Muscles aren’t just for men. Many women want to gain strength, and for a range of reasons. Maybe the idea of enhancing definition in certain areas of the body is what drives you. Or perhaps you’re cross-training for another sport. Others might simply be looking to make daily tasks easier.

Whether you’re motivated by wanting to look better or feel better, you’ve committed to a weightlifting routine. Well done! But there is more to gaining muscle than just showing up and completing the workout. Here are a few tips to consider:

1. Food gives you fuel.

Women experience stigma around food and eating. But if you’re moving more, then you need to eat more. That's not an excuse to indulge in every guilty pleasure, because what you eat is just as important as how much you eat.

Instead of Googling overwhelming lists of foods to avoid or swearing off an entire food group entirely, try a holistic approach. One way to do this is to focus on macronutrients – also known as macros. The body needs macros to function properly. Let’s break them down:

Carbohydrates: Although protein is the star of the show in the weightlifting world, carbohydrates play an important role as the body’s main fuel source. Carbs create energy, and when you eat more carbs than you need, the body stores some as glycogen, which powers your muscles through an intense workout.1 Plus, carbs help prevent muscle loss, reduce soreness, and lower your injury risk.

Protein: Protein is key for muscle gain. Made up of multiple amino acids, protein is responsible for building, maintaining, and repairing the microtears in muscles that occur during exercise. However, if the body lacks energy from carbohydrates and fat stores, then it will burn protein instead, diverting it from its muscle-building role.1

Fat: Often considered a “dirty word” in the health and fitness world, healthy fats – like those in nuts, avocado, and fish – support muscle building. Fats also help maintain hormone levels and absorb the nutrients that play a key role in muscle building.1 In addition, fats play a role in the body’s inflammatory response, which stimulates muscle growth.

Although keeping track of macros can be a daunting task, personal fitness apps like MyFitnessPal and Chronometer can help. They count calories while providing targets for each macronutrient and offer a suggested daily calorie intake, all tailored to your fitness goals. Age, height, weight, current activity levels, and the type of activity you’re doing determine the recommended percentage of each macro.

Nevertheless, establishing a good eating pattern can feel like an experiment. Because there are so many individual factors at play, as well as a general lack of research on women, there are no easy answers. Recommended macronutrient targets are sorely lacking for female athletes, partly because research on female nutrition is much more limited compared to males. One research review on nutritional needs for athletes commented that, “Women are often cast aside as being ‘more difficult’ to study” because of the complexity of their hormones and the changes that occur during the menstrual cycle (for example, protein intake needs change from week to week depending on which phase you’re in) among other gender-specific factors.2 Experts in this field point to a need for, “well-controlled, carefully planned studies ... to tease apart these complexities.”2

Even so, there are key findings experts have gained from comparing men and women. Authors from a 2006 study3 concluded that compared to men, women should: 

  • Consume fewer carbohydrates (because they use less glycogen)
  • Consume more protein after a workout
  • Consume more fat

Fat is particularly important for women because it complements energy production (women tend to use less glycogen than men), puts women in a position for positive energy balance (fat contains the most energy per gram), and helps maintain hormone concentrations. Other studies indicate female endurance athletes should get at least 30 percent of their energy from unprocessed fat, and the authors suggest this might translate to resistance athletes as well.

So how much of each macro should you get? 

Although there aren’t clear recommendations, the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine), offers broad ranges for active adults:4 

  • 45-65 percent of your energy from carbohydrates
  • 10-35 percent of your energy from protein
  • 20-35 percent of your energy from fat

It should be noted, however, these are just one institution’s recommendations. Macronutrient recommendations are hotly debated among experts, and recommendations change as more research is conducted. The key is to use these ranges as a guide.

Most importantly, listen to your body. Do you feel like you have enough energy to get through a workout or are you slogging through? Start off by tracking your meals and the amount you’re lifting to get an idea of what is and isn’t working. If physical changes keep you motivated, then consistently take pictures of your body so you can see the progress you’re making over the course of weeks and months.

Embrace the trial-and-error route; not only will you become more aware of what your body needs for regular weight training, you’ll also be giving yourself an education. View this as a chance to mix things up. A new workout routine is a perfect excuse to try new foods while leaving a few of your go-to items on the shelves.

Still not sure what you need on your plate? Consult with a nutritionist for a more tailored approach. Thorne’s Find a Professional toll will help you find a health professional in your area.

2. Prioritize your goals for new muscle gain, but don’t forget what you enjoy.

Although all movement is good, resistance training is the best way to gain muscle. If you enjoy other activities, then keep in mind they might require more calories and might not contribute to your overall muscle-building goal. However, this will depend on several factors, such as the activity or sport itself. In general, exercises are two types:

Anaerobic: Meaning “without oxygen” because the body relies solely on stored energy to quickly power through short bursts of intense movement. These exercises induce muscle growth. Examples include weightlifting, plyometrics (also known as jump training), high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and sprinting.

Aerobic: Aerobic exercise – meaning “with oxygen” – is the opposite. The air you breathe fuels energy production so you can maintain the workout over an extended period. Over time, these activities improve your endurance. Think of instances where you’re moving at a lower intensity, but for longer. Aerobic activities include running, dancing, swimming, cycling, and walking.

