Proper nutrition during resistance training and strength building offers so many health benefits – and not only physical ones. They can also have a positive effect on one’s mental and emotional wellbeing. Because training doesn’t happen in a vacuum, one way to amplify all the hard work that you put into the gym is to be thoughtful about your diet.
You may have noticed that your taste, appetite, and/or energy levels have changed once you began training. Or you may just be wondering how to navigate your nutritional needs as you participate in this type of exercise. Whether you have been doing it for years, a few months, or a couple of days, it may have crossed your mind that you don’t know what to eat to support your training and your health. To make matters worse, there is too much advice available in the public domain and it’s difficult to weed through it all.
So let’s cut through the noise and start here.
Protein, Protein, Protein
This is one of three macronutrients. Most commonly shortened to “macros”, these structures are the three components of food that provide the necessary nutrients to the body. Each has different roles to play and all are required for survival.
But why does everyone talk about protein in particular? It is the building block of, well, everything (!) and is responsible for most cellular functions and structure. This includes muscle. Without protein, muscle won’t build. If muscle doesn’t increase, neither does strength. Proteins are constantly being created and broken down to be used throughout an organism. (In this case – us humans.) The rate of synthesis must be greater than the rate of breakdown in order for things like muscle growth to occur, which is why you need to keep supplying protein to your body.
It is absolutely essential for successful resistance training so if you only focus on one thing, be sure to get enough protein daily.
What Is “Enough” Protein?
For starters, the amount is much higher than the general Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) because they are far too low, especially if you are strength training. Instead, consider trying to hit 1g of protein per pound (lb) of body weight per day. A little less ambitious, but equally valid, is 1.7g per kilogram (kg) of body weight per day.
This is appropriate for individuals trying to build muscle mass, lose body fat, or maintain their current body composition, although those looking to build muscle should shoot for more. So, regardless of which category you fall under, this guideline will work for you.
If that amount seems daunting, and you are nowhere near that goal, try to ramp up your intake slowly from what it is now. Additionally, break the amount up fairly evenly over the number of meals you have in a day. Any time you eat can be considered a meal; so even sneaking in a protein shake between solid food can be a good strategy to consume additional numbers.
There are many advantages to supplying protein gradually over the course of the day. A constant supply will keep you satisfied and reduce cravings. It will also be easier to get closer to your daily goal if you space it out so that you aren’t too full or turned off by the process. In general, 25-40g in one meal is a good rule of thumb.
A common concern about intake timing is the long-held concept of the “post-training protein refeed window” that has been touted over the years. That is, there was a notion that if one didn’t ingest protein within an hour after resistance training, then they were missing a huge opportunity for synthesis. New research has concluded that, in fact, that synthesis continues to occur for about 24 hours after training. In other words, there’s no need to add this stress to your planning.
In order to keep the intake stream going, I strongly advise a pre-bed snack. An easy trick is to use protein powder – casein if possible. Casein digests slowly which helps avoid the lack of consumption during the fasted state. It also helps with satiety for the morning.
In part two we’ll share information about the other macros and how all three work together.
At SBWC we offer Nutrition Coaching to help you fuel and make sense of your wellness journey. Book a free intro with us today to engage in a detailed conversation about your specific health and fitness aspirations.
