Although many women struggle to lose excess weight, female athletes and bodybuilders often want the exact opposite, to gain weight and build lean muscle mass. But gaining mass the healthy way means avoiding packing on fat while achieving a balanced, muscular body. Proper food intake and nutrition is an important part of the process of building strength and endurance, as well as mass.
Protein
Protein is an important component of bones and muscles and requires your body to expend more calories digesting it than carbohydrates or fat. The American Dietetic Association recommends bodybuilders have protein intakes of .02 to 0.3 ounces per pound of body weight, with the best sources being lean meats, poultry and fish, fat-free dairy, eggs, legumes, soy and protein supplements like whey or casein. Timing is also important; a study published in the "British Journal of Sports Medicine" in September 2006 reported that women oxidize less protein during exercise than men and have a smaller increase in muscle protein synthesis after strength training. The study concluded that women may need to consume small amounts of high-quality, rapidly digested protein before and after exercise and between meals in order to create the same anabolic muscle-building effect as men.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates provide energy so your body won't need to use protein as a fuel source, with glycogen the main carbohydrate required in bodybuilding. Women use significantly less glycogen during resistance exercise than men and also synthesize less glycogen from dietary carbohydrates. This means that if women bodybuilders eat too many carbs, it may promote an increase in body fat. But the type of carbs is also important, since carbs low on the glycemic index--which measures their effects on blood sugar levels--will be less likely to promote fat. These include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and sweet potatoes. The ADA recommends .08 to .13 ounces of carbohydrates per pound of body weight per day for weight training.
Fat
Many women, even bodybuilders, avoid fat in the belief that eating fat equals gaining fat instead of lean muscle. However, as the 2008 "British Journal of Sports Medicine" showed, since women rely less on glycogen for resistance exercise than men, they may need a higher-fat diet to provide energy and spare muscle glycogen. The study also found that women endurance athletes need to obtain at least 30 percent of their energy from dietary fat to provide a rapid replenishment of intramuscular triglyceride stores following exercise. The ADA advises that the healthiest fat choices include fish, nuts and seeds and their oils and vegetable oils.
Other Considerations
Keep well hydrated to supply your body with the water it needs to flush your system of excess byproducts and toxins, and eat at least five to six times a day to keep your body in a constant anabolic state necessary for gaining muscle mass. Using creatine supplements may also be helpful, as creatine provides enhanced high intensity exercise performance in women and augments strength and lean body mass gain during resistance training.
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