Reflections on the topic of proper sports nutrition for gaining muscle mass and losing weight fall into the category of philosophical, just like the very concept of “proper.”
In the world of sports, especially amateur sports, the number of theories about proper nutrition and training is counted in dozens, and often every athlete who has achieved a more or less noticeable result becomes a bearer of their own philosophy of nutrition and training.
However, the principles of proper nutrition in sports for gaining muscle mass or losing weight are fundamental and quite simple, and to understand them, one only needs to be familiar with the physiology of the body.
They are applied in practice by all professional athletes, regardless of whether they take pharmacological substances or not.
In this article, we will try to summarize them.
The material will be useful for men and women/girls, primarily beginners starting their journey in sports, who find it difficult to navigate the vast array of “proper” recommendations on sports nutrition.
Main thoughts:
Examples of “proper” sports nutrition lessons from YouTube
Everything is understood in comparison.
We often rely on this principle in creating materials.
Today, it has become fashionable to seek truth from popular personalities on YouTube, and as an illustration that popularity is not always equivalent to expertise, we will analyze several examples, comparing the viewpoints of such “experts” with the opinions of scientists.
We did not aim for a thorough selection; these examples just caught our eye during a quick review. There are only three of them, but there are significantly more blunders on the internet. In due time, we will prepare a detailed analysis.
And we really wouldn’t want you to perceive us as critics. We also make mistakes and periodically reassess our positions on various issues. But it’s hard to refrain from commenting when you see the lies that certain individuals are willing to propagate to improve their financial situation.
Of course, mistakes are often the result of ignorance. Then, it would likely be more appropriate for the video to start with phrases like “I’m not sure…” and “It seems to me…”.
Yaroslav Brin and L-Carnitine
Here, for example, the well-known YouTube blogger Yaroslav Brin reflects on the benefits of L-carnitine for fat burning. Yaroslav became popular after he became a “fatty,” as he calls himself, in front of the entire internet, and then lost weight. Good for him, and respect for that.
In this video, the vlogger skillfully uses terminology, and the lack of hesitations in his speech, along with a direct gaze into the camera, makes him believable. He even pulls out and recommends a bag of carnitine from under the table, which is significantly cheaper than what is offered in sports nutrition stores.
All of this together convinces that L-carnitine is a worthwhile fat burner that should be tried…
But scientific research disproves the effectiveness of L-carnitine for weight loss and only speaks of its theoretical potential to aid in fat burning. In practice, however, the overwhelming majority of scientific studies have shown its uselessness.
Yaroslav Brin and Flaxseed Oil
In this example, the same Yaroslav Brin talks about the benefits of a wonderful natural product for athletes – flaxseed oil, calling it a good source of omega-3 fatty acids…
Flaxseed oil is indeed beneficial for health and is a good source of omega-3…
However, omega-3s come in different forms.
There are three types – ALA, EPA, DHA. The first form is inactive; the other two are active and it is with them that all the beneficial properties of omega-3 are associated.
So, flaxseed oil like all other plant products is a source of omega-3 in the inactive form ALA, which must be converted in the body to EPA and DHA. The efficiency of this conversion is very low, only 5%. Therefore, as a source of omega-3, flaxseed oil is one of the worst.
Stanislav Lindover and Cottage Cheese
Finally, one of the stars of Russian bodybuilding, Stanislav Lindover, shares his thoughts on the benefits of casein compared to cottage cheese.
First of all, note that Stanislav is wearing a tank top with the logo of a well-known sports nutrition brand and there are corresponding advertising posters behind him. Just these attributes already hint at what kind of “proper sports nutrition” his speech will be about.
The main point of the speaker is that casein is better than cottage cheese in terms of definition because it does not affect insulin levels, the increase of which stimulates water retention in the subcutaneous layers: the thickness of the skin fold increases, and the definition is less visible.
