Most people don’t readily associate “athletics” with low-carb diet plans. However, it’s possible to cut carbs while continuing to pursue a rigorous strength training regimen with the proper strategies. The article explores the benefits, potential drawbacks, and scientific considerations of combining a low-carb diet with weight training.
Introduction: Balancing Low-Carb Living with Strength Training
Adopting a low-carb diet can serve many purposes, including enhanced weight loss and more sustained and predictable energy levels. Athletes and weightlifters can definitely benefit from going low-carb. Water weight and stored fat are quickly shed, greatly enhancing the appearance and definition of vascular muscles. Understanding how to balance carbohydrate restriction with the demands of strength training is crucial for optimizing performance and achieving desired results.
Benefits of Low-Carb Diets for Weight Training
- Enhanced Weight Loss: Low-carb diets can promote fat loss, resulting in a lean physique. This is why many gym enthusiasts and bodybuilders opt for this method.
- Improved Body Composition: Eating a high protein, low carb diet may also help improve body composition. Research shows that increasing protein intake while cutting calories can maintain muscle mass while promoting fat loss.
- Metabolic Advantages: Low-carb diets that focus on healthy sources of carbs, fat, and protein may help lower the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Potential Downsides and Considerations
- Reduced Energy Levels: Low-carb diets also mean less energy, which could lead to weakened immunity, greater fatigue, and reduced performance.
- Hormonal Imbalances: Low-carb diets can also disrupt menstrual function in women and lower testosterone (needed for muscle development) - particularly in men. So these popular “cutting” strategies could be detrimental for some people.
- Glycogen Depletion: Carbohydrates supply us with energy in the form of glucose, which is then stored in the muscle as glycogen for later use. Training in the gym can be demanding, which means we use glycogen stores to fuel us more rapidly. This allows us to train more intensely, which indirectly influences muscle protein synthesis. If you don’t refuel with carbs and continue to train in a low-glycogen state, it may not only affect the muscle-building process, but overall training results.
The Science Behind Low-Carb Diets and Muscle Performance
Ketogenic diets (KDs) aim at inducing physiological ketosis (i.e., an increase in the concentration of ketone bodies in blood, usually above >0.5 mmol/L) through a marked reduction in carbohydrate intake (commonly <50 g/d or <10% of total energy intake).
- Ketone Bodies as Fuel: By virtue of the restriction they induce in carbohydrate availability, KDs promote the use of ketone bodies (i.e., acetoacetate, acetone and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB)) as an alternative energy substrate for different body tissues. Ketone bodies are produced from free fatty acids mainly in the mitochondria of liver cells and can reach extrahepatic tissues (notably, skeletal muscles, heart, brain). Due to the initial, non-energy demanding activation of ketone bodies into an oxidable form, ketone bodies represent a more efficient fuel than glucose and fatty acids, thereby enabling the muscle tissue to produce more work for a given energy cost.
- Impact on Muscle Mass: KDs might also contribute to a loss of muscle mass or at least impair resistance training-induced hypertrophy. Some studies suggest that KD might impair resistance training-induced muscle hypertrophy, sometimes with concomitant decrements in muscle performance, at least when expressed in absolute units and not relative to total body mass (e.g., one-repetition maximum).
- Conflicting Evidence: Evidence is as yet scarce to support a major beneficial effect of KD on body composition or performance in strength-trained individuals.
Strategies for Balancing Low-Carb and Strength Training
- Timing Your Carb Intake: Reserve most of your daily carbs until about an hour before your training sessions to boost glycogen levels. Next, take in another dose of carbs after you’re finished.
- Easing into the Diet: Easing into your new low-carb lifestyle is also critical. Cutting your carbs in half all at once can possibly shock your system into breaking down more amino acids (and muscle mass) as it desperately seeks new fuel sources in the face of starvation.
- Adequate Protein Intake: Evidence highlights that daily protein intake alongside eating enough calories may be most important for overall muscle gains. After training, it has also been shown that consuming 20g-40g of “fast releasing” proteins (such as whey protein) may accelerate muscle protein synthesis in the short-term.
