While carbohydrates are useful for the growth and repair of muscle cells and recovery between workouts, following a low-carb diet can be very beneficial for fat loss. Many bodybuilders opt to follow a low-carb diet, especially when cutting for a competition. There are several types of low-carb diets you could choose to follow for bodybuilding. According to Christian Thibaudeau, author of "The Black Book of Training Secrets," the optimal amount of carbohydrate you need is highly dependent on your genetics, meaning that different low-carb diets will have different effects on your body.
General Low-carb Diet
When you think of a low-carb diet, you probably have images of meat, fish and cheese in your mind. Low-carb diets, however, have much more scope than that. According to MayoClinic.com, a low-carb diet is any diet which contains between 50 and 150 g of carbs per day, and prohibits, or at least limits the consumption of grains, starches and fruits. This still allows you to eat plenty of vegetables, some dairy, and low sugar fruit. If you choose to go towards the higher end of your carb allowance, then you can consume some grains, starches or sugars, which may be beneficial around your workout.
Ketogenic Diet
A ketogenic diet is a much stricter low-carb diet. It was originally designed as a method of reducing the symptoms of childhood epilepsy in the early 1900s, but has since become popular in bodybuilding circles. Many ketogenic diets, such as the Atkins induction phase, the Palumbo Diet, and the Anabolic Diet involve eating as few carbs as possible, and even limiting your vegetable intake. Your food choices will be meat, fish, eggs, low carb dairy products such as butter and cream, nuts, seeds, oils and dark green vegetables.
Carb Cycling Diet
Carb cycling involves changing the amount of carbs you eat on a daily basis. Typical carb cycling diets include very low-carb days when you don't train, moderate-carb days when you have a lighter training session, and high-carb days when your training is intense. You can structure your carb cycling diet to remain fairly low carb though. On rest days, eat as few carbs as possible, sticking to a ketogenic meal plan. On training days, eat up to 150 g of carbs, with the majority consumed around your workout.
Considerations
Provided your calorie intake is appropriate to your goals -- consuming fewer calories than you burn to lose fat, or vice versa for muscle gain, then any low-carb diet will give results. If you're used to a higher carb diet though, it may take you time to adjust, so gradually reduce your carbs over three or four weeks, until you're at your desired level. When on a very low-carb diet, such as a ketogenic one, it can be beneficial for you to have a re-feed once every five to 10 days, where you eat a high amount of carbs for one day only. This helps to boost your metabolism, and gives you a break from low-carb eating.
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