A man showing his arms and back muscles
It is very possible to build muscles on Keto. The Keto diet is a low carb, moderate protein, and high-fat diet. Building muscle requires proteins which on keto are consumed in amounts sufficient to grow muscles.
However the amount of protein required by each person is different, Some body types require more proteins than others to see any significant muscle growth.
in that case, the keto diet may inhibit your ability to build muscle as your diet doesn’t contain sufficient proteins. You can increase your protein intake slightly to compensate for this, however, be careful not to go overboard as excess protein is converted by the body into glucose through a process called glucogenesis, kicking you out of ketosis.
When one wants to transition to Ketosis, he/she should consume less than 50g of carbs in a day and eat high fat and moderate protein diet. It takes only about 2 to 4 days to get into ketosis. However, this may not happen for all people since others might take a week or more to get into ketosis.
The keto diet has other significant health benefits, like lowering the risks of various chronic conditions, helping control seizures for some epileptic people, and managing blood sugar levels. Research shows that when one is on the keto diet, he or she is capable of building muscles.
For maximum results when it comes to building muscles. Follow my recommendation below to structure your keto diet
1. Determine your calorie intake
It is very important to consume enough calories than you burn so as to build muscles effectively. You will need to calculate the number of calories your body will require on a daily basis to avoid eating excess calories.
It is recommended you increase your caloric intake by 15% above your maintenance calories when you are trying to build muscles. For example, if your maintenance calories are at 1,800 per day, then you should consume 2,100 in a day to build muscles.
It is of great significance to adjust the intake of calories once a month to fill in the changes you have experienced in weight as you build muscles.
2. Eat plenty of protein
It is vital for you to eat enough proteins as they play a major part in muscle building. They contain amino acids which are the building blocks of muscles, this said, you need to take in more proteins than your body breaks down. Consuming about 0.7 to 0.9 grams of proteins per pound of your body weight is very much okay for bodybuilding.
3. Track your carb intake
When trying to get into ketosis, you should avoid or restrict the consumption of carbs which normally makes up the bulk of calories on most bodybuilders’ diet.
If you have reasons to believe that your progress on the keto diet is being affected, then try to time your carb intake to a few hours before you need to be working out.
4. Increase your fat intake
When on the Keto diet, it is very important to make sure you monitor your intake of fats, because your body completely relies on them for fuel when you deprive it of the carbs it needs. After you make up for the carbs and proteins that your body requires to function normally, the rest of your diet should be made up of fats.
It is also very important you know the fats your body requires on a daily basis. Carbs and proteins give 4 calories per gram and fats 9 calories per gram, subtract your carbs and protein from your daily calories, then the final figure is divided by 9 to determine your daily required fat intake.
5. Resistance train regularly
As much as being on the keto diet is great for building muscles, it is very important you do resistance training which is engaging in weight lifting and cardio to build muscles. Training a minimum of twice per week is recommended in enhancing the growth of muscles compared to training once per week. As you lift the weights, engage in exercises like pushups, squats, and bench presses in your routine to enhance muscle growth.
It’s very important you utilize the gym and if you have little to no knowledge of weight lifting to build muscle, then engage a trainer to help you learn and exercise the proper way to avoid bodily injuries.
It’s also recommended that you track your carb intake which will direct you on the carbs you take in, prepare for expected side effects like nausea, fatigue, and insomnia, ensure you get plenty of sleep as it will help in muscle gain, make sure you test your ketone levels on a regular basis to know whether you are in ketosis or if you need to adjust or slow down for a bit.
Related post: Can you lift weights on a calorie deficit
CAN I BUILD MUSCLE ON KETO AND INTERMITTENT FASTING?
The Keto diet and Intermittent fasting can greatly aid in building muscles. Protein on the keto diet will provide the much-needed building blocks for muscles, while intermittent fasting will allow you to burn excess fat and water weight leading to buffier-looking muscles.
The two combined should be supplemented with weight lifting for maximum muscle gains. However, this is not recommended for some groups of people like the sick and elderly unless the doctor allows it.
Before you begin this muscle-building on keto and intermittent fasting, ensure you keep your plan as simple as possible, especially for beginners. Structure your fast to allow you to take foods before and after your workouts for energy, add weight lifting and cardio for general body muscle gain, and ensure you lift weight in a gym whereby you will get maximum help and provides recommended weight lifting equipment.
Some of the recommended exercises for building muscles while on Keto and Intermittent fasting are squats, deadlifts, bicycle crunches, dumbbells, bench presses, and biceps curls.
CAN I BUILD MUSCLE WHILE IN KETOSIS?
Studies suggest that you can build muscle while in ketosis. Keto can provide close to or similar performance and strength as carb diets while also helping burn fat.
You will be able to gain muscle on this diet since 20 percent of calories on keto are from proteins which play a major role in the building of body muscles. You should have enough sleep, train hard by weight lifting, give your body time to adapt, eat enough, and time your carbs and protein intake.
HOW LONG CAN YOU FAST WITHOUT LOSING MUSCLE?
Fasting is when you deny your body food or eat small portions of food for a certain time period to lose weight or for religious purposes. When it comes to building muscles, food plays a major part, especially proteins.
So, fasting and losing muscles totally depend on the types of fasting you are taking. For a complete fast without food, then it should not go beyond 24 hours because you will surely lose muscles. If you fast for too long without giving your body the nutrients it needs to maintain or build the muscles, you will have muscle atrophy as a result of being in long-term malnourishment.
SUMMARY
When on a keto diet, your body utilizes ketones for fuel and not glucose which is the energy preferred by the body. This diet is mainly utilized for weight loss but nowadays people use it for other reasons. You should calculate your carb, calorie, fats, and proteins level which is based on your weight so as to build muscles with the keto diet. Ensure you get enough sleep, have a well-structured plan for training and eating, and control your carb intake as this will enable you to see the potential of this diet for weight loss and muscle gain.
A combination of the ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting will enable you to build muscles. Watching your calorie intake and working out consistently adds up over time. Eating more food than the recommended amount while on the keto diet will definitely make you add more weight.
If you are fasting without any type of food, then go for a maximum of 24 hours to avoid losing the muscles that you have really worked out for.
Therefore, it’s very important that you seek advice from your doctor before engaging in keto and intermittent fasting for muscle building. This will enable you to get expert advice on your specific needs. Expect to experience some side effects like being irritated, feeling exhausted, insomnia, and constipation.
The above factors will vary among different people depending on their age if they are pregnant, if they have a chronic illness and if they are breastfeeding. It is of great importance that you check the right weight loss or weight gain diet and program to engage in so as to avoid any consequences after that.
When you are on a diet or plan to lose weight and gain muscles, then you should find a balance between the two so that one may not outweigh the other and not get the expected results.
