Can you Build Muscle on The Keto Diet? We Show You How

Improving Muscle Mass With The Keto Diet Is Tricky.  Here is What You Need to Know.

 

With a variety of health trends today, many are looking for ways to shed pounds effectively. One particular method involves the keto diet.  With its soaring popularity, this high-fat, low-carb diet helps your body transition into ketosis, which is a metabolic state that supplies most of the fuel for the body.  Though the keto diet helps with weight loss, the question becomes, “can you really improve muscle mass?”  Simply put, you can build muscle, but it takes some creativity.  Let’s take a look at how you can make this happen.

 

 In order for you to build muscle successfully; you must lose more calories than you burn.  This depends on several factors that include activity levels, weight, height, and gender.  These aspects will help you determine your maintenance weight—the amount of calories you need to consume per day to stay the same weight.  By increasing your calorie intake by 15%, you’ll be able to build muscle size effectively.  For instance, if your maintenance calorie intake is 2,500, then you should consume 2875 calories.  As you increase muscle growth, your calorie intake should be adjusted accordingly.  You should then focus on the protein factor, which are the building blocks of muscles.  An ideal rule of thumb is to consume between 0.8 grams to 1 gram per pound.  For instance, if you weigh 160, you should consume close to 160 grams of protein.  This strategy will still allow you to stay in ketosis.  Typically, during your attempt to build muscle, the majority of your calories will come from carbs.  The keto diet is made to restrict carbs so you can stay in ketosis.  The guideline for carb restriction requires 50 grams of carbohydrates or fewer.  If you are trying to build muscle, then ideally you would want to intake carbs before your workout sessions to provide more energy.  Since your fat content will be high for this diet, keeping track of your fat intake is crucial for ketosis.  After carbs and protein are considered, fat should account for the rest of your diet.  As a rule of thumb, fat should supply 9 calories per gram.  The keto diet recommends that 70-75% of your daily calories come from fat.  While on the keto diet, you must be mentally focused to maximize success.  That said, here are four ways to help your keto diet journey:

 

 *Be prepared for temporary side effects- You’ll initially experience keto flu symptoms such as irritability, lack of energy, and nausea.

*Keep track of your carb intake- Always keep your carb calorie intake at 50 grams or lower to stay in the ketosis stage.

*Check your ketosis regularly by using keto strips or a keto breath test- This will help you adjust your diet accordingly.

*Ensure that you get enough sleep- Enhanced muscle growth occurs during rest time, and you must get adequate sleep to see significant results.

Besides incorporating the keto diet, resistance training and supplementation also must be added to increase muscle growth..  Additionally, if you aren’t accustomed to the keto diet, you may encounter low energy levels.  As your body adjusts, your performance and muscle size will eventually show significant results. The key is to run the course, and stay with an effective diet, training method, and sleep strategy.

As you can see, building muscle through the keto diet requires hard work and discipline.  You must constantly monitor your carb, fat, calorie count, and protein intake.  Building massive size through the keto diet isn’t easy, but working with this popular diet to improve gains could be worth the fight. Are you ready for a new way to maximize your muscle gains?