1 Mythbusting: Training on a Keto Diet
Lyle Joris edited this page 2025-08-04 08:16:41 +00:00
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Theres a number of myths, misconceptions, www.PrimeBoosts.com and misinformation floating around that are confusing a lot of people about the ketogenic diet. Theyre proposing ideas like "carbs are absolutely necessary to build muscle" and "The ketogenic diet hurts exercise performance" that take a small finding and exaggerate its meaning. With all of the conflicting information about these topics, it is easy to become discouraged and think that you cant get the health benefits of keto without losing muscle mass, Prime Boosts strength, and endurance. Fortunately, this isnt the case. The truth is that - with a deeper understanding of how the body works and what it needs when carbohydrates are being restricted - it is possible to experience the health benefits of keto, increase muscle mass, and improve exercise performance at the same time. People that tell you this dont understand how muscle building really works - its entirely possible to be gaining muscle mass while on keto.


Eating enough protein - For mass building between 1.0 - 1.2g / pound of LEAN body mass. Eating a calorie surplus - You cant build muscle without eating more calories than you need, and these come from fats in a ketogenic diet. Training correctly - You need to promote hypertrophy in your muscles. Are carbs good for building muscle? Of course they are - they promote insulin release and help restore glycogen in the muscles. With carbs, you gain mass quicker, but thats because youre also gaining fat. What exactly is glycogen? Its a molecule that our bodies use as energy. What exactly does glycogen do? In humans, glycogen is made and stored primarily in the cells of the liver and the muscles, and functions as the secondary long-term energy storage (with the primary energy stores being fats held in adipose tissue). Muscle cell glycogen appears to function as an immediate reserve source of available glucose for muscle cells.


Other cells that contain small amounts use it locally as well. As you can see, glycogen is being used as a secondary source of energy, where fats are being used instead of it. Once your body has become adapted to using fats (youre in ketosis), then little glycogen is actually needed. That little amount of glycogen you need? Well, it can be created from the protein you eat in a process known as gluconeogenesis. Are carbs necessary for building muscle? Of course not - You can still refill glycogen stores in muscles by following a ketogenic diet. The ketogenic diet is great for building muscle as well because the protein intake is relatively high and youre unlikely to lose muscle mass. In fact, even if your protein intake is low, the ketogenic diet can still elicit a muscle sparing effect. More specifically, the ketone body called beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) - that is produced by keto-adapted individuals in higher quantities - has been shown in one study to decrease leucine oxidation and promote protein synthesis.


On top of that, carbohydrate restriction provides an adrenergic stimulus to the body that has been found to prevent muscle breakdown. In other words, when blood sugar levels are low, the body releases adrenaline, Prime Boosts Pills which prevents muscle proteins from being broken down. Although ketones and adrenaline can help preserve muscles mass, this doesnt mean that you should eat less protein. It is essential that you eat the appropriate amount of protein that you need to meet your goals. If you are unsure of what your nutrient intake should be, head over to our Keto Calculator to help out. Putting mass on may be slower on a ketogenic diet, but thats because you will primarily be putting lean mass on (without the extra fat). If you need to put total mass on quicker with the keto diet, then you can achieve your goals through other methods. Check out my alternative ketogenic diet post for more specific advice.