Low carbohydrate diets are appealing to some individuals attempting to lead a healthier lifestyle and lose weight. Besides diet, a fitness regimen is a key aspect to improving one's body composition. Building muscle mass helps reduce overall body fat while increasing lean mass.
Nutrition Requirements to Build Muscle
In order to build muscles, your diet must contain adequate carbohydrates to spare protein from being used as energy. Carbohydrate is the macronutrient required to produce energy during anaerobic activities, which includes strength training. If it is lacking in the diet, the body will be forced to use some protein for energy. Carbohydrate also stimulates protein synthesis during the recovery period due to the presence of insulin after ingestion. Your diet must also contain adequate protein to support new muscle tissue synthesis. Therefore, protein requirements will be slightly higher. To gain 1 pound of muscle each week, you would need to ingest an additional 14 grams of protein daily.
Composition of Low Carbohydrate Diets
By restricting one macronutrient, intake of the other two macronutrients will be increased. While following a low carbohydrate diet, intake of protein and fat will be higher to meet calorie needs. The Dietary Reference Intake, or DRI, for protein is 0.8 grams/kg or 0.36 grams/pound body weight. Most people meet the DRI on a standard diet; therefore, protein requirements to support muscle growth will be met on a low carbohydrate diet.
How to Build Muscle
Building muscle requires more than an adequate diet. Strength training must be incorporated into a regular fitness regimen. With strength training, muscle fibers are broken down which gives them a chance to grow back stronger and bigger. Protein synthesis takes priority in the muscle during recovery and with repeated training sessions, changes to the size and strength of muscle fibers becomes cumulative.
Low Carb Diet and Building Muscle
Following a low carb, high-protein diet will not hinder the ability to build muscle. However, if carbohydrates are restricted, the ability to build muscle may be compromised due to poor exercise performance and the reduced capability to stimulate protein synthesis and muscle growth.
References
- "Sports Nutrition: A Practice Manual for Professionals, 4th Edition"; Marie Dunford; 2006
- "Exercise Physiology: Energy, Nutrition, and Human Performance, 5th Edition"; William D. McArdle, et al.; 2001
- "Nutrition for Health, Fitness, & Sport, 8th Edition"; Melvin H. Williams; 2007
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