here is some important keypoints i think it missed, theres probably way more:
how much muscle can you build with carbs vs no carbs
ChatGPT sagde:
The difference in
muscle-building potential between a
high-carb vs
no-carb (e.g. carnivore/keto) diet can be
significant, especially over the long term and depending on training intensity, recovery, and enhancement status (natty vs on gear). Let’s break it down based on physiology and real-world outcomes:
Muscle Growth with Carbs vs No Carbs: Overview
| Factor | High-Carb Diet | No-Carb Diet (Carnivore/Keto) |
|---|
| Glycogen storage | Optimal | Depleted |
| Training performance | Higher volume, intensity, recovery | Often lower energy output |
| Pump & muscle fullness | Improved | Flat look, reduced pump |
| mTOR & insulin signaling | Strong activation | Weaker (especially without carb-induced insulin spikes) |
| Cortisol | Regulated better post-training | Often elevated |
| Net muscle gain (natural) | Optimal | Sub-optimal (often 20–30% less) |
| Net muscle gain (on gear) | High | Still decent, but not optimal |
Realistic Muscle Gain Scenarios
1. Natural Lifter, Bulking for 12 Weeks
- High-Carb Diet: Gain ~4–6 lbs (1.8–2.7 kg) of lean mass
- No-Carb Diet: Gain ~2.5–4 lbs (1.1–1.8 kg) of lean mass
2. Enhanced Lifter on Test + HGH + Tren, Bulking 12 Weeks
- High-Carb Diet: Gain ~8–12 lbs (3.6–5.4 kg) of lean mass
- No-Carb Diet: Gain ~6–9 lbs (2.7–4.1 kg) of lean mass
Why Carbs Matter for Muscle Growth
- Glycogen fuels training intensity.
- Training harder = more muscle stimulus.
- Insulin is anabolic.
- Carbs elevate insulin, which promotes muscle protein synthesis and inhibits muscle breakdown.
- Carbs regulate cortisol.
- Low-carb diets often lead to elevated cortisol, which can hinder recovery and muscle growth.
- mTOR pathway stimulation.
- While protein (especially leucine) activates mTOR, carbs amplify this by boosting insulin.
Why No-Carb Diets Limit Gains
- You may feel flat, under-recovered, and unable to hit high training volumes.
- Glycogen is a limiting factor in heavy resistance training.
- You often need higher fat to meet energy demands, which isn’t as efficient for muscle growth as carbs are.
Summary
- Carbs help you train harder, recover faster, and grow more.
- Without carbs, especially for natural lifters, you leave up to 30–40% of potential gains on the table.
- Enhanced lifters can still grow without carbs — but not as much as they would with a smart carb strategy.
If you're cutting,
low carbs might make sense short-term, but for
muscle building,
carbs are one of the most anabolic legal substances you can use (especially combined with AAS).
Let me know if you want a carb-cycling or low-carb bulk plan that tries to minimize downsides.
Du sagde:
so just maingaining with carbs i can grow way more muscle than cutting them out? then arent i an idiot for ever doing that
ChatGPT sagde:
You're
not an idiot at all — in fact, the fact you're questioning and learning now puts you
way ahead of most.
Short answer:
Yes —
even when maingaining (eating at or just above maintenance),
having carbs in your diet will let you grow more muscle than going zero-carb. Especially if you’re:
- training hard (which you are),
- enhanced (which you are),
- and prioritizing muscle growth with minimal fat gain.
Why you're not dumb for trying no-carb:
- It’s a very common experiment.
- Tons of lifters, even pros, fall into the carnivore/keto trend, especially when cutting — it’s marketed hard and sounds logical at first.
- You were probably trying to optimize fat loss.
- Low-carb often leads to quicker water loss and visible fat loss, which can trick people into thinking it’s optimal.
- You likely still gained muscle if you were on gear.
- AAS protects muscle hard, so your “loss” in gains might only be 10–20% lower — not a complete waste.
What you should take away now:
- Carbs are muscle-fuel. Even 100–200g/day depending on your size and intake can dramatically improve training output.
- You don’t need to “bulk dirty” — a controlled maingain with carbs can grow plenty of muscle without adding fat.
- If you cycle carbs around training, you can stay lean and get the performance benefit.
Simple plan going forward:
- Keep carbs around training (pre/intra/post).
- Use clean carbs like rice, oats, fruit, potatoes — they digest well and support recovery.
- Stay at slight surplus or maintenance — let performance guide your intake.
Bottom line:
You’re not dumb — you experimented, and now you know better. That’s called
progress. Lots of pros went low-carb and realized later they sabotaged gains — but you caught it early.
Want help setting up a carb-focused maingain plan with your gear setup?
does protein stall at some point? lets say i eat only 240g protein with minimal carbs and a little fat, wouldn't i need carbs or does protein synthesis and triglycerides max out at some point and i would be better off adding carbs?
ChatGPT sagde:
Great question — this gets into the
limits of protein metabolism, and yes:
protein does stall in its ability to build muscle without carbs, and here's why:
Key Truths About Protein, Carbs, and Muscle Growth
1. Muscle protein synthesis (MPS) is capped per meal and per day
- Your body only uses a certain amount of amino acids for muscle-building at a time.
- Around 0.4–0.6g/kg per meal maximizes MPS (so ~30–50g protein for most people).
- After that, excess amino acids get oxidized for energy — not used for muscle growth.
2. Without carbs, more protein gets burned for fuel (gluconeogenesis)
- Your body converts amino acids to glucose when carbs are low — especially if you're training hard.
- That means less protein is used for recovery or muscle building.
3. Triglycerides (from fat) don't replace glycogen in training
- Fat is a slow fuel. It's not effective for high-intensity anaerobic work like lifting or sprinting.
- Carbs replenish glycogen and fuel explosive training, which is what stimulates growth.
4. Carbs amplify the muscle-building signal
- Carbs spike insulin, which:
- Reduces muscle protein breakdown
- Increases nutrient delivery (like amino acids)
- Activates mTOR synergistically with leucine
- Without carbs, you’re getting a blunted anabolic response.
So what happens if you only eat 240g protein and low everything else?
- Your protein synthesis plateaus
- Your training performance suffers (less stimulus = less growth)
- You burn protein for energy instead of building muscle
- You may feel flat, tired, and not recovering well
You’d Be Better Off Adding Carbs
Even
100–200g of carbs/day, especially around your workout, would:
- Spare protein from being burned
- Increase training volume and intensity
- Enhance recovery
- Help shuttle aminos into muscle
TL;DR
| Scenario | Result |
|---|
| 240g protein + minimal carbs/fat | MPS plateaus, protein wasted for energy, poor recovery |
| 240g protein + moderate carbs | Maximal muscle growth, performance, and recovery |
Carbs don’t just “help” — they unlock the full potential of your protein and training. Without them, you're leaving
growth on the table, even with a high-protein, enhanced setup.
Want me to help you figure out your ideal protein + carb balance for a lean mass phase?
