There is a widely held belief that most bodybuilders take a high carb diet. Therefore, you may think it is impossible to build your muscles when you are on the keto diet; since it is typically low-carb. In fact, a keto dieter is obliged to take no more than 50 grams of carbs per day.
So, how exactly can you build your muscles while on the keto diet? Follow these guidelines to know how you can be a bodybuilder while on the keto diet, and check out these five keto-friendly muscle building meals.
Muscle Building Guidelines While on the Keto Diet
If you intend to be a bodybuilder while on the keto diet, you should increase your food intake. However, you should strictly adhere to your keto diet plan when increasing your food intake by taking high-fat, low-carb, and average protein content meals.
As a general rule, you should eat more when you are on the keto diet so that your muscles can grow. Moreover, you should always take ketogenic supplements and clean keto-friendly food such as grass-fed meat, coconut oils, pastured eggs, and fibrous vegetables to improve your performance rates in the gym.
Most keto dieters who would like to be bodybuilders usually take plenty of proteins based on the false misconception that taking many proteins will help them gain more muscle weight. However, for your muscles to grow while on the keto diet; you should take meals which have average protein content.
Moreover, you shouldn’t purchase only ketogenic supplements that contain proteins. There are different types of ketogenic supplements in the market such as electrolytes, exogenous ketones, and MCT oils which can make your muscles stronger.
In fact, the recommended protein intake for a bodybuilder who is on the keto diet is 0.82 grams per one pound of lean body mass. When you take excess proteins while on the keto diet, the excess proteins will be converted into glucose by a process called gluconeogenesis. This way, your body will start using glucose instead of ketones as a source of energy; and you will get out of ketosis.
5 Keto Muscle Building Meals
Here are five examples of keto muscle building meals which you can take to supplement your bodybuilding efforts at the fitness centre;
Eggs and Steak
Eggs and steak is an ideal choice for your morning meal before you go to the gym, or as a snack after an intense physical exercise. This meal will give you lots of physical energy which will ultimately improve your bodybuilding exercise regime.
As illustrated by A Fitness Tech Diva, this meal contains 510 calories, 44 grams of proteins, 36 grams of fat, and 3 grams of carbs. Therefore, this meal is entirely keto-friendly.
You will require one spoonful of grass-fed butter, pepper, ¼ avocado, salt, 4oz. sirloin, and three eggs to prepare this meal. Just heat the butter till it melts in a frying pan, add the three eggs, and fry them with appropriate seasonings until they are white.
In another pan, cook the steak till it becomes tender; then season it with pepper and salt. Later, you can serve the steak plus the eggs with a few slices of avocado; and eat it when it is still hot.
Lemon Butter with Baked Salmon
As asserted by The Health Science Journal, lemon butter with baked salmon can be one of your favourite energizers when you are on the keto diet. You will require one spoonful of keto-friendly oil, 7 oz. butter, 2 lbs. salmon, one lemon, one spoonful of sea salt, and black pepper to prepare this meal.
Make sure that your oven is preheated to 400F before you start preparing this meal. Then, grease your baking dish with keto-friendly oil, and place the salmon into the bowl.
Season the salmon with pepper and salt, add lemon and butter slices to it then bake the salmon for approximately 30 minutes. Serve the meal with fresh lemon juice while it is still hot.
No Mayo Cilantro Chicken Salad
To prepare this meal, you will require 4 cups of chopped and cooked chicken, a ½ cup of cilantro, lemon juice, coconut cream, 2 cups of chopped and peeled zucchini, one spoonful of garlic powder, and salt. Put all these ingredients apart from the chicken into a blender and make a sauce out of them.
Then, put the chopped chicken into a bowl and thoroughly coat it with the sauce which you’ve made. This meal will take you only ten minutes to prepare, but it is very delicious!
Baked Eggs with Zucchini Noodles
If you are a pasta lover, then this will be your favourite muscle building keto-friendly recipe. You will require two zucchini, one avocado, two eggs, and a ½ tablespoon of grass-fed ghee to prepare this meal. You may also need some salt, lemon juice, pepper, chilli flakes, and nigella seeds to garnish your meal.
Start by preheating the oven as you spiralize your zucchini. Then, mix the zoodles with ghee in a pan, and let the zoodle-ghee mixture rest for some minutes. After this step, you can shape the zoodles into two nests; leaving enough space in the centre of these two nests for the eggs.
Crack the two eggs into these two nests, and put your zoodle nests in the oven to bake for five minutes. When your noodles are completely baked, you can garnish them and enjoy them while they are still hot. This recipe contains only 6 grams of carbs, and it can be your perfect snack after an intense workout session.
Reverse Seared Ribeye Steak
You will require two pieces of medium-sized ribeye steak, pepper, salt, and three spoonfuls of bacon fat to prepare this meal. Make sure that your oven is preheated to 250F before you start preparing this meal.
Cooking this meal is quite easy. Just season your steaks with pepper and salt, melt the bacon fat in the oven; and immerse the steaks in the melted fat and let them be roasted on both sides in the oven for a couple of minutes. When your meal is ready, you should eat it while it is still hot.
Conclusion
All these five meals are super delicious and keto-friendly! Moreover, the ingredients for making these recipes are readily available, and maybe they are already stocked up in your kitchen cabinet! Besides eating these five meals, you can also take some specific ketogenic supplements which will help you strengthen your muscles.
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