Strength training requires progressive overloading of muscles along with adequate rest. Combine that regimen with proper nutrition, and the results will be bigger, stronger muscles. But without the right type of nutritional support, athletes tire more quickly, workouts suffer, and progress can be stalled.
This article addresses the common questions and misconceptions concerning nutrition for strength training.
Question: I need to build muscle and lose weight — how do I do that effectively?
Answer: It’s common for athletes to want to lose weight and build muscle when strength training. But avoid the temptation to try to achieve both of these goals at the same time. Losing weight and gaining muscle are quite different processes. That is, conditions for building muscle are best when a surplus of calories is consumed on a daily basis, while reducing body weight requires a daily calorie deficit. If you want to lose weight and build muscle, first do one and then the other. For example, first lose weight by trimming calories, and then shift your focus to building muscle by consuming an extra measure of calories.
Question: What’s the best way to lose weight (reduce my body fat) without losing muscle?
Answer: A safe and sustainable way to lose weight is to take in about 500 fewer calories than you need each day. This will enable you to lose about 1 lb (0.45 kg) per week. Avoid severely restricting calories, as this can make it harder to continue training and can increase the chance of getting colds. While trimming calories, consuming a little extra protein will help reduce muscle loss and can help you feel more satisfied. So when you’re cutting calories to lose weight, boost your protein intake to 0.82 grams per lb (1.8 grams per kg) body weight daily (about 123 grams daily for a 150-lb (68-kg) athlete). Finally, strength training sessions that work all of the major muscle groups will also help minimize the loss of muscle mass as you lose weight.
Question: Do I need a protein supplement in order to maximize the impact of my strength training?
Answer: You do need to consume protein to support your strength training, but that protein doesn’t need to be in the form of a protein or amino acid supplement. Protein can come from the food you eat. Excellent protein sources include fish, poultry, meat, dairy foods, and beans. Regardless of the source, the protein that you eat will get digested into its component amino acids. These amino acids will then be absorbed and repackaged by your body into the kinds of proteins you need for the repair and building of muscle tissue in response to your training.
Question: How much protein do I need in order to build muscle when I’m weight training?
Answer: Protein intake during the muscle-building phase of your training is actually a bit lower than when you are cutting calories to lose weight. When working out to build muscle, consume 0.64 grams of protein per lb (1.4 grams per kg) body weight daily. That’s about 96 grams of protein per day for a 150-lb (68-kg) athlete. The tendency for strength athletes is to overconsume protein, especially when they are working hard to build muscle. In fact, most athletes easily consume the amount of protein that they need in order to fully support muscle development, and it’s important to understand that consuming more protein than you need won’t cause you to build more muscle. Rather than overdoing it on protein, concentrate instead on the timing of your protein intake in relation to your workouts. Taking in 15–25 grams of protein within an hour of your workout will ensure that you have the full arsenal of amino acid building blocks needed for the repair and building of muscle tissue in response to your training.
Question: How many calories do I need each day when I’m trying to build muscle?
Answer: In addition to consuming enough protein and carbohydrates to support your strength training, you’ll need to consume a surplus of calories in order to build muscle. Strive for an extra 500 calories each day. For example, if 3,000 calories daily is what you currently need in order to keep your body weight stable, bump your intake to 3,500 calories to build muscle. In more practical terms, eat and drink what you currently consume, and then take in 500 additional calories. There are all kinds of ways to get those bonus calories. One simple example is to consume a
PowerBar ProteinPlus® 30g protein bar (360 calories) and 16 fl oz of
Ironman Perform™ sports drink (140 calories) in addition to what you normally eat and drink.
Question: I’ve tried to build muscle in the past by lifting weights, but I didn’t make much progress. What do I need to do?
Answer: Some athletes strength train, eat well, and get adequate rest for a few days early in their program, but then they slack off on one or more of these important elements. Muscles take time to develop, they require rest in between workouts, and they need the proper nutrition in order to fully adapt to the workload imposed by training. So make sure that your strength training program provides all three of these elements, and stick with your program. Effective training and consistency are the keys to good results. Finally, be realistic with your goals — each of us has a different genetic potential to develop muscle mass.
Question: If muscle is made out of protein, why does it matter how much carbohydrate I eat?
Answer: Carbohydrates are an important source of muscle fuel during your workouts. Repetitive lifting during training sessions has been shown to decrease muscle fuel stores — called glycogen — by up to 40%. So if you don’t consume adequate carbohydrates in between training sessions, your muscle fuel reserves gradually dwindle. This can reduce your strength and the force that you’re able to generate when lifting, which then limits the quality of your training. Therefore, it’s important to be prepared for strength training sessions, with your carbohydrate fuel reserves fully replenished.
Question: How much carbohydrate should I eat when I’m training hard, and what are good carb sources?
