How To Build Muscle On Keto Blueprint
The question a lot of low carb athletes want to get answered to is: “How does a ketogenic diet affect performance?” Secondly: “How to build muscle on keto?” Can you even do it? Well, in my experience, YES you can. Let me give you my story and secrets… When I first heard of nutritional ketosis I didn’t immediately try it out. Being into resistance training, I figured that it couldn’t possibly ever work. Sounds familiar, right? If you’re physically active then you’ve probably been told about the importance of proper nutrition, post-workout glycogen synthesis, recovery, etc. etc. And that you need CARBS to do it. In the athletic community, carbohydrates are being held at the pillar stone of success. But you don’t need them. I’ve never been into this dogmatic belief so eventually, I decided to try out the keto diet. Let’s see what happens and if I lose strength, so be it… I can always get it back. It was meant to be a short experiment, but… After a month of eating less than 30 grams of carbs a day I was in ketosis. I’m not going to lie that some of my performance had suffered, but only temporarily. Other than that, I felt amazing and loved the keto diet. I thought to myself: Why hadn’t I tried it out before? The answer to that was fear of losing my gains – all in vain. I didn’t want to sacrifice the health benefits of low carb and how amazing it made me feel. But I also wanted to regain my performance and continue getting stronger… all while staying on a ketogenic diet. To me, it sounded like a challenge, which I was more than willing to accept My training consists of mainly bodyweight exercises, such as calisthenics, Yoga, and gymnastics. The keto diet is perfect for that and I’ve learned how to build muscle on ketosis. It’s doable Continue reading >>
Ketogenic Diets | Muscle Insider
For over 24-years, Vince Andrich has been the driving force behind many of the most innovative and successful companies in performance nutrition and sports supplements. His success developing go-to-market product strategies, as well as authoring numerous books and articles, have one common theme: find the science, or concept that actually helps bodybuilders in the real world. A: I dont think ketogenic diets are necessary to get into the kind of shape that will bring out a set of abs worthy of a shirtless summer. Even if you need to achieve ridiculously low levels of body fat for high-level bodybuilding competition, a ketogenic diet is not necessary and actually must be modified to work for bodybuilders. Let me explain: The term ketogenic diet refers to an eating program that contains almost no carbohydrate, has modest protein and requires consuming 4 grams of fat for every gram of protein and carbohydrate. This nutritional prescription is popular for the treatment of epilepsy and is often referred to as the 4:1:1 Diet or a standard ketogenic diet (SKD). Bodybuilders have used variations on the standard ketogenic diet theme to get shredded, and they can work quite well. The reason a recreational or competitive bodybuilder would want to use this method of dieting is simple: to get the body to use more stored body fat as fuel, which of course is the goal of any fat-loss plan. With a ketogenic diet, the strategy is to reduce carbohydrate intake to extremely low levels (less than 50 grams per day), which puts your body in a state of ketosis. That is, the severe reduction in carbohydrates causes your body to rapidly increase the quantity of ketones (or ketone bodies) in the blood. Ketones are a by-product of fat metabolism, and for proponents of this diet, being in a state o Continue reading >>
How Much Protein Is Too Much?
Now that fat is out of the spotlight, the focus for many in low carb and vegan circles has turned to protein as the macronutrient that needs to be avoided for health, good blood sugar control and longevity. At the same time there are still are plenty of ‘meat heads’ who say that their ‘brotein’ can do no wrong and you can’t get enough of it. In the sea of conflicting opinions and advice, how do we determine the optimal amount of protein that will suit our situation, goals and needs? How much protein do we need? How much is too little protein? How much protein is too much? This is an intriguing, controversial and multifaceted discussion. So hold on as I try to unpack the various perspectives! First, let’s look at the general recommendations for protein intake. Lean body mass Protein recommendations are often given in terms of grams per kilogram of lean body (LBM) where “LBM” is your current weight minus your fat mass. Protein is required to support your muscles, not your fat. You can use a DEXA scan, bioimpedance scale or pictures (like the ones below) to estimate your level of body fat (% BF) and then calculate your LBM using the following formula: lean body mass (LBM) = body weight weight x (100% – %BF) / 100%. None of these methods are particularly accurate. However, calculating your body fat levels or protein intake to a high degree of accuracy is not necessary for most people. Absolute minimum protein requirement According to Cahill’s starvation studies[1] we burn around 0.4g/kg LBM per day of protein via gluconeogenesis during long term starvation. After we burn through the food in our stomach and then the glycogen stored in our liver and muscle, the body will turn to its own internal protein stores (i.e. muscles, organs etc) and, to a lesser ex Continue reading >>
How Bodybuilders Should Eat
