The keto diet is one of the most followed diet plans in the world. And it is no surprise it continues to be adopted by millions of people. Apart from losing fat, it has many other health benefits. This article will help make you aware there is more you can do while on a ketogenic diet. The keto diet and bodybuilding actually go hand in hand.
Yes, this low-carb diet helps you achieve a slim body and helps with muscle development. Hence, if you are a bodybuilder looking to have a lean body mass (LBM), read on and find out how.
Does The Ketogenic Diet Assist Bodybuilding?
As a matter of fact, the ketogenic diet complements bodybuilding well. This is because the entire keto diet plan comprises of high-fat intake, moderate proteins, and almost no-carbs. Therefore, the body utilizes energy from fat in a function called ketosis.
However, if you need to meet the same level as other bodybuilders who do not cut the carb intake, there are certain things you need to take into consideration. As a bodybuilder, you might experience a lack of glycogen in your muscles.
What is muscle glycogen? It is considered a fuel for the muscles while you are under extensive training and exercise sessions. What happens is the lack of glycogen triggers various muscles related issues. Keto diet and bodybuilding can cause fatigue, exhaustion, and the inability to perform continuous and rigorous levels of exercise, to name a few.
This does not stop you from benefitting from the ketogenic diet. If y’all want to ensure you gain the most from the ketogenic diet while not compromising on your muscle’s growth, here is what you to do:
1. Incorporate High-Quality Proteins In Your Diet
As a bodybuilder or weightlifter, you must have heard you need to add high-quality protein foods to your diet. And that is for good reason. It is the main component that helps in building your muscles. Whether you are a competitive bodybuilder or just doing it for fun, high protein intake is significant for muscle growth. It helps you keep full and provides enough energy for performing physical activities. In addition to it, high-quality proteins consist of all nine essentials amino acids that play a crucial role in muscle building.
An adequate workout, proper rest, and a wholesome, nutritious diet are all you require for the success of a bodybuilding program. If you do not, you might as well have to face microscopic damages.
High Protein Keto-Friendly Foods
- Greek yogurt
- Chicken
- Seafood
- Pork
- Whole eggs
- Beef
- Lamb
- Whole-fat milk
- Cottage cheese
The Quantity Of High Protein Food
Here, it would be best if you prefer using a micro tracking app as it helps you to keep in line and monitoring your intake. You must include 30%- 40% protein
in your calorie intake and for the precise quantity, it is 1.6 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight.
2. Calorie Surplus
Often people start a keto diet for the sole purpose of losing weight. However, if you want to maintain muscle mass, you need to check your calorie intake. In this case, the calorie deficit will not help you. For the muscles to grow and build stronger, you need to have a calorie surplus.
Therefore, consume more calories than you burn during a high-intensity workout. So, if you are on a mission of bodybuilding, make sure to optimize your calorie intake.
3. Protein Timing
You may wonder why this matters? But when you are trying to build muscle, muscle growth is one of the most significant factors. Here, what matters the most is the frequency and time spacing of your meals and, most importantly, your protein intake. Ideally, 25-30 grams of protein per meal is best for muscle development. On the other hand, for frequency, make sure to have 3-4 meals consisting of protein.
Drink Plenty Of Water
During intense workouts, it is possible to experience some dehydration. This might be acceptable in some cases, but It is a no-no situation for muscles’ growth. Therefore, staying hydrated at all times is very important for bodybuilding.
What Are The Factors That Influence Water Intake?
There is an individual basis upon which you need to make sure you fit well with the water intake requirement. Some of these are body height, body weight, weather circumstances, and, most importantly, the level of activity and intensity.
What Happens If You Don’t Drink An Adequate Amount Of Water?
Apart from dehydration, it can be a significant cause of fatigue. In addition to it, lack of water intake can be a reason for demotivation, the inability to do a workout, and unable to work enough for muscle development. In other words, a lack of water intake will deprive you of all the benefits you could gain from bodybuilding.
Best Keto-Friendly Diet For Bodybuilders
Now you are aware you can maintain your muscle development while following a Keto diet. Now comes the food that assists in your muscle-building process. Here is what you need to add and food you should remove from your keto diet.
If you think you can stick to the normal keto diet then you are mistaken. Since your activities include more than daily routine things, your diet will subsequently comprise other things as well.
1. Proteins
As mentioned earlier, to gain muscles and maintain the ripped body of a bodybuilder, you need to consume the right amount of protein. Although we have already established the importance of high protein foods, here is more of what you need to know.
Make sure you consume enough high-quality proteins so it helps in the repairing process of your muscles.
On the other hand, there are specific proteins you should not be adding to your diet. This includes processed meat, hot dogs, fried fish, coated chicken, pepperoni, and sausages. These foods usually contain high carbs. As a result, they do not fit in with the keto guidelines.