In some ways, Stanislav may be right, and the insulin index of cottage cheese may indeed be higher than that of casein. We discussed this issue in the article Casein or Cottage Cheese? When is the best time to eat cottage cheese for weight loss and muscle gain? Can it be eaten at night?
But the key point that is important to hear is: “I have always loved cottage cheese, I have eaten it all my life and only stopped in the last year.” That is, essentially, he gained his mass largely thanks to regular cottage cheese…
So what happened in the last year? Perhaps simply Optimum Nutrition offered sponsorship support?
Moreover, sports casein is not so simple. On one hand, casein is an excellent protein for gaining muscle mass and losing weight.
On the other hand, numerous facts indicate that sports casein can be very dangerous to health. See our material Sports casein – the worst protein, as well as Animal protein – the main cause of cancer. Interview with an expert.
So, incorrect ideas can be presented under the guise of proper sports nutrition if:
“The ‘expert’ needs to sell you something”
The entire sports nutrition industry is a huge business, and all well-known sports nutrition brands engage famous athletes as their evangelists, for which they receive compensation.
“The ‘expert’ can read (only in Russian), but cannot think”
A large part of the Russian-speaking internet consists of repeatedly rewritten information borrowed from one another, filled with general facts and unverified.
Many “experts” simply skillfully retell what they have read on low-trust websites and are not familiar with the scientific research on the topic they discuss, which is mainly published in specialized English-language literature.
Popularity does not always indicate expertise. The internet is filled with theories about proper sports nutrition, expressed by financially interested “experts” or “experts” who have learned to recite information from low-trust sites without blinking.
We recommend: How to properly take protein for muscle growth?
Proper sports nutrition for gaining muscle mass (for men and women). A guide for beginners
For gaining muscle mass in bodybuilding, nutrition is of colossal importance, no less than proper training. This applies to men and women, beginners and experienced athletes.
Training creates the stimulus for muscle growth, while nutrition provides the necessary energy (carbohydrates, fats) and building materials (proteins) for this.
In the case of improper nutrition, inadequate in calories and the composition of micro and macro elements, muscles will not grow; even worse, they will break down.
The lack of progress over a long period in muscle mass growth or weight loss is one of the signs of improper nutrition in bodybuilding.
Proper nutrition for gaining muscle mass involves two components: natural food and sports nutrition.
We recommend: How to gain muscle mass? A guide for beginners
Natural products or sports supplements?
Nature intended for humans to obtain all necessary nutrients from natural foods.
The sports nutrition industry emerged as an attempt to optimize the mechanisms created by nature. How successful it has been is a very debatable question.
For example, today, sports protein derived from cow’s milk (whey or casein) is the foundation of nutrition for most athletes.
That is, we get the following picture: smart minds took milk, isolated the protein from it, and said that in order to gain muscle mass, one needs to drink this… There are no questions. There is a lot of scientific evidence supporting the benefits of sports protein for mass gain. For example, look at the research on the benefits of whey protein hydrolysate for mass gain.
But.
Any sports dietitian will tell you that if you only drink protein, you won’t be able to gain mass and maintain health. You also need fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and even cholesterol, which is found in the “bad” fat of milk, as it is necessary for testosterone synthesis.
Okay. Let’s add carbohydrates to the sports protein and get… a gainer – another type of sports nutrition ideal for gaining muscle mass. We will recommend that the athlete consume healthy fats (omega-3, CLA), sports vitamins… And in the end, we will get something very similar to… the original milk. A paradox, but that’s how it is.
We recommend: Milk: benefits and harms for the human body. Scientific facts
For some reason, nature designed for calf growth not a white liquid with dissolved protein inside, but a cocktail of the ingredients listed above, which humans separate, package into various jars, and offer the buyer to assemble everything again, like a child’s construction set, under the pretext of “life necessity for gaining muscle mass”…
This example, which many experts may consider amateurish, illustrates the importance of the correct balance between natural food and sports nutrition for gaining muscle mass.
What should it be like?