While conventional diets may be fine for the average person, they definitely don't work for bodybuilders. It takes an extraordinary nutrition plan to build an extraordinary physique. After lots of reading, research, and speculation (followed by more screwing up than you'd want to know about) I was finally able to derive a way of eating that not only works for bodybuilders, but works GREAT! Although I initially set out to find a diet that would maximize fat loss while preserving lean muscle tissue, I soon found that it works equally well to build muscle while minimizing fat gain. Let me reiterate that what I'm going to share with you is NOT just theoretical. It's well proven, even at the highest levels of bodybuilding – the IFBB Professional stage. Although you don't have to be a pro bodybuilder to reap the benefits, you will have to have some discipline and consistency. If you're the kind of person that likes to "wing it" when it comes to your diet, then the method I'll describe isn't for you. Regardless, anyone can benefit from the information I'm going to give you... if you actually apply it. To begin, let's look at the pros and cons of the traditional methods of dieting, because, once you clearly understand the flaws of other diets, you'll be able to better understand and implement a better alternative. Low-Carb Pros and Cons You don't have to be a nutrition guru to know that low-carb diets are extremely effective at burning body fat. As much as mainstream doctors and dietitians hate to let the 80s go, research has proven over and over again that low-carb diets burn fat more quickly than other types of diets. They work by decreasing blood glucose, insulin, and glycogen stores. This, in turn, promotes the mobilization and utilization of fatty acids for fuel, especia Continue reading >>
The Basic Ketogenic Diet
Note: Please note that if you are interested in a Ketogenic Diet used to treat Epilepsy or Pediatric Epilepsy, please start at Johns Hopkins who are the pioneers in this field. The wikipedia page for the Ketogenic Diet diet also has information on the diet as it relates to treating epilepsy. The diet below is simply for rapid and effective weight loss and uses a 1 to 1 fat to protein ratio rather than the 4 to 1 fat to combined protein and carbs ratio of the Ketogenic Diet pioneered by Johns Hopkins used to treat epilepsy. [wp_ad_camp_3] Disclaimer: I am neither a doctor nor self proclaimed nutrition expert so please consult your doctor before starting any diet or taking any action that affects your health and wellbeing. After finishing Gary Taubes latest book, which seems to have rapidly become the cornerstone of a new approach to nutrition, I’ve become very interested in the Ketogenic diet. The speed of weight loss I’ve seen is incredible and my energy level has remained high. The science behind a ketogenic diet is solidly backed up by Taubes research published in “Good Calories, Bad Calories” and “Why we get fat“. According to Taubes’ research, it may also be the only way for people who have become severely insulin resistant, to effectively lose weight. The Ketogenic diet has always lived on the fringes of diet lore and has been seen as extreme. But the reality is that the low glycemic index diet (Low GI Diet) is effective because it is close to, but not quite, a ketogenic diet. Other diets like the South Beach Diet are also only effective because of the reduction in carbs and consequently insulin levels. The science behind this diet looks solid and it is part of the massive shift in nutrition research we’ve seen in the last few years. Prominent sport Continue reading >>
A Comprehensive Guide To Bodybuilding On The Ketogenic Diet
A common belief among bodybuilders is that carbohydrates are essential for building the best physiques. However, carbohydrates have little to do with the success of many bodybuilders. The key to improving body composition is not through little intricacies like eating the right amount of carbs at the right times. The best bodies are built by implementing five simple principles, whether you are on the ketogenic diet or not. The Five Most Important Bodybuilding Principles The bodybuilding world is filled with radical concepts, silly supplements, and plenty of bro science, but these things — regardless of how hotly debated they are — may only provide you with a 1 to 2% boost in results. What you are really looking for is the tried and true bodybuilding principles that are backed by decades of science. The best results come from following the simple principles that will give you 80% of the results for the price of some hard work and discipline, not that $50 supplement that only leads to a 1% boost in performance. Here are the five principles every bodybuilder must follow: Train hard enough. You must give your muscles a stimulus to grow. Eat enough protein. You must give your muscles the building blocks they need to grow and your body the energy it needs to function. Eat the right amount of calories. Whether you want to cut body fat or increase muscle mass, it is important to eat the right amount of calories. On the ketogenic diet, you will manipulate your calorie consumption by eating more or less fat. Take care of your hormones. Resistance training, adequate nutrition, essential fatty acids and proper sleep should be your primary focus to increase your testosterone and HGH. Too much stress will put your body into a catabolic state that breaks down muscle for energy. Dri Continue reading >>
Will Too Much Protein Per One Meal Kick Me Out Of Ketosis?
