Embarking on a Starting Strength program is a significant step towards building a solid foundation of strength. However, lifting weights is only half the battle. Nutrition plays a vital role in fueling your workouts, facilitating recovery, and ultimately, maximizing your gains. This article provides a comprehensive guide to nutrition for those starting the Starting Strength program, covering everything from calculating your caloric needs to optimizing your macronutrient ratios.
Understanding Caloric Needs
Determining your daily caloric needs is the first step in designing an effective diet for strength training. One common method is to calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), which represents the number of calories your body burns at rest. However, most online BMR calculators don't account for lean body mass (LBM), which can affect the accuracy of the results.
A more practical approach is to estimate your caloric needs based on your body weight and activity level. Here's a simple guideline:
- Teenage athletic types: Can generally eat as desired due to high metabolism.
- Those wanting to gain weight and strength (e.g., football linebacker): Multiply bodyweight (in pounds) by 20-22.
- Skinny individuals or teenagers: Multiply bodyweight by 18-20.
- Overweight individuals aiming to lose fat: Multiply bodyweight by 12-15, adjusting based on age and natural strength levels. Stronger, naturally large individuals and teenagers should lean towards the higher end of this range (15).
Fine-Tuning Calorie Intake Through Monitoring
To further refine your calorie intake, monitor your weight after your morning bowel evacuation. If you've gained a pound, you're consuming approximately 500 calories per day above your maintenance level. Conversely, maintaining your weight indicates that you're eating at your maintenance level.
Adjust your calorie intake based on your weight gain/loss goals:
Read also: The Hoxsey Diet
- Gain 1 pound per week: Add 500 calories daily.
- Gain 1.5 pounds per week: Add 750 calories daily.
- Gain 2 pounds per week: Add 1000 calories daily (not recommended for those over 25).
- Gain 3 pounds per week: Add 1500 calories daily (only recommended for individuals still growing in height).
You can combine these methods to estimate your daily calories and then use weight monitoring to check how well your food intake works.
Absorption and Calorie Overload
Remember that merely eating a lot does not guarantee absorption. If you experience frequent digestive issues, reduce your calorie intake and gradually increase it. Aim for a weight gain of 0.5-1.5 pounds per week. Gaining more than 2 pounds per week, especially if you're not a teenager, likely indicates fat gain. As a rule, overeating is preferable to undereating when it comes to gains.
Macronutrient Ratios: Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fats
Once you've determined your caloric needs, it's time to optimize your macronutrient ratios. The ideal ratios vary depending on your body type and goals.
- Skinny individuals: Higher carb and fat levels may be beneficial, with a ratio of approximately 25% protein, 50% carbohydrates, and 25% fat. This helps prevent muscle catabolism and ensures a steady supply of nutrients.
- Individuals with more body fat: Lower carb levels and higher protein levels may be more effective. Try ratios like 50% protein, 30% carbohydrates, and 20% fat or 50% protein, 25% carbohydrates, and 25% fat.
- Natural mesomorphs (athletic types): A balanced ratio of around 40% protein, 40% carbohydrates, and 20% fat may work well. These individuals often have more flexibility in their diet as long as their caloric needs are met.
- General recommendation: A 30-40-30 or 33-33-33 ratio can also be effective, especially if the carbohydrates are from clean sources.
Example Calculation for a Skinny Teenager
Let's calculate the macronutrient needs for a skinny 150-pound teenager using the "Body Type Method":
- Total Calories: 150 lbs x 22 kcal/lb = 3300 calories
- Protein: 25% of 3300 calories = 825 calories. 825 calories / 4 calories/gram ≈ 205 grams of protein
- Carbohydrates: 50% of 3300 calories = 1650 calories. 1650 calories / 4 calories/gram = 412.5 grams of carbohydrates
- Fat: 25% of 3300 calories = 825 calories. 825 calories / 9 calories/gram ≈ 92 grams of fat
This is a baseline, and you may need to adjust it based on your training intensity and individual response.
Read also: Walnut Keto Guide
The Importance of Nutrient Absorption
Eating a lot does not mean you're absorbing a lot. You have to properly absorb your calories in order for them to be of use. If you are farting and having diarrhea every 10-15 minutes, then you added too many calories too fast. Scale back a bit and work your way back up. Too much too soon can overload your system.
