I have never been able to get bigger and stronger while in Ketosis no matter how much I ate. This is seriously my biggest issue with staying low carb. I hate losing strength and muscle mass that I have worked so hard for. I know I am not alone because almost every body building article (or actual person I have talked to) talks about the struggles of keeping muscle mass while losing the fat to show more definition. They all talk about having to reduce training poundages (loss of strength= loss of mass) but its a balancing act.

I think too that muscles take on a flatter appearance so even though lifting with high intensity might build muscle (more so on a newbie than an experienced lifter), the overall muscle size will diminish with a carb depleted/water depleted state. (this is why bodybuilders carb load just before a show, to make those muscles pop and tighten the skin. )