NUTRITION TIPS
Proper nutrition is just as important for a serous lifter as training itself. The best training will do nothing for you if you fail to take care of providing the building blocks your body needs to grow stronger after training sessions.
TABLE OF CONTENTS (JUMP LINKS)
2. Spread Protein Throughout the Day
3. Consume Carbohydrates for Energy
10. Listen to Hunger and Fullness Cues
12. Include a Variety of Nutrient-Dense Foods
14. Monitor Body Weight Changes
15. Consult with a Nutrition Professional
Always consult with a healthcare professional or registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet, especially if you have pre-existing health conditions.
1. PRIORITIZE PROTEIN INTAKE:
Ensure an adequate protein intake is one of the most important things you can do when trying to get stronger. When you workout you effectively tear down your muscle cells you get stronger when your body responds to this and repairs these cells making them stronger in response to training. Your body needs building blocks to do this, these building block protein and amino acids which make these proteins up!
A general rule of thumb is to consume around 0.8 to 1.0 grams of protein per pound of body weight for maximal results. So if you weigh 200lbs you should be shooting to get between 160g and 200g of protein per day.
Now that’s a lot of protein! while most of it should come from natural sources like meats, dairy, beans, etc an easy way to add some more protein into your diet if you have a busy schedule and need a quick bump between main meals is with a protein powder, bars, or shakes.
2. SPREAD PROTEIN THROUGHOUT THE DAY:
Your body can only process so much protein at any given time, it’’s just as important to distribute your protein intake evenly across meals to maximize muscle protein synthesis.
As a general rule of thumb eating more than 50 grams of protein in a 2 hour period isn’t very beneficial as the body may have trouble processing all of it at once and some will be wasted.
Spacing your protein out through the day is just as important as how much you eat for maximum benefit to your training.
You should also eat some carbs and fats with any protein you eat before or after a hard workout to help ensure the protein you intake is used for muscle building and not burned as energy when your body needs fuel.
3. CONSUME CARBOHYDRATES FOR ENERGY:
Carbohydrates are your body’s primary energy source. While it can use fats and protein as energy when needed the quickest and easiest to process energy source is carbohydrates.
Include some complex carbs such as whole grains, rice, sweet potatoes, and oats to fuel your diet a few hours before workouts as well as in regular meals. this will improve energy during workouts for better muscle response and also aid in recovery.
If you ever feel “drained of energy” lethargic, or like you just don’t have enough “power” during workouts, your body is likely telling you you need to increase your carb intake, especially before a workout.
In general around 40% of your caloric intake should be in the form of carbohydrates. This will ensure your glycogen stores are replenished so you have energy for workouts.
Glycogen is your bodies “energy reserves” which is stored in muscle tissues, it’s what keeps you going between meals and during a hard workout. if you are running a carb deficit such as when you try to lose weight you will deplete these reserves zapping you of energy. Once your glycogen stores are deplete it can take up to 48 hours for your body to replenish them.
With out a proper supply of avaliable energy thru carbs your body will feel drained and your workouts will be less intense as you struggle to keep up. Also insufficient carbs will lead to slower recovery times which will also inhibit long tern strength gains.
4. MODERATE HEALTHY FATS:
Fats are an under appreciated macro nutrient in your diet. the “fat free’ diet movement in the 1990’s villainized this important element of nutrition.
People worry that eating fats will make them fat. This simply isn’t true if you eat the correct type and amounts of fats.
Fats are important for hormone regulation, improving stamina, energy levels, recovery, and healing functions (which is essentially how the body rebuilds muscles between workouts).
You should shoot to consume 15—20% of your daily calories from fat sources.
Include sources of healthy fats in your diet, such as avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil. Fats are essential for hormone production and overall health so don’t neglect them!
5. STAY HYDRATED:
Adequate hydration is crucial for optimal performance and is probably one of the most neglected aspects of ones nutrition, especially in hot climates.
Drink water throughout the day and consider electrolyte-rich beverages, especially during intense training sessions.
You should shoot to drink 120 – 160 ounces of water per day. While water doesn’t directly contribute to muscle building like protein does it is a critical component in your bodies normal operations including delivering nutrients to where it’s needed, protein synthesis (Muscle repair) and processing glycogen needed to fuel workouts.
Think of water as the fluid that connects all the other systems together and gets nutrients where it needs to maximize your performance.
6. PRE-WORKOUT NUTRITION:
Consume a balanced meal containing carbs, fats, and protein 2-3 hours before your workout. This provides sustained energy without getting that sluggish “I just ate” feeling.
Eating a few hours before a hard workout also helps prevent fatigue from setting in too early during a hard workout session.
Many lifters like to have some caffeine before a workout for an extra bit of energy and motivation for those morning workouts or workouts that require an extra big effort like a 1RM Attempt.
One side note is to make sure you don’t over do it with caffeine, while generally considered safe too much caffeine can lead to jitters, tingling feelings in your face and hands, and irritability.
If you have any of these symptoms reduce your caffeine intake for a day or two, and drink plenty of water. Also as a side note alcohol consumption increases your bodies sensitivity to caffeine so if you find you’re more sensitive than normal you may need to cut back on the eventing drinks.
7. INTRA-WORKOUT NUTRITION:
For longer sessions (More than 2 hours), consider a small snack or a sports drink to maintain energy levels and keep your hydration levels up.
Experiment to find what works best for you without causing digestive discomfort.