When it comes to muscle gain, anaerobic exercises get the job done, although there’s much debate over aerobic activities – some say cardio sabotages muscle gain. Ultimately, it boils down to your routine and regimen. If you don’t consume enough calories to maintain the surplus needed for putting on muscle or perform at too high of an intensity, then cardio can work against your goal.

That said, there is evidence that aerobic exercise can lead to muscle gain. Cardio might not bulk you up the way weight training will, but depending on the activity, you can get stronger and build localized muscle.

In one study, researchers used MRI technology to analyze women's thigh muscle volumes after they engaged in various 12-week training programs. Untrained women ages 45 to 55 were separated into one of three groups: strength, endurance, or autogenic (relaxation-based). The endurance group cycled three times weekly for an hour, while the strength group engaged in either classic hypertrophy – a weightlifting method where you complete more sets or reps at a lower intensity with a shorter rest period – or SuperSlow exercises, when you maintain weight tension and lift at a slower rate.5

Although the strength group experienced the greatest effect, with nearly all thigh muscles increasing in volume, endurance participants saw progress as well; researchers found a significant increase in knee extensors and thigh muscles.5

A 2014 review that analyzed the effect of aerobic exercise on skeletal muscle mass supports this study.6 Researchers contextualized their results by comparing them to a 2011 study that measured the effect of resistance training in older men and women. In the 2011 study, participants engaged in a 12-week resistance program three times weekly during which they used an isotonic knee extension device and lightly cycled for five minutes.

At the end of the resistance training, participants had a 9-percent increase in quad muscle volume.7 The authors found the results comparable to various studies that analyzed muscle growth after aerobic exercise; aerobic groups experienced an average increase of 7 percent.6

Cycling isn’t the only aerobic activity that can build muscle. As a resistance-based exercise, swimming is regarded as one of the best forms of cardio for building muscle. Kickboxing and boxing are also great for toning muscle while building core strength.

Even seasoned runners can see growth by targeting their fast-twitch muscle fibers, which have less endurance than slow-twitch, but more power. To do this, runners can incorporate speedwork and hills into their workout routines.

Bottom line, if you’re an individual who finds joy in cardio, then don’t ditch it! You’ll still be building strength and some muscle while relieving stress, increasing skill level, and feeling a sense of community – all excellent for your overall health.

3. Supplement your lifestyle.

Not seeing the results of your hard work? It takes time. Adding a supplement that fits your diet can help.

Good news for individuals seeking plant-based options; although there’s debate about the effectiveness of vegan supplements compared to animal-derived ones, these products work well. According to research, building muscle benefits from sufficient leucine, an amino acid that signals the muscles to recover and repair after a workout.* By consuming more total grams of plant-based protein, vegans can see comparable gains.*8

Experts confirmed this in a 2020 randomized trial that compared whey and soy protein isolates. Men and women new to weightlifting completed a supervised resistance training program while taking either a whey protein isolate or a soy protein isolate. Both groups ingested the same amount of leucine. After 12 weeks of resistance training, researchers saw an increase in total body mass and lean body mass across both groups with no significant differences between them.*8

Whatever your needs, Thorne offers a wide variety of nutritional supplements for muscle building and recovery, including amino acids and creatine.* For individuals who love a classic protein powder, Thorne has options in chocolate and vanilla flavors, as well as protein-packed collagen powders in passion berry and unflavored options.

Take the Protein Powder Quiz to find the right one for you, or consult our Take 5 Daily article on choosing the perfect protein powder.

References

  1. Youdim A. Overview of nutrition - nutritional disorders. MSD Manual Professional Edition. https://www.msdmanuals.com/professional/nutritional-disorders/nutrition-general-considerations/overview-of-nutrition. Published September 19, 2022. [Accessed July 26, 2022]
  2. Holtzman B, Ackerman K. Recommendations and nutritional considerations for female athletes: Health and Performance. Sports Med 2021;51(S1):43-57. doi:10.1007/s40279-021-01508-8
  3. Volek JS, Kraemer WJ, Forsythe CE. Nutritional aspects of women strength athletes. Br J Sports Med 2006;40(9):742-748. doi:10.1136/bjsm.2004.016709
  4. Manore MM. Exercise and the Institute of Medicine recommendations for nutrition. Curr Sports Med Rep 2005;4(4):193-198. doi:10.1097/01.csmr.0000306206.72186.00
  5. Hudelmaier M, Wirth W, Himmer M, et al. Effect of exercise intervention on thigh muscle volume and anatomical cross-sectional areas-quantitative assessment using MRI. Magn Reson Med 2010;64(6):1713-1720. doi:10.1002/mrm.22550
  6. Konopka AR, Harber MP. Skeletal muscle hypertrophy after aerobic exercise training. Exerc Sport Sci Rev 2014;42(2):53-61. doi:10.1249/jes.0000000000000007
  7. Trappe TA, Carroll CC, Dickinson JM, et al. Influence of acetaminophen and ibuprofen on skeletal muscle adaptations to resistance exercise in older adults. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2011;300(3). doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00611.2010
  8. Lynch HM, Buman MP, Dickinson JM, et al. No significant differences in muscle growth and strength development when consuming soy and whey protein supplements matched for leucine following a 12-week resistance training program in men and women: A randomized trial. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020;17(11):3871. doi:10.3390/ijerph17113871