Building Bodies for Optimal Performance
Hi everyone! As recruitment/gain season is upon us I wanted to share some nutritional information for muscle growth. Some of this info is adapted from NFS302 (Nutrition, Athletics, Performance, and Behaviour) which is an AMAZING class taught by Professor Collier who is one of my favourite professors. All references are listed at the end!
First, it is important to understand that during resistance training, muscle fibres undergo trauma otherwise known as muscle injury. This “injury” activates satellite cells which are in essence muscle support cells. These satellite cells fuse to muscle fibres to form new myofibrils and repair damaged fibres leading to an increase in thickness and number of muscle cells.¹
A critical concept is that muscle fibres are made up of protein and in order to keep up with muscle growth, we need to be consuming sufficient amounts of protein. Dietitians of Canada and the American College of Sports Medicine published a systematic review stating that dietary protein intake necessary to support metabolic adaptation, repair, remodelling, and protein turnover generally ranges from 1.2 to 2.0 g/kg/d.² For example, someone weighing 65kg should be consuming anywhere from 78-130 grams of protein per day. This protein can be obtained from your meals and further supplemented by protein powder or other protein products.
A common misconception is that infinite protein = infinite gains? A systematic review by Morton RW et al. demonstrated that beyond 1.6g/kg of protein per day will be oxidized/burnt off rather than used for muscle building.³ This suggests that staying closer to the 1.2-1.6g/kg/day is ideal for muscle hypertrophy.
Some high protein foods to include in your meals include eggs, chicken breast, almonds, and oats. Note that animal-based proteins do have higher digestibility than plant-based proteins, BUT many plant-based protein have been modified to exhibit similar digestibility as animal-based proteins.⁴ For my vegetarians and vegans friends, you have the option of consuming more plant-based proteins to meet your body’s needs!
Thank you for listening to my Ted Talk.
Good luck on assignments and midterms everyone!
References
1. Chargé, S. B., & Rudnicki, M. A. (2004). Cellular and Molecular Regulation of Muscle Regeneration. Physiological Reviews, 84(1), 209-238. doi:10.1152/physrev.00019.2003
2. Thomas, D. T., Erdman, K. A., & Burke, L. M. (2016). Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and Athletic Performance. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 116(3), 501-528. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2015.12.006
3. Morton, R. W., Murphy, K. T., Mckellar, S. R., Schoenfeld, B. J., Henselmans, M., Helms, E., . . . Phillips, S. M. (2017). A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 52(6), 376-384. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-097608
4. Tomé, D. (2013). Digestibility Issues of Vegetable versus Animal Proteins: Protein and Amino Acid Requirements—Functional Aspects. Food and Nutrition Bulletin, 34(2), 272-274. doi:10.1177/156482651303400225