The consumption of sports nutrition is incorrect from the perspective of how everything is arranged in nature: for some reason, cows feed their calves not only with protein but with milk containing a full complex of ingredients; the sports nutrition industry offers the same ingredients in the form of separate products.
We recommend: Protein and alcohol: how does beer consumption affect muscle mass growth?
The main principles of proper sports nutrition for men and women based on more than 140 scientific studies
An article was published in the scientific journal of the American Dietetic Association in 2009, which outlined the official position of three authoritative organizations – the American Dietetic Association, the American College of Sports Medicine, and Dietitians of Canada – regarding what optimal nutrition in sports should be 1.
The main principles of proper sports nutrition for men and women, derived by scientists based on the analysis of more than 140 scientific studies, are as follows:
Adequate energy intake from food is important for athletes; insufficient caloric intake leads to loss of muscle mass, disruption of menstruation in women, increased risk of bone fractures, fatigue, injuries, illnesses, and longer recovery times.
Daily weight control, body composition, and body fat percentage is a flawed practice and should not be the sole goal of engaging in sports.
Each person has their own optimal body fat percentage, which depends on gender (male/female), age, heredity, and the localization of fat in different areas of the body is individual.
The recommended amount of carbohydrates is 6-10 g per kg of body weight per day. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy during training.
The recommended amount of protein is 1.2-1.7 g per kg of body weight per day. This amount of protein can be obtained entirely from natural food, and there is no need to use sports protein and amino acids.
The recommended amount of fats is 20-35% of total daily caloric intake.
A lower amount harms athletic performance. Fats are a source of energy, fat-soluble vitamins, and essential fatty acids, which are important for health and functionality.
It is important to drink enough water before, during, and after training; a loss of 2-3% of body fluid significantly reduces performance.
There is no need for special sports vitamins if the athlete’s diet is sufficient in calories and is provided by a variety of natural products.
Synthetic vitamins and minerals or multivitamin complexes may only be recommended in cases of restricted diets for weight loss, exclusion of certain food groups (proteins, fats, or carbohydrates) for any reason, injuries, illnesses, or deficiencies of any vitamin or mineral for specific reasons (for example, anemia due to iron deficiency).
We recommend: Vitamins for athletes: pros and CONS
Ergogenic types of sports nutrition (creatine, arginine, beta-alanine, taurine, etc.) should only be taken on the recommendation of a sports dietitian and only if they have been tested for quality, effectiveness, and produced legally.
Vegetarian athletes may have an increased risk of protein, fat, and calorie deficiencies, as well as deficiencies in key vitamins and minerals: iron, calcium, vitamin D, riboflavin, zinc, and vitamin B12. To avoid health problems, they are also advised to consult a sports dietitian.
We recommend: Vegetarianism/veganism and sports: benefits and RISKS
So, the recommendations are crystal clear.
I will make just one important emphasis:
There is no need for special sports nutrition – primarily protein and amino acids, which form the basis of the sports nutrition industry – as well as sports vitamins, provided that.. a complete diet is maintained.
Stop. So what are all these muscular guys and gals in branded clothes talking about?
Basically, they are not lying when they point out the necessity of proper sports nutrition for gaining mass in bodybuilding, but often the importance and necessity of the products they promote are greatly exaggerated.
The only undeniable advantage of sports protein is convenience. In cases where there is no opportunity to have a full meal, it can be easily and quickly prepared, and it also helps to “make up” the required protein intake when it’s difficult to do so with food.
The benefits of individual amino acids in bodybuilding are very questionable. For example, look at the opinions of doctors and scientists on whether food protein or amino acids are better, as well as our studies on the effectiveness of arginine, taurine, BCAA amino acids, and glutamine.
In all cases, you will find that scientific research does not unequivocally confirm the benefits of their additional intake, and often indicates the risk of harm to health instead.
The principles outlined above are discussed in detail in the article Proper Nutrition for Gaining Muscle Mass: 7 Recommendations from Experts.
