Can you build muscle on a keto diet?

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SCP0914
SCP0914 Posts: 74 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've tried to research this, but there's too many warring opinions. So does anyone know from experience if you can gain muscle on a keto diet?

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  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    You build muscle through a calorie surplus, adequate protein intake, and a progressive strength training program. Can you do it on keto? Maybe, but you might find you need more carbs to fuel your body.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    SCP0914 wrote: »
    I've tried to research this, but there's too many warring opinions. So does anyone know from experience if you can gain muscle on a keto diet?

    Yes, if you're in a calorie surplus, but not a deficit. It wouldn't be optimal though because that evil insulin is also responsible for muscle growth. People who are trying to put on mass typically eat pretty high carb.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    SCP0914 wrote: »
    I've tried to research this, but there's too many warring opinions. So does anyone know from experience if you can gain muscle on a keto diet?

    Yes, if you're in a calorie surplus, but not a deficit. It wouldn't be optimal though because that evil insulin is also responsible for muscle growth. People who are trying to put on mass typically eat pretty high carb.

    Agreed. Possible but suboptimal. Besides the insulin/hypertrophy factor, low carb workouts generally suck.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    SCP0914 wrote: »
    I've tried to research this, but there's too many warring opinions. So does anyone know from experience if you can gain muscle on a keto diet?

    Yes, if you're in a calorie surplus, but not a deficit. It wouldn't be optimal though because that evil insulin is also responsible for muscle growth. People who are trying to put on mass typically eat pretty high carb.

    Yup this. Not only that but lower carb/keto can also impact workout performance. Some people who do keto while bulking will time their carbs around their workouts which can help.

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