Athletes and non-athletes generally lift weights with the intent of increasing muscle size, getting stronger and improving performance in a particular sport. Knowing what you want to accomplish and how it can be accomplished by lifting is important, especially when considering nutritional supplementation.
Weightlifting
When lifting weights, you place stress on your muscles. The stress serves as a stimulus, which subsequently causes the muscle to adapt or get stronger through a remodeling process. Muscle remodeling describes the breakdown of muscle protein from the stress of lifting and synthesis and integration of new proteins into the existing muscle. This process, which can take several days, is the basis for stronger, larger muscles and relies on protein availability.
Supplementing
Supplements, by definition, are designed to be an additional source of amino acids--the building blocks of protein--which will theoretically improve the body's capacity to build muscle. Whether or not supplements are needed depends on your goals and nutritional habits. By simply eating a well-balanced diet, you may not need additional sources. The Food and Nutrition Board recommends 0.8 g of protein per kilogram of body weight to the general public. For a 91-kg, or 200-lb., man, this equates to 73 g of protein per day. As a point of reference, a 6-oz. steak easily consumed in one meal contains about 42 g of protein.
Heavy Lifters
The more heavy lifting you do, the more protein you will need to keep up with the remodeling demands. Protein requirements for heavy weightlifters are more than double that of the general public, reaching as much as 1.7 g per kilogram of body weight, according to the National Strength and Conditioning Association. In other words, if you're considering heavy lifting, you will need to either eat more protein sources or use a supplement.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Ultimately, you need to consider the pros and cons of supplementation. The timing of nutrients is important to the recovery and rebuilding of muscle. Because protein shakes digest faster than meats, a post-exercise shake would be more advantageous than cooking and delaying cellular exposure to needed nutrients. Additionally, common protein sources such as dairy and meat contain varying amounts of fats, unlike lean proteins found in shakes. However, the cost of supplements can become burdensome and hard on your budget. Depending on the regimen of supplementation, costs could conservatively range from $30 to more than $100 per month.
References
- "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning"; National Strength and Conditioning Association; 2008
- "National Academy of Sciences"; Dietary Reference Intakes: Applications in Dietary Planning"; Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine, National Academies; 2002
- "ACSM's Resource Manual for Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription"; American College of Sports Medicine; 2006
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