In short: Yes. Your body will use gluconeogenesis to turn the protein into glucose for energy. However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. From my knowledge of reading articles (probably a bunch of bro science), it depends if your body needs energy (ATP). The more you go into ketosis, the better your body gets at making keynote bodies, the more keynote bodies you have the more fat stores you will tap into, the more fat stores you tap into, the more energy you will have. If you are just starting out carb cycling, your body probably won't be so capable of making as many keynote bodies, so it won't be able to tap into as many fat stores to produce enough energy. Therefore your body will use whatever is has such as protein/amino acids and convert it to ATP via gluconeogenesis. However, your body will only convert what it needs and will still be making as many keynote bodies as it possibly can. So, the protein won't turn into large amounts of excess glucose and make you fat. So, don't be afraid of eating good meat. Protein will not cause fat gain. If you'd like to avoid gluconeogenesis/running on protein made ATP and run only on ATP synthesized from fat, there is a way. A simple solution for this is called a "Fat Fast". This is where you only eat fat. Good fats tho! Coconut oil, grass fed organic butter, avocado, cashews, cream cheese. Only do this for 1 or 2 days MAX. Good fats help tap into fat stores, so your body doesn't need to create as many keynote bodies. This will also help your body get better at creating keynote bodies, because you are still in deep ketosis. Hope that helped. I carb cycled for nearly an entire summer and went from 255 to 219. If my science wasn't incorrect, it didn't matter in the end. That was my understanding of it, I put in the dedication to t Continue reading >>
Evidence-based Recommendations For Natural Bodybuilding Contest Preparation: Nutrition And Supplementation
Go to: The popularity of natural bodybuilding is increasing; however, evidence-based recommendations for it are lacking. This paper reviewed the scientific literature relevant to competition preparation on nutrition and supplementation, resulting in the following recommendations. Caloric intake should be set at a level that results in bodyweight losses of approximately 0.5 to 1%/wk to maximize muscle retention. Within this caloric intake, most but not all bodybuilders will respond best to consuming 2.3-3.1 g/kg of lean body mass per day of protein, 15-30% of calories from fat, and the reminder of calories from carbohydrate. Eating three to six meals per day with a meal containing 0.4-0.5 g/kg bodyweight of protein prior and subsequent to resistance training likely maximizes any theoretical benefits of nutrient timing and frequency. However, alterations in nutrient timing and frequency appear to have little effect on fat loss or lean mass retention. Among popular supplements, creatine monohydrate, caffeine and beta-alanine appear to have beneficial effects relevant to contest preparation, however others do not or warrant further study. The practice of dehydration and electrolyte manipulation in the final days and hours prior to competition can be dangerous, and may not improve appearance. Increasing carbohydrate intake at the end of preparation has a theoretical rationale to improve appearance, however it is understudied. Thus, if carbohydrate loading is pursued it should be practiced prior to competition and its benefit assessed individually. Finally, competitors should be aware of the increased risk of developing eating and body image disorders in aesthetic sport and therefore should have access to the appropriate mental health professionals. Keywords: Hypertrophy, Cal Continue reading >>
Ketogenic Diet For Bodybuilding
Great bodybuilders and endurance athletes do two things very well: First, they know exactly how to train. Second, they feed their bodies the best possible food to achieve their training goals. But you're probably wondering: Am I really getting the most out of my food, or could I perform better on a ketogenic diet? Or maybe you are asking what is a ketogenic diet? Want to know what it is, then carry on reading... What is it? A ketogenic diet is one high in healthy fats, moderate in protein, and very low in carbohydrates. The keto diet forces the body to burn fat for energy, instead of carbohydrates, which is its default energy source. In a normal diet that contains high amounts of carbohydrates, the body converts carbs into glucose, which is used by the body, as well as the brain, for fuel and any leftover glucose that is not used is then stored as fat. In a ketogenic diet, also referred to as low-carb, the body has very little amounts of carbohydrates to turn into glucose, so it does the next best thing: it turns to the liver. The liver, then, takes the body’s fat supply and turns it into fatty acids, which are converted into ketones and so begins the metabolic process known as ketosis, which uses the body’s fat stores for energy. Now, I hear you say this is great for weight loss... ... but can a bodybuilder or a high endurance athlete follow this way of eating and have the energy needed for peak performance? The concern is: When you lower the amount of carbohydrates in your diet, you’re also lowering your glycogen levels, which is the default energy source for muscles during workouts, and when glycogen is lacking, so is performance. Then you may then wondering: Is there a ketogenic diet for bodybuilding and endurance athletes? The good news is: Strength Continue reading >>
