Building Muscle On Keto: Is It Possible?

The ketogenic, or keto, diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet. It involves drastically lowering your carb intake and consuming fat instead. This helps your body transition into a metabolic state known as ketosis. For a long time, many people assumed that it was impossible to build muscle on a keto diet or low-carb diets in general. However, recent research shows that even high-level powerlifters make strength gains on a ketogenic diet.

Resistance training

According to research, resistance training at least twice a week is more effective at promoting muscle growth than training once per week. Compound exercises that engage multiple muscle groups, such as deadlifting, squats, and pull-ups, will help you grow muscle faster. Additionally, progressive overload is an important principle to incorporate into your training regimen. This involves progressively increasing the weight, the number of repetitions, or the number of sets to continuously challenge your muscles.

It is recommended to perform at least ten sets per muscle group per week for optimal muscle growth. It is also beneficial to include a variety of exercises that target different muscle fibres and angles, such as compound movements and isolation exercises.

If you are new to resistance training, consider hiring a personal trainer to guide you through proper techniques, maximise your efforts, and reduce the risk of injury.

Consuming enough calories

To build muscle effectively, you need to consistently eat more calories than you burn. This means eating at least as many calories as you burn daily and ideally maintaining a slight calorie surplus. You can determine your maintenance calories by monitoring your weight and food intake over time. Once you know your maintenance calories, aim to increase your calorie intake by about 15% to promote muscle growth. For example, if your maintenance calories are 2,000 per day, you should aim for 2,300 calories per day to support muscle building.

It's important to note that the keto diet can be very filling due to its high-fat content, so you may need to make a conscious effort to consume enough calories. Additionally, keto's appetite-suppressing effects can further contribute to undereating. Therefore, tracking your calorie intake can be helpful to ensure you're getting enough fuel for muscle growth.

While in ketosis, your body breaks down fat to produce ketones, which provide energy for your muscles, organs, and even your brain. However, not all organs can function without carbohydrates entirely. Hence, a small amount of glucose is still necessary, and your body can obtain this through a process called gluconeogenesis, where it converts some of the protein you consume into glucose.

When determining your calorie intake, it's crucial to consider your protein and carbohydrate intake as well. Aim for a moderate protein intake of around 20% of your calories, and keep your carbohydrate intake very low, at 5-10% of your calories. The rest of your calories will come from fat.

For example, if you require 2,500 calories per day and aim for 150 grams of protein and 50 grams of carbohydrates, you'll get 800 calories from protein and carbohydrates combined. The remaining 1,700 calories should come from fat.

In summary, building muscle on a keto diet requires consuming enough calories while maintaining a balanced intake of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Ensure you're in a calorie surplus, track your intake if needed, and adjust your diet to meet your muscle-building goals.

Eating enough protein

Protein is an essential part of building muscle. It is the building block of muscles, which means that you need to consume more protein than your body breaks down through natural processes when trying to build muscle.

Most studies suggest that eating 0.7–0.9 grams of protein per pound of body weight (1.6–2.0 grams per kg) is ideal for building muscle. For example, a person weighing 150 pounds should eat between 109-150 grams of protein per day.

If you are struggling to reach your daily protein needs, you could use a protein powder supplement, such as whey, casein, pea, or hemp protein.

There is some concern among keto dieters about consuming too much protein because it could encourage your body to use gluconeogenesis — a process in which amino acids are converted from protein into sugar, which could stop your body from making ketones. However, studies have shown that people can safely consume around 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight (2.1 grams per kg) and stay in ketosis.

High-Protein Foods

• Game meats (venison, elk, bison, duck, etc.)
• Chicken, beef, fish, and eggs
• Dairy products such as milk, cottage cheese, curd, quark, hard and soft cheeses, yoghurt, and butter
• Nuts and seeds
• Eggs

Timing your protein and carb intake

• Consume protein evenly throughout the day: Avoid consuming large amounts of protein in a single sitting, as it can rapidly decrease your ketone levels and disrupt your state of ketosis. Aim to include protein in every meal to maintain consistency.
• Pre-workout carb intake: Some experts suggest timing your carb intake by consuming your entire day's allotment right before your training session. This strategy, known as the targeted keto diet (TKD), aims to improve exercise performance and enhance recovery. However, it is essential to consult a professional to determine if this approach aligns with your specific goals.
• Post-workout protein and carb intake: While consuming a protein shake or meal after a workout is common, research suggests that adding carbohydrates is unnecessary for stimulating muscle growth. A sufficient amount of protein, around 20–30 grams, in your post-workout meal or shake is enough to promote muscle protein synthesis.
• High-protein ketogenic diet: If your primary goal is to build muscle, consider a high-protein variant of the keto diet. In this approach, you slightly decrease your fat intake and increase your protein consumption. This modification ensures you're getting adequate protein to support muscle growth.
• Supplements: If you find it challenging to meet your protein goals through diet alone, consider incorporating protein supplements such as whey, casein, pea, or hemp protein. Additionally, exogenous ketone supplements may provide an extra boost of keto-friendly energy for your workouts.

Supplements

While supplements are not necessary for muscle building, they can help you perform better in the gym and make it easier to pack on muscle. Here are some supplements that can help with building muscle on a keto diet:

• Creatine Monohydrate — Creatine is one of the most well-researched supplements when it comes to muscle building. It can help improve gym performance and lead to increased muscle gain.
• Caffeine — Caffeine is a great pre-workout boost and can give you the energy needed to perform high-intensity training sessions.
• Exogenous Ketone Supplements — These supplements can boost your ketone levels, lower your appetite, and improve your exercise performance.
• Medium-Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) — MCTs, such as coconut oil, are easily absorbed by the body and converted into ketones, which can be used as an energy source. They can also help you stay in ketosis while consuming more carbs.
• Protein Powder — A quality protein powder, such as whey, casein, pea, or hemp protein, can help you meet your daily protein goals and support muscle growth.

It is important to note that while supplements can be beneficial, they are not required to build muscle on a keto diet. A well-structured diet and consistent resistance training are the key factors in achieving muscle growth.

Frequently asked questions