- Carb Choices: In Taylor’s case, choosing sweet potatoes and porridge meant that his diet favored a lower glycaemic approach. Low GI foods (such as porridge) have a slower releasing effect. But while low GI foods are beneficial over the course of the day, research shows that higher GI foods (such as white pasta, bagels or granola) after hard or prolonged training support rapid recovery of glycogen.
What to Eat on a High Protein, Low Carb Diet
When following a high protein, low carb diet, it’s important to reduce your intake of carb-rich foods. Consider limiting the following:
- Grains and starches: breads, rice, pasta, baked goods, cereals, etc
- Sweeteners: sugar, agave, maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar, etc
- Sugary drinks: juice, sweetened coffee and tea, soda, sports drinks, sweetened alcohol beverages, beer, etc
- Processed, high carb foods: french fries, fried chicken, pizza, chips, etc
It’s important to remember that you could include complex carbs like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables in moderation.
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Eating mostly whole, nutrient-rich foods is best on a high protein, low carb diet - as with any balanced diet. You’ll generally want to increase your protein intake.
Foods you may choose to eat on this diet include:
- Animal protein: eggs, chicken, bison, turkey, beef, lamb, pork
- Plant-based protein: tofu, edamame, and other soy foods
- Fish and shellfish: cod, flounder, clams, shrimp, etc
- Dairy: Greek yogurt, cow’s milk, and cottage cheese
- Non-starchy vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, greens, peppers, asparagus, mushrooms, etc
- Nuts and seeds: almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, peanut butter, chia seeds, and hemp seeds
- Condiments: fresh herbs, pepper, spices, etc
- Beverages: water, sparkling water, unsweetened herbal tea, unsweetened coffee, etc
Fruits, vegetables, legumes, and high protein grains can also be enjoyed in moderation, depending on macronutrient goals.
Sample Meal Plan
The following 3-day meal plan contains meals and snacks high in protein and low in carbs.
Day 1
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- Breakfast: an omelet (two whole eggs and one egg white) filled with diced avocado, red pepper, spinach, and mushrooms
- Lunch: a turkey burger and a green salad topped with tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, and lentils
- Dinner: baked cod served with carrot and zucchini fries plus a salad
- Snacks: mixed nuts, cucumber, and broccoli with garlic hummus
Day 2
- Breakfast: cottage cheese topped with almond butter, crushed almonds, chia seeds, and blackberries
- Lunch: a grilled shrimp and a non-starchy veggie bake
- Dinner: chicken chili topped with a dollop of Greek yogurt plus a green salad
- Snacks: cherry tomato and mozzarella skewers, a protein shake made with berries and cocoa powder
Day 3
- Breakfast: sun-dried tomato and Parmesan frittata
- Lunch: broth-based vegetable soup served with a bunless black bean and tofu burger atop a mixed green salad
- Dinner: peppers stuffed with minced turkey
- Snacks: peanut butter and celery sticks, chia pudding with berries
Remember, meal choices vary depending on what type of high protein, low carb diet you’re following.
Case Study: Mark Taylor and Carb Prioritization
Mark Taylor, a 52-year-old bodybuilding veteran who in 2023 won the coveted “Mr Universe” title, said in a recent interview that the key to his success was actually embracing carbs. For years, Taylor religiously stuck to a traditional high protein, low carb diet, yet he felt tired all the time. It wasn’t until Taylor abandoned this thinking and his strict diet, to prioritise carbs and more calories, that he finally achieved his dream.
Additional Considerations
- Is All That Protein Necessary? A high protein diet of up to 2 g/kg/bw (0.9/lb/bw) may be beneficial if you’re very physically active or looking to lose weight while maintaining muscle mass. For most physically active people, a daily protein intake of 1.2 to 2 g/kg/bw (0.54 to 0.9 g/lb/bw) is likely optimal.
- Calories Matter: A high protein, low carb diet may help you lose weight if you maintain a calorie deficit. However, you can also gain weight on this diet if you consume more calories than you burn.
- Individual Needs: Your daily protein needs will depend on many factors, such as your sex assigned at birth, age, activity levels, and body composition goals, among others.
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