Personally I find something with a bit of sugar and fat works well for me such as an endurance gel pack or peanut butter.
Save the protein shake for after the workout, they tend to sit heavy in the gut making hard workouts uncomfortable.
8. POST-WORKOUT NUTRITION:
Consume a post-workout meal or snack with a combination of protein and carbohydrates to replenish glycogen stores and kickstart the recovery process. A protein shake or smoothie is an easy way to get these nutrients while on the go for people with a busy schedule.
This is possibly one of the most important meals of the day as your demand for carbs and protein will be high. Even if you are trying to lose weight this is a meal you really should have some carbs and fats included.
If you only eat a lean protein source your body will likely break some of it down for energy as it seeks to recharge its energy reserves. so make sure you have ample amounts of all of the 3 mayor macro nutrients to ensure the body has every thing it needs to refuel and start the recovery process.
9. SUPPLEMENT WISELY:
Consider supplements like whey protein, creatine, and branched-chain amino acids (BCAA’s) to complement your nutrition. This is especially important if you have a busy schedule and don’t have much time to prepare healthy meals on the go.
It’s important to not be overly reliant on supplements as a healthy diet is always the best way to meet your nutrition needs. But supplements are a great way to add to your diet what might be missing or in short supply.
In general I find the supplement world will sell you everything you’re willing to buy! You probably don’t need to buy as much as you think, but a few thoughtful selections to target areas your diet is lacking or specific to address a need in your training / recovery such as caffeine for those morning workouts, or BCAA’s to address muscle soreness can be beneficial.
We have an entire section on this site dedicated to Recommended Supplements outlining what are our top picks and when they should be used to maximize their effect along with target amounts to ensure you don’t buy more than you really need and save you money.
10. LISTEN TO HUNGER AND FULLNESS CUES:
Pay attention to your body’s signals. Eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re satisfied to maintain a healthy relationship with food.
The human body is an incredible machine that has evolved over millions of years. While it’s a great idea to track calories, macro nutrients, and schedule your meals & workouts ahead of time. You should still listen to your body. If you’re feeling over tired, not seeing gains, are always hungry or struggling to eat every meal in your prescribed diet plan it might be time to take a step back and evaluate what. you’re body is trying to tell you.
It’s one of the most powerful nutrition signals you can get, so listen to it!
11. PLAN AND PREPARE MEALS:
As we’ve talked about thru this site consistency is an important part of any strength training plan and that includes your diet & nutrition.
It’s not enough to have one or 2 “good meals” when you feel like it. you need to plan your meals in advance and prepare them in bulk, this helps ensure you have nutritious options readily available, reducing the temptation of less healthy choices, or skip important meals around workouts or when life gets busy.
Just like you should have a workout schedule of when you workout and what your exercises are, you should have a meal plan of when you eat, how much, and what should be in each meal.
12. INCLUDE A VARIETY OF NUTRIENT-DENSE FOODS:
Aim for a diverse range of nutrient-dense foods to obtain a broad spectrum of vitamins and minerals essential for overall health and performance.While it might be easier to calculate how many of your macro nutrients you are getting if you eat the exact same thing everyday there are many micro nutrients that are also important you may be missing.
Make sure to get a mix of foods from all the food groups such as meats, dairies, vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, nuts, and other natural unprocessed foods.
Also if you are constantly craving a food you don’t normally eat, it might be your bodies way of telling you that you are in short supply of a vital nutrient. Give in a little and see if the craving goes away.
13. CONSIDER NUTRIENT TIMING:
Time your meals strategically around your training sessions. Consuming a balanced meal before and after workouts can enhance performance and recovery significantly.
Loading some extra carbs before and after a workout can help you maintain a high energy level during your working out and for the rest of the day after an intense workout.
Make sure to space out your protein to no more than 50 grams per 2 hour window to ensure maximum utilization.
Finally any protein eaten directly after a workout should be paired with carbs and fats to ensure they aren’t burned off as an energy source as your body tries to replenish glycogen stores depleted during a hard workout.
Don’t forget to keep the water intake up throughout the day, it’s the most important nutrient that has no nutrition metric, but it’s critical to your bodies systems and ensures everything gets to where it needs to be and is a key ingredient in the synthesis of protein and glycogen.
14. MONITOR BODY WEIGHT CHANGES:
Track your body weight trends over time and adjust your nutrition accordingly.
Gradual changes allow for more controlled adjustments to support your training goals.
If trying to gain or lose weight you should shoot for a gradual increase or decrease of no more than 1-2lbs per week depending on your goals. Big swings up or down in weight aren’t sustainable and are often not constructive to muscle gain or fat loss long term.
If possible track your body fat percentage as well to ensure your weight gain or loss is the type of weight you are seeking to gain or lose.
We recommend the Withings Body Smart – Accurate Smart Scale. It is an accurate scale and can calculate body fat percentage as well. Additionally the app will log all your measurements automatically making it easy to track progress over time.
Ideally weigh yourself in the mornings before you’ve had any thing to eat or drink for the most consistent measurements.
15. CONSULT WITH A NUTRITION PROFESSIONAL:
Seek guidance from a registered dietitian or nutritionist who understands the specific nutritional needs of powerlifters. They can help tailor a nutrition plan to your individual requirements.
Remember that individual nutritional needs vary depending on many factors, and it’s important to find an approach that aligns with your current goals and preferences. Always consult with a healthcare professional or registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet, especially if you have pre-existing health conditions.