2. Dairy
If you are a bodybuilder, following a keto diet or not, an adequate intake of dairy products is ideal for your muscles. Furthermore, for strong and growing muscles, you will require to consume dairy products.
This includes all sorts of keto-friendly cheese, heavy cream, full-fat milk, and full-fat yogurt. However, there are some dairy products as well you need to stay away from. Such as flavored milk, processed milk, evaporated or condensed milk, etc.
3. Fat
If you have done your research before the diet, you will know about the keto flu. It is the biggest drawback of following the keto diet. However, this will not be an issue if you add the proper amount of healthy fat to your diet plan as a bodybuilder. Not consuming enough fat can slow your progress in building muscles.
To tell the truth, you need to increase your intake of oils like olive oil, coconut oil, and flaxseed oil. Additionally, you will require to add butter and ghee as well because your body will derive most of its energy from fat alone. Furthermore, you can incorporate walnut oil and sesame seed oil into your diet too.
On the other hand, some fat you need to avoid is oil from processed foods, hydrogenated oil, corn oil, peanut oil, and other oils that contain unhealthy fats.
4. Fruits And Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are a significant part of the keto diet plan. For the keto diet and bodybuilding to work together well for you to maintain muscles, you need both of them.
Although, you might not be able to snack on your favorite fruits like apples or bananas, or even oranges. There is a list of fruits you can enjoy that fit well with the keto requirements and helps you build your body. Some of them are melons, avocadoes, and all sorts of berries.
For vegetables, you need to rely heavily on cruciferous vegetables. These vegetables contain minimal to no carbs but provide maximum nutrients and vitamins for the body.
Some of the vegetables in your keto diet and bodybuilding list are onions, mushrooms, broccoli, brussels sprout, spinach, zucchini, pumpkin, lettuce, cucumber, and much more.
Nevertheless, you need to avoid some vegetables as well. They include potatoes and other starchy vegetables.
5. Carbohydrates
Now you must wonder why carbohydrates are on our list. Well, this is because keto does not eliminate all carbs. For keto diet and bodybuilding, you can add a certain recommended amount of carbs in your diet for restocking glycogen. Which is very important for the muscles, as we discussed previously.
In all honesty, you can eat oats, bread, pasta, and rice or noodles but make sure you consume them in limited amounts. However, certain foods are strictly forbidden. Like bakery items, ice-cream, and other high carb foods.
In addition to all the mentioned keto-friendly foods, you also need to monitor your magnesium, potassium, and sodium intake. These foods contain high levels of ketones, which is a crucial aspect because it helps in the growth of lean tissues and overall body composition.
Cyclical Keto Diet
There are high chances your body might not be able to perform the way it used to before a keto diet. If you are worried about this, then we have a solution for you. The cyclical keto diet is it.
What is it? How is it done? We will tell you all about it.
This helps your body to have a smooth transition of deriving energy from carbs to fats. The body becomes more adaptive to ketosis, and you can do this full time until the desired results are achieved.
Coming back to the point, the cyclical keto diet is about taking a break from the keto diet on weekends. How this works is you follow a strict diet for five days, and the remaining two days, you consume higher amounts of carbs. Now, why is this ideal for bodybuilders wanting to follow a ketogenic diet? This is because high-intensity workouts require you to have enough glycogen which helps with weightlifting. However, if you do not, then you might face trouble carrying out HIIT activities. Hence, for this purpose, a little carb intake is essential. Do not forget to work out more on the days instantly following the increased carb intake as you now have restocked your glycogen.
Keto Diet And Bodybuilding; Benefits
Following a keto diet can bring you benefits for gaining muscles and building your body.
- Weight loss: if you are a bodybuilder, then the keto diet can help you in reducing excessive weight rapidly.
- Quick fat burning
- Increased strength and building of muscles
Although you might feel tired or week initially, once your body is used to it, you will benefit from the keto diet and see some good bodybuilding gains.
Keto Diet Supplements
On one hand, you are consuming a lot of foods that do not fit well with the keto requirements, and on the other hand, you are following HIIT training; you might need to incorporate some supplements in your diet.
They can prove to be really helpful, especially in fulfilling the nutrient deficiencies. Some of the supplements you can take are
In A Nutshell
If you are told carbs are important for bodybuilding, then you were misinformed. You can build your muscles and benefit from the keto diet at the same time. As mentioned above, there are certain things you need to keep in your mind for the proper development of muscles. Adequate intake of protein topping the list; but of course, there is more to it. Such as working out properly and having the right amount of sleep. Also, you need to dismiss the concept of not following a keto diet and bodybuilding since clearly, you can.
All thanks to modern science the keto diet and bodybuilding go well together. In fact, they complement each other.
How helpful did you find our article regarding the keto diet and bodybuilding? Please share your remarks in the comments section below!
Hexifit
WOW! What an amazing piece of content
admin
Thank you for taking the time to stop by and learn about the Keto Diet!