrolyte levels. To build muscle, it is important to make every workout as intense as possible, and having low electrolyte levels can hinder this. Therefore, it is recommended to boost your electrolyte levels by salting your meats or adding an electrolyte powder to your water before workouts.
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Consider intermittent fasting and timing meals around workouts for optimal muscle protein synthesis
Intermittent fasting can be a great strategy for improving muscle protein synthesis, but it is important to be mindful of the timing of meals around your workouts.
The basic premise of intermittent fasting is to only eat during a specific window and fast for the remaining time. A popular version of this involves an 8-hour eating window and a 16-hour fasting window. While this can be effective for fat loss, it can also impact your workouts, especially if you are trying to build muscle mass.
If you are performing high-intensity activities like lifting weights, it is important to have adequate fuel, and fasting can leave you feeling weak and lethargic. In this case, it is recommended to schedule your lifting workouts during your feeding window. For example, if your eating window is from noon to 8 pm, try to work out around 5 pm, and then consume a high-protein meal afterward to aid in recovery. This strategy ensures you have energy for your workout and can properly refuel afterward.
Additionally, the timing of your meals in relation to your workouts can impact muscle protein synthesis. When you consume a high-protein meal, it spikes muscle protein synthesis, but if your next meal is too soon, you may not get another spike as the amino acids from the previous meal are still active. This can lead to the protein from the second meal being used for energy rather than muscle building. Therefore, creating a long enough break between meals can maximize muscle protein synthesis and minimize muscle protein breakdown.
However, it is important to note that extended periods of fasting can also increase muscle protein breakdown. To mitigate this, you can adjust your eating window or consider having a small meal or snack during your fasting period to provide your body with fuel. For instance, you could have a pre-workout snack and then a larger post-workout meal to refuel and aid in recovery.
Overall, when incorporating intermittent fasting with a carnivore diet and workout routine, it is crucial to consider the timing of your meals in relation to your workouts to optimize muscle protein synthesis and support your fitness goals.
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Maintain adequate electrolyte levels to avoid fatigue and support muscle function
Maintaining adequate electrolyte levels is crucial when following a carnivore diet, especially if you are physically active and training hard. Electrolytes are essential minerals that play a vital role in regulating nerve and muscle function, hydration, blood pressure, and tissue repair. A carnivore diet, being low in carbohydrates, can lead to a reduction in electrolyte levels, specifically sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium.
Sodium is the most critical electrolyte to focus on when on a carnivore diet. It is essential for muscle contractions, including the heart. Aim for 3000-5000 mg of sodium per day, which is more than the average person needs. Use high-quality salts like Himalayan Pink Salt, sea salt, or mineral salt, and add them generously to your food and water. You can also drink sole water, which is made by dissolving unrefined mineral salt in water, providing a balanced spectrum of minerals.
Potassium works together with sodium to maintain balance in the body. Aim for 3000-4800 mg of potassium daily. Good dietary sources include beef, mackerel, bacon, and bone broth.
Magnesium is crucial for muscle and nerve function, the immune system, and heart health. Most people need around 300-400 mg of magnesium per day, but active individuals may require more. Beef, mackerel, sardines, and magnesium oil or tablets are excellent sources. Topical magnesium applied directly to the skin can improve magnesium levels without causing gastrointestinal discomfort.
Calcium is essential for bone health, muscle contractions, and blood clotting. The recommended daily intake is around 1000 mg. However, it is challenging to obtain sufficient calcium on a carnivore diet as it requires vitamin D and K for proper absorption, which are often lacking in modern diets.
By ensuring adequate intake of these electrolytes, you can avoid symptoms of deficiency, such as fatigue, muscle cramps, dizziness, headaches, and weakness. Additionally, proper electrolyte balance will directly impact your energy levels, exercise performance, and mental clarity, enabling you to train harder and support your muscle function effectively.
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Frequently asked questions
Focus on strength training and endurance training, which require the least amount of short bursts of power and rely on fat as a source of fuel.
Focus on eating high-quality, bioavailable protein sources, such as animal proteins like beef, chicken, pork, and fish. Eat fatty cuts of meat and organs, like beef liver, to ensure you get enough vitamins and minerals.
Time your meals around your workouts to optimise muscle protein synthesis. Eat a protein-rich meal 1-2 hours before training and another meal after your workout to aid in recovery. Make sure you're getting enough electrolytes, especially if you're sweating a lot during your workouts.
Consider taking creatine, a multivitamin, and omega-3 supplements. These can help enhance muscle gain, fill in nutritional gaps, and support inflammation control and cardiovascular health.