Ketogenic Diet For Bodybuilding
Bodybuilding isn’t easy or achieved quickly. It takes time, dedication, a lot of exercises, and the right diet plan. A lot has been said about ketogenic diets and their ability to strip body fat while preserving muscle, and it has made a name for itself amongst heavyweights in the field. But is the ketogenic diet for bodybuilding right for you? Most if not all fitness models and bodybuilder competitors include a low carb eating program at a point. The idea is before a competition or photo shoot; their muscles will have increased definition. When the event is complete, regular dieting is resumed. Bodybuilders or weightlifters looking to achieve a ripped physique can use high-fat ketogenic dieting for preserving lean muscle and increase fat loss efficiently.(1) What is a Ketogenic Diet In the most basic terms, a ketogenic diet is high in fat, has good protein levels, and is very low in carbohydrates. For a more detailed look check out our introduction to a ketogenic diet. This pushes your body into a ketogenic state, which means you start burning fat to fuel your everyday activities. Low-calorie diets can have similar slimming effects, but with them, you also risk losing muscle, which is the exact opposite of what bodybuilders are looking for. Another advantage of ketosis is the strong diuretic effect. This is a fancy way of telling you that you’ll shed water weight. Save LowCarbAlpha Ketogenic Diet for Bodybuilding It’s very common for weightlifters beginning a keto diet to experience loss of strength. Many people get turned off instantly blaming the low level of carbs and give up on this diet. Leave your ego at the door and simply push some lighter weights. You must realize your body is going through many changes adapting to high fat foods. Your strength will come Continue reading >>
Finding Your Optimal Protein Intake For A Ketogenic Diet
When embarking on a ketogenic diet for health or fat loss, finding the optimum protein intake can be very confusing for many beginners. For smooth adaptation in the transition to a ketogenic metabolism I typically guide people using a caloric spread of around 70-80% fat, 15-25% protein, and 5% carbohydrate from green fibrous vegetables – but this ratio varies for every individual and using percentages is confusing and misleading in many cases. The best way to look at macronutrients is not in percentage ratios, but in grams. The slew of bloggers and gurus spouting so much conflicting information leads many into a mental stalemate about how much protein they should be eating. This article lays out the metrics I most commonly use to quantify how much protein an individual should intake – there is no magic ratio and the needs, preferences, and goals of the individual determine the amount of protein they will likely require on their ketogenic diet which usually lies within a relatively broad range of 1-2.2g/kg (and in some cases even higher *cringe say the protein-phobic) of bodyweight or .5-1g/lb of lean body mass (Lean Body Mass equals Body Weight minus Body Fat). Myth: “Too much” protein turns immediately into sugar I almost always recommend people increase their intake of fish and seafoods in order to get the vital nutrient DHA into their central nervous system and mitochondrial membranes. We see amazing results when people opt for more fish and less red meat, which I also love, but land mammals are not nearly as nutrient dense as seafoods with their incredible levels of DHA, EPA, selenium, and iodine. Sometimes this means they will be eating more protein than they believe will allow them to be “ketogenic”, this protein-phobia can be counterproductive, which Continue reading >>
- Diet Soda Intake and Risk of Incident Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)*
- The effect of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low-glycemic index diet on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus
- Pre-diabetes goes into remission on higher protein, lower carbohydrate diet (Zone diet balance)
Ketogenic Diet For Bodybuilders: The Complete Guide
On of the phases in our How to get shredded in 12 week is a transition into a ketogenic diet. Why is this? As discussed in our Introduction to the Ketogenic Diet, the diet offers numerous benefits for the broad population such as weight loss, reduced sugar cravings, fat loss, mood stabilisation and more. Since our introduction we've received numerous questions from clients and trainees about the ketogenic diet for bodybuilders including: What is the ketogenic diet for bodybuilding? Should the ketogenic diet be used by bodybuilders and how effective is it? What types of keto diet should I follow if I am a bodybuilding competitor? What are the best ketogenic diet food choices? Are cheat meals allowed on a ketogenic diet? What should my target macros be on a ketogenic diet? What is the ketogenic diet food pyramid? This post aims to answer these ketogenic diet for bodybuilding questions and more. Let's get started. The Ketogenic