Can you build muscle without high carbs

Secondhalf35
Secondhalf35 Posts: 113 Member
edited November 19 in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Only asking as high carbs and low fat is hard for me. My body loves healthy fats

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  • Unknown
    Unknown
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  • Secondhalf35
    Secondhalf35 Posts: 113 Member
    Thank you. I only want to build a bum and tone up everywhere else
  • TeddyK4975
    TeddyK4975 Posts: 106 Member
    If you're doing a body recomposition it is possible, but generally speaking you need to be in a surplus
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    Secondhalf35 wrote: »
    Thank you. I only want to build a bum and tone up everywhere else

    Are you recomping? Then you can. But it can take a lot of time to see significant progress especially in the booty department. If you are at a surplus then you will gain muscle and fat and you will not be toning up.

    Also you don't need super high carbs, but a decent amount are more optimal for muscle building and energy for gym performance as mentioned.
  • Secondhalf35
    Secondhalf35 Posts: 113 Member
    Thank you
  • DresdenSinn
    DresdenSinn Posts: 665 Member
    Secondhalf35 wrote: »
    I only want to build a bum..

    LOL..that so sounds like something a woman would say.

  • ldwatene
    ldwatene Posts: 150 Member
    You sure can so long as you can keep your energy levels up during your workout. Eating at a surplus is more important. Protein is also a must. Followed by rest.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    Carbohydrates are the most anabolic macronutrient so I'm not sure why you would avoid them when trying to gain muscle.
  • Alvinhno
    Alvinhno Posts: 1 Member
    I was initially eating one chicken a day with less carbs and noticed I had lost strength. A week ago I changed my diet I'm now eating 60% carbs and 30% protein. I have noticed I have so much strength
  • Ironandwine69
    Ironandwine69 Posts: 2,432 Member
    Secondhalf35 wrote: »
    Thank you. I only want to build a bum and tone up everywhere else

    99% of nice bums you see out there is fat and genetics. If you truly want a nice lean bum, you going to have to work really hard and I'm not sure if you're still be alive by the time recomping will show any results.
    Again, it depends on what you consider a "bum"
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    Alvinhno wrote: »
    I was initially eating one chicken a day with less carbs and noticed I had lost strength. A week ago I changed my diet I'm now eating 60% carbs and 30% protein. I have noticed I have so much strength

    This is the thing, and has been my experience as well. It isn't that carbs are anabolic (though they are anti-catabolic), it's that you are going to be able to train harder with them in the mix. Given that training stimulus is the most important factor that's actually within your control (can't change genetics, etc.), why would you follow a diet that tends to limit training potential, if development and performance are goals?
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    Carbs are for energy. Protein is for muscles. Excess protein can be used for energy but excess carbs cannot be used for muscles. An excess of both beyond your muscular and energy needs is stored as fat.
  • Secondhalf35
    Secondhalf35 Posts: 113 Member
    Thank you
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    edited June 2017
    Sure, it's just not the most efficient way to generally speaking for most people.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    Secondhalf35 wrote: »
    Thank you. I only want to build a bum and tone up everywhere else

    These are opposing actions. Building a butt would require a surplus and toning would required a deficit. Now you could see improvements with a recomp but that just takes more time. The most important things overall is your training program. You should probably look into StrongCurves since you want something glute focused.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

    And like others said, carbs are beneficial to training. Not only do they support muscle building, they also support recovery. But out of curiosity, how low are we talking when it comes to your total carbs? Are we talking ketogenic levels, low carbs, or do you not track macros?
  • Secondhalf35
    Secondhalf35 Posts: 113 Member
    I need to start tracking again. I always seem to go over on my fat. My macro percentage has always been around 40 carb 30 protein 30 fat. I weigh around 53kg and I'm 5ft 2, 35 years old. I've had my cals set at 1800 but not sure if that's about right as loads different results on net
  • Secondhalf35
    Secondhalf35 Posts: 113 Member
    Thank you for link and thank you to all
  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
    FWIW, I eat LCHF (formerly keto) and recently started a recomp. I know progress will probably be slow but I'm OK with that. My body (with my particular medical conditions) does best with lower carb levels as well so I'm hoping this will work. I did bump up my carb levels a bit. For me, keto/LCHF was awesome for running stamina but we'll see how things go for strength training. I did consult with @psuLemon for advice as I shifted to maintenance/recomp to make sure I was on the right track. :)
  • Secondhalf35
    Secondhalf35 Posts: 113 Member
    Cool. Yeah I felt it was too much and not enough healthy fat allowance. I'll get round it some way. Thank you for input
  • Rusty740
    Rusty740 Posts: 749 Member
    Hey there,

    Carbs are not just for workout energy, carbs do something else that's powerful, they increase insulin. Insulin is a 'building' hormone. It tells the body to build muscle and fat for energy storage. Without carbs, and a calorie surplus, gaining muscle is far less than an ideal, effective way to do it.

    The other reason to eat carbs for strength training is because they replenish your glycogen reserves. Your glycogen is the energy that's used for strength training type workouts and over time, they get depleted and need to be refilled. Carbs are the best at this. It will take much longer to recover your reserves if you try another method. It's just not as efficient.

    You don't need such a high amount of protein to build muscle anything slightly less than 1g/lb bodyweight is plenty. Your body just can't put all that to use growing muscle so you might as well have carbs or fat.

    Don't be afraid of fats, to build muscle you need to be in a surplus anyway. You may find fats are ok for endurance exercises because since they take a longer time to turn into usable energy. When you need energy 'right now' fats just can't be used fast enough. That's where glycogen created by carbs are ideal. Very fast source of energy for bursts that you need for strength training.

    Although not really a 'proven' thing, you might be able to get by eating less carbs if you ate all your carbs around your workout window.
  • Secondhalf35
    Secondhalf35 Posts: 113 Member
    Thank you
  • i6Shot
    i6Shot Posts: 51 Member
    Secondhalf35 wrote: »
    Only asking as high carbs and low fat is hard for me. My body loves healthy fats

    Absolutely. Look at Luis VIllasenor from Ketogains he is ripped and eats keto.
  • Secondhalf35
    Secondhalf35 Posts: 113 Member
    Thank you
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