Answer: Carbohydrate intake during the muscle-building phase of your training should be about 4.1 grams per lb (9 grams per kg) body weight daily, or about 615 grams for a 150-lb (68-kg) athlete. Good sources of carbohydrates include pasta, rice, bread, cereal, vegetables, fruit, and sweetened dairy products such as flavored yogurts and flavored milks. If you are into sports nutrition products, then sports drinks, energy bars and bites, energy gels and chews, recovery beverages and bars, and certain protein bars can provide much-needed carbs.
Question: What and when should I eat before I work out?
Answer: Consume a meal plus fluids (14–20 fl oz, or 400–600 ml) about 2–4 hours before your workout. The goal is to start your training session fueled and hydrated but also feeling comfortable. Choose familiar carbohydrate-based foods and beverages and avoid slow-to-digest fatty and high-fiber foods prior to lifting. Experiment to find the right food items, and the timing, that work best for you.
Question: Is there any advantage to doing my strength training workouts on an empty stomach, such as before breakfast?
Answer: Muscle tissue is constantly changing. Existing muscle is broken down, while new muscle is being made. The breakdown process is called protein catabolism, while the making of new muscle tissue proteins is called protein anabolism. The two processes happen simultaneously, but the rate of each changes constantly, and what you eat has a strong impact. For example, eating protein has an anabolic effect, whereas going without food overnight or for an extended period has a catabolic effect. When you are strength training, you are trying to build muscle — so don’t skip breakfast or go for long periods without eating, especially before workouts, and make sure to consume some protein with each meal and snack.
Question: I strength train and also do aerobic workouts. How do I make sure that I’m consuming adequate fluids before and during workouts?
Answer: There are a number of steps you can take to ensure that you are adequately hydrated going into and during training sessions: 1) Drink 14–20 fl oz (400–600 ml) of water, electrolyte drink, or sports drink a few hours before you start training; 2) Monitor your hydration status before a workout by checking the color of your urine. A light-yellow color is consistent with adequate hydration. If your urine is darker, more like the color of apple juice, that’s a sign that more fluids are needed; 3) Weigh yourself before and after workouts. Most of the weight lost during exercise is fluid loss. If you find that you lose more than 2% of your body weight when training (3 lbs for a 150-lb athlete; 1.4 kg for a 68-kg athlete), you are losing too much fluid and you need to consume a bit more as you train; 4) Carry a sports bottle with you as you train — it’s a good way of always having access to fluids and keeping track of how much you are drinking; and 5) Hydrate to your sweat rate during exercise. To calculate your sweat rate, click on the
Sweat Rate Calculator at PowerBar.com.
Question: I’d like to eat something that can help me recover after lifting. Does PowerBar® offer something for this purpose?
Answer: Taking in 15–25 grams of protein within an hour of your workout will help ensure that you have the necessary amino acid building blocks on hand to support the repair and building of muscle tissue. And research indicates that the amino acid leucine is particularly effective at flipping the anabolic switch and promoting muscle protein synthesis post-workout.
PowerBar ProteinPlus® 30g protein bar takes advantage of this cutting-edge research by providing 30 grams of muscle-building protein, 30 grams of muscle-refueling carbs, and 3.5 grams of the amino acid spark plug leucine per serving. Consuming a bar along with fluids after working out is ideal for jump-starting recovery — including the process of muscle repair and building.
References:
1. Bodybuilding at a Glance. In: Sports Nutrition: A Practice Manual for Professionals. 4th ed. Sports, Cardiovascular, and Wellness Nutritionists Dietetic Practice Group. Dunford M, ed. American Dietetic Association. 2006: 502.
2. Burke L. Strength and Power Sports. In: Practical Sports Nutrition. Human Kinetics, Australia, 2007: 265–287.
3. Tarnopolsky M. Protein and Amino Acid Needs for Training and Bulking Up. In: Burke L, Deakin V. Clinical Sports Nutrition. 3rd ed. McGraw-Hill, 2006: 73–111.
4. American College of Sports Medicine; American Dietetic Association; Dietitians of Canada. Joint Position Statement: Nutrition and Athletic Performance. American College of Sports Medicine, American Dietetic Association, and Dietitians of Canada. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2000; 32: 2,130–2,145.
5. American College of Sports Medicine, Sawka MN, Burke LM, Eichner ER, Maughan RJ, Montain SJ, Stachenfeld NS. American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Exercise and Fluid Replacement. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007; 39: 377–390.
6. American Dietetic Association. Fueling Body Builders (handout). 2006.
7. Australian Institute of Sport. Increasing Muscle Mass. www.ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition/factsheets/body_size_and_shape2/increasing_muscle_mass.
8. Norton LE, Layman DK. Leucine Regulates Translation Initiation of Protein Synthesis in Skeletal Muscle After Exercise. J Nutr 2006; 136: 533S–537S.
Topics:
Strength training
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