Research
Mixed
A ketogenic diet maintains resistance exercise performance and does not impair strength gains, even if there is a slight loss in lean body mass.
If you lift weights, you can switch to a ketogenic diet without losing your strength. You might lose a small amount of lean mass, but your power and strength gains will be similar to those on a high-carb diet. Focus on your training intensity.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Although the available literature is limited, the data suggests that a ketogenic diet does not impair performance of resistance exercise even in the presence of some loss in lean mass.
Why this rating
Based on several small studies and crossover designs, but limited by sample sizes.
Source
A ketogenic diet for reducing obesity and maintaining capacity for physical activity
E. Angela Murphy et al. · Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care · 2019
DOI 10.1097/mco.0000000000000572
narrative_reviewCited 14×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- A ketogenic diet promotes rapid fat mass loss in obese individuals, primarily through caloric restriction and appetite suppression rather than a unique metabolic advantage.Moderate
- The impact of a ketogenic diet on endurance performance is controversial and context-dependent, with some studies showing improvement and others showing impairment.Limited
Related findings · Mixed
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