low carb bodybuilding

[thegronc]

I am new to the low carb life style, but have done some researching. The most recent Journal of Strength and Conditioning has a lit review on low carb diets and high-intensity, short-duration exercise and found that the research showed the low carb diets had a longer recovery time and more difficulty building muscle in trained athletes.

Is there a way(supplements, foods, etc...) to counter this. I am still working on high-endurance exercise, but will cycle into weights by late fall. I've heard some bodybuilders incorporate low carb, but not much about their specifics on any training changes. Any hlep?

[fridayeyes]

Pop on over to the BFL foruma nd the CKD/Body Opus forum. You'll find what you need there, and if you have specific questions, we'll be glad to help.

Cheers,

Friday

[Natrushka]

thegronc, I found the Journal online, however, there was no abstract and reading the whole text required a membership. You don't happen to have it available do you? I'd be interested in reading it.

I'm primarily interested in the length of time the athletes were on the LC diet before these tests were performed. As most of us who have been exercising intensely and leating LC know, a period of adaptation is required.

Nat

[thegronc]

I'm a member of the NSCA, so I do have the actual journal. Since it is a lit review and not an actual study, they use only 55 refrences, most of which I don't have access to or slow access at best. He does state on page 47, "The current body of knowledge in the area of low-cho diets and resistance training performance is severely lacking. There is a lack of consistency in the resistance training modalities tested and in dietary controls, which makes comparisons among the different studies difficult. Additionally, the lack of muscle glycogen data in each of these studies makes it difficult to formulate definitive conclusions about the effect of low-cho diets on athletic performance. All previous studies have been ACUTE(emphasis-mine)dietary interventions, which may mask or accentuate any impairments or enhancements in performance. More long term studies are needed....".

The rest is a display of the results in summation, not detail. I've noticed impiarment in my own weight lifting, even on reduced carbs(25% calories) and didn't notice much adaptation after 6 weeks, which is why I went almost entirely into endurance training. Now that I've gone to Atkins, I can do one hard set per body part, then I'm done. While I don't entirely agree with the article's conclusion(low-cho impairs recovery, etc..), there is some basis to it. The other board recommended eating most of the allowed carbs immediately after exercise to temporarily increase insulin levels to minimize low-cho effect, yet maintain the integrity of the diet, which makes sense. I will be starting that today.

[Natrushka]

Originally posted by thegronc
The other board recommended eating most of the allowed carbs immediately after exercise to temporarily increase insulin levels to minimize low-cho effect, yet maintain the integrity of the diet, which makes sense. I will be starting that today.

That makes total sense and not just to minimize low-cho effect, but also to neutralize cortisol levels - something that is raised after intense exercise (whether LCing or not).

Barry Groves has some interesting information on athletic performance and LCing - you might be interested.

Diet for Athletic Performance (http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/athletic_diet.html)

He offers proof that a LC diet is actually better for athletes than a high carb diet, with one caveat:

There is just one caveat. It takes time for the body to change from burning inefficient carbs to burning fats efficiently. You should notice a marked increase in performance after about 26 weeks on a low-carb, high-fat diet, but maximum performance will not be reached for about a year.

Cheers,
Nat

[hugo]

When I initially started on a low carb/paleo diet I found I lost fat as well as muscle. I continued weight training and this stabilised after about 4 weeks. I've been on the diet for just over two months now and my poundages are just above where they were before. I train using a Stuart Mcrobert/Mike Mentzer style of "hardgainer "training. Very abbreviated routines focusing on multijoint techniques. I've just started taking creatine again(20 minutes before I work out), and I have a whey protein shake and glutamine after working out. Apparently muscle can go into catabolism after working out so taking a fast absorbable type of protein can prevent this. Glutamine is also said to prevent catabolism.

[pltrygeist]

From what I have seen, whey protein is not part of the paleo plan. Does your book/reference say it's okay?