Meal Frequency and Timing
Eating consistently throughout the day is crucial for maintaining a positive nitrogen balance and preventing muscle breakdown. Avoid skipping meals, regardless of your body type. Aim for 3-6 meals per day, ensuring that each meal contains 20-40g of protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
The Anabolic Window
After training, there is a two-hour window where your body is more efficient at absorbing protein. Take advantage of this period by consuming a protein-rich meal or shake.
Food Choices
Prioritize whole, unprocessed foods to meet your macronutrient needs.
Protein Sources:
- Lean meats (chicken breast, turkey, fish, lean beef)
- Eggs
- Dairy products (cottage cheese, milk, yogurt)
- Plant-based proteins (legumes, tofu, tempeh)
- Protein powder (whey, casein, soy, etc.)
Carbohydrate Sources:
- Complex carbohydrates (oats, brown rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes)
- Fruits and vegetables
Fat Sources:
- Healthy fats (avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil, fish oil)
Foods to Limit or Avoid:
- Processed foods (chips, candy, soda, fast food)
- Foods high in saturated and trans fats
- Sugary drinks
- Excessive sugar alcohol
Sample Meal Plan
Here’s a sample 4000-calorie diet plan:
Read also: Weight Loss with Low-FODMAP
- Breakfast: Egg sandwiches (scrambled eggs + cheese + whole grain bread and salsa)
- Lunch: Brown 1 lb hamburger helper
- Snacks: All-natural peanut butter with a spoon, protein shakes
- Throughout the day: Extra virgin olive oil (1 tbsp)
Be creative and have fun gaining weight while us fatties eat green beans and lentils.
Supplements
While diet and training are the cornerstones of a successful strength training program, supplements can play a supporting role.
Helpful Supplements:
- Creatine: Enhances strength and muscle mass.
- Multivitamin: Provides essential vitamins and minerals.
- Fish oil: Supports heart health and reduces inflammation.
- Liver and kidney detox supplement: Ensures optimal liver/kidney function and overall health.
Supplements to Avoid:
- Pro-hormones
- NO-X supplements
- Products with exaggerated claims
Remember that supplements make up only about 5% of the equation. Don't obsess about them.
Hydration
Drink plenty of water throughout the day, aiming for at least one gallon (preferably more, up to 1.5 gallons). Adequate hydration is essential for kidney function and overall health, especially when consuming a high-protein diet.
Individual Considerations
- Starting Strength Coaches and GOMAD: Not all Starting Strength coaches advocate for the Gallon Of Milk A Day (GOMAD) diet. Milk is a cheap, nutrient-dense option for young men and hard gainers, but it's not a requirement.
- Beginner Lifters: In the initial phases of the Starting Strength Linear Progression (SSLP), when the weights are light, you may not need to significantly increase your food intake. Focus on technique and consistency.
- Women: The advice for women is similar, although typically they'd suggest they ramp up less aggressively and gain less weight.
- Weight Gain Resistance: Some people are resistant to gaining weight, even when they know they need to. Remember that gaining weight and getting stronger are often harder than losing weight.
- Plateaus: Just as in training, your bodyweight will eventually find a plateau. If you decide to put on more weight, you will have to deliberately amp up your fork reps.
The Importance of Consistency and Patience
Building strength and muscle takes time and consistency. Don't get discouraged if you don't see results immediately. Stick to your diet and training plan, and you will eventually reach your goals.
Adjustments and Metabolic Rate
Metabolic rates vary wildly, and the influence of dietary habits cannot be overstated. There exists a certain threshold that you must either exceed (to gain) or be under (to lose) to alter your weight. This threshold represents the normal fluctuations of one’s metabolic rate that is, of course, influenced by dietary intake, training volume (reps/sets/number of training days/conditioning volume/etc.).
What I aim to do is find this threshold, wherever it is, and go slightly above or below it, then push the hell out of it until it just won’t go anymore. In other words, I want a person to be eating the most amount of food whilst losing body fat. Similarly, when a non-emaciated person wants to gain body weight I want them to do so in a slow and controlled manner with minimal increases in calorie intake over time so as to not introduce a catalyst for rapid fat gain.