Diet in Bodybuilding The Ketogenic Diet is becoming more mainstream and now it has captured the attention of bodybuilders around the world. The diet offers an effective way to achieve body composition, weight loss and fat loss with minimal lean muscle loss. What are the other benefits of ketogenic diet for bodybuilders? Ability to build muscles with minimal fat levels increasing When on a cutting/shredding diet you will see minimal muscle and structure loss Your body will secrete an increased amount of serum anabolic hormones naturally What's so effective about the ketogenic diet? The ketogenic diet improves the body's fat burning ability while lowering insulin levels, carbohydrate intake and improving fat digestion. The results of this diet are called “ketosis” – this is a state in which your body will go once it starts using fat for fuel as Continue reading >>
Advanced Ketogenic Dieting
There is a lot of confusion out there when it comes to ketogenic dieting. All around us we have hundreds of books, so many experts, endless opinions from people who have done it themselves and posted their views online. Right now the water is exceedingly muddied. The goal of this article it to not only give a clear view on the keto protocols but also lay out an sound tried and true protocol along with a systematic way to set it up. Ketogenic Dieting Defined Lets start this off talking about what ketogenic dieting means and doesn’t mean. A lot of people think that keto means eating low carbs. Some people think it means just eating protein. Ketogenic dieting is achieved by getting into ketosis, and that is a process that the body has to go through. Eating low carbs or only eating protein, etc, doesn’t mean the body will get into ketosis. Generally speaking being keto means that someone has limited their carbohydrate intake to extremely low levels until their body runs out of stored glycogen causing the body to start making ketones (fats) to run on. THAT is what the main goal of a ketogenic diet is- being in ketosis and a state of using fat for fuel. We all have glycogen (carbs) stored in our liver, and when we limit carb consumption our liver kicks out stored glycogen to fuel our activity. When that liver glycogen runs out that is when the body flips the switch and starts making ketones for us to use as energy. Ketones are fractionated fats that yield 7 cals per gram (regular fats yield 9 calories per gram when used for energy). This is very interesting because when we are eating a carb based diet, carbs give us 4 calories per carb eaten to burn for energy. Being in a ketogenic state we are burning 7 calories per ketone….meaning we are burning more energy at rest. I Continue reading >>
Ketogenic Dieting: Frequently Asked Questions
Ketogenic dieting is more popular than ever these days, but unfortunately, that doesn't mean it's more understood than ever. In fact, given the many different names, styles, and goals that get associated with the term, the confusion seems to be growing! After researching ketogenic dieting for years and studying it firsthand in the lab, I believe it has a lot to offer to a wide range of people who want to burn fat, hold on to muscle, and live the healthiest life possible. Researchers have been digging into the details of ketogenic dieting for decades, but there's also fascinating new science happening in this area all the time. So, I'm devoting this installment of "Ask the Muscle Prof" to answering the most common questions I hear about ketogenic dieting. In addition to the questions I’ve answered in the article itself, I also did a live Google Hangout answering the most common questions from readers! After you’ve read the article, check it out at the bottom of the page to have even more of your burning keto questions answered in details! My goal is for you to have no excuse not to know what's going on in this exciting part of the nutrition world! The Terms "Fat-Adapted," "Keto-Adapted," And "In Ketosis" All Get Mixed Up Online. Do They Mean The Same Thing, Or Are There Differences? This is a great question. Ketosis is induced when carbohydrates in the diet are too low to provide the exclusive fuel source for the body, usually lower than 50 grams per day.[1] When this occurs, you enter into a unique metabolic state in which the liver produces small organic molecules called ketone bodies at sufficient levels to allow your brain, organs, and muscles to function using them and fat as fuel.[2] Someone consuming a "traditional Western diet" has a blood ketone level that's Continue reading >>
Podcast: How Stress, Alcohol, Protein & Bodybuilding Affect Ketosis
Joe and Amber from THE PRIMAL EXAMPLE podcast recently interviewed me to talk about what it really means to be ketogenic, or to burn ketones instead of glucose for energy. How does bodybuilding while keto work? How do stress and alcohol affect ketosis? Should you measure your blood ketones, and who should try intermittent fasting? Trying to build muscle while keto? Worried about protein limits on keto? Find out about making gains, carbs vs net carbs and common misconceptions about how much protein you really need all while being in ketosis and hear some of my nutrition and fitness secrets to getting naturally JACKED without overloading on carbs. Continue reading >>
