High Protein Diet: Is a Protein Diet Good for Strength Training?
Eat a High Carbohydrate Diet
Contrary to conventional understanding, high carbohydrate diets are actually better than high-protein diets for strength trainers. Many strength training athletes do not eat enough carbohydrates. A lot of people think that if they eat a low carb diet, they will be more likely to lose weight. Low carbohydrate diets tend to deplete the body of glycogen, the stored form of glucose. If the body is depleted of glycogen, it starts to burn protein from the muscles. Thus, your muscles can actually become smaller. Therefore, if you fail to eat pasta and bread, thinking that they will make you fat, you will likely begin to eat a higher protein diet. This will actually be counterproductive to what you’re trying to do. If you’re trying to get stronger, you need to make sure you eat a high carbohydrate diet.
Consume Plenty of Calories
Enough calories is vitally important to your energy. Eating less than 1600 calories a day will probably not provide all the nutrients you need to get stronger. If you are active and exercising a lot, your body probably needs a higher intake of particular nutrients. Studies show that athletes need more of the Recommended Daily Intake of vitamins and minerals than non-athletes.
There are number of factors that determine how much of each nutrient you need when strength training. The factors include your gender, age, and training difficulty. Strength trainers are putting a lot of stress on their bodies. In order to remain healthy while under such great stress, it is best to supplement with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Gaining muscle and losing body fat requires, surprisingly enough, that you keep enough calories and consume plenty of nutrients in order to be successful.
Conclusion
The myth of the success of the high-protein diet is a plague among strength trainers today. The scientific evidence in sports nutrition has been showing for a long time that a high carbohydrate diet is more successful than a high-protein diet when trying to build muscle and and gain strength.
References
Kleiner, Susan M. Power Eating
This post is part of the series: Eating Principles for Strength Training
You need to learn to eat right if you are going to effectively maximize your strength training efforts. There are many misconceptions about what to eat and what not to eat in order to maximize strength gains. You’ll be surprised to find out that the general convention is generally wrong!
