A low carbohydrate diet restricts the use of carbohydrates as a source of energy so the body uses an alternate source instead. However, this is unfavorable to the growth and synthesis of new muscle mass, which requires a great deal of energy in the form of carbohydrates. Thus, a low carbohydrate diet is generally not one recommended for individuals hoping to build muscle mass.
Function
Carbohydrates are the first source of energy used by the body. Their structures consist of long chains of sugar units. The cells can easily metabolize glucose, a type of sugar, into a usable form of energy. The body can also use proteins and fats as energy, but their main purpose is to act as functional or structural components.
Significance
Proteins are the structural components that facilitate muscle contraction, but muscle synthesis, like most reactions, requires energy. Carbohydrates can fuel the muscles to build lean mass, sparing the proteins from acting as an alternative source of energy to complete the same task. The body, therefore, can use the proteins exclusively to repair the damaged tissue incurred from strength training and repeated contractions. This will maximize strength gains after a weightlifting session.
Considerations
Muscles rely on glycogen stores to perform work. Glycogen is a type of carbohydrate made up of many branched glucose units. On The Sports Journal website, Gregory Tardie, Ph.D., states that the body can store approximately 450 to 550 g of glycogen within muscle and liver for use during exercise. This is a full day's worth of energy. However, very little glycogen will store if you replace carbohydrates with protein or fat in the diet. During exercise, low glycogen stores can produce weak, tired and fatigued muscles, impeding your ability to lift weights.
Amount
To add a pound of muscle, according to experts at Columbia University, you would need about 500 additional calories per day. Every week this is equal to the consumption of an additional 2,270 to 3,630 calories. You can divide these calories between carbohydrates, proteins and fats. For example, if 55 percent of your calories derive from carbohydrates, then you should maintain this course.
Warning
A low carbohydrate diet requires a reduction of carbohydrate intake to as little as 20 percent of total calories. This does not provide enough carbohydrate energy to facilitate muscle synthesis. The body, starved of easy glucose energy, might start cannibalizing the protein within the body by oxidizing --- essentially burning --- muscle mass for energy. This is an act called catabolism, and it is antithetical to muscle synthesis. According to Robbie Durand, a certified strength and conditioning specialist, insulin is an anti-catabolic hormone that suppresses protein breakdown. Low carbohydrate diets work by controlling insulin responses. This diet might be effective if you are trying to burn adipose tissue, but it is more problematic if you want to put on muscle mass.
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