About Muscular Guys and Gals Who Teach How to Properly Use Sports Nutrition
Of course, when you look at photos of pro bodybuilders, you instinctively understand that these people definitely know what is right and what is not in the field of sports nutrition.
Of course, all of them have consumed significantly more sports supplements in their lives than the average bodybuilder.
But.
It is important to realize that what you see in the photos is, in 99% of cases, the result of combining proper sports nutrition with… sports pharmacology. And this is very important in the context of the question we are considering.
Today, there is essentially no natural professional bodybuilding. This is confirmed by the confession of one of the pros, which was published on t-nation.com and translated by us.
And here lies another paradox: all these muscular men and women, when asked to share the secrets of their success, principles of proper nutrition, and training, always gladly and willingly share only the information that the public wants to hear, and NEVER talk about pharmacology.
For example, look at the interview with famous bodybuilder Jay Cutler or the material about Korean bodybuilder Hwang Chul Soon, who claims to be a natural, while it is obvious to everyone that this is not the case.
Yes, they achieve success. Yes, many of them become evangelists for well-known sports nutrition brands. But. You will never become like them if you only drink the sports nutrition of the brand whose logo is on their shirt…
And finally, the main question. Do you think: can an athlete who has been taking dozens of sports pharmacology and sports supplements for years and decades adequately assess the benefits, harms, or uselessness of any one supplement or type of sports nutrition?
Definitely – no.
Just as in the case of diarrhea or vomiting after a lavish feast with dozens of dishes and drinks, it is impossible to determine the exact cause of it…
99% of professional bodybuilders who teach you how to properly consume sports nutrition for gaining mass have a weak understanding of what they are talking about, as their own muscle mass is the result of using sports pharmacology.
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Proper Sports Nutrition for Weight Loss (for Men and Women). A Beginner’s Guide
In the matter of weight loss, just like in the matter of gaining muscle mass, there are two paths:
- natural for the human body through proper diet planning and choosing the right products – slow, but with long-term effects and safe for health;
- using a type of sports nutrition such as fat burners – fast (but not always), effective as long as you take them, and potentially dangerous for health.
Recent scientific studies clearly state that the main cause of obesity in our society is the consumption of too many calories from food.
We all love to eat. But if you want to lose weight, it is important to be able to control yourself in everything.
Proper sports nutrition for weight loss implies the ability to plan your diet using natural products in such a way that you do not exceed the necessary caloric intake for you personally while also providing the needed macro- (proteins, fats, carbohydrates) and micro- (vitamins, minerals) elements.
Recommended: How many calories do you need per day to lose weight?
There are groups of products that provoke overeating. These are primarily man-made refined, processed, beautifully packaged products, which are always very high in calories (due to the sugars and fats they contain), provoke overeating, and encourage repeated consumption.
And there are those that reduce appetite, provide good satiety, and do not carry excess calories. These are whole natural foods rich in protein and fiber (meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, vegetables, legumes). It is on their basis that a proper diet for weight loss is built.
We recommend: What NOT to eat and what to EAT to lose weight?
Another popular philosophy today, promoted by fat burner manufacturers, is as follows: you do not necessarily have to change your eating habits and lifestyle to lose weight; it is enough to take a fat burner pill, and it will do everything needed for you.
This is an example of INCORRECT sports nutrition for weight loss.
The effectiveness of most fat burners for weight loss is very low. For example, the effect of consuming caffeine for weight loss – the main component of most fat burners – is equivalent to about minus 200 calories a day. This is negligible, equivalent to a few cookies or a third of a chocolate bar.
Among fat burners, there are also very strong formulas. For example, today the fat burner Black Mamba, Nutrex Lipo 6 black, clenbuterol (among professional athletes) are very popular. The secret of the first two is that the manufacturer included several active ingredients, some of which are banned, to guarantee results.
But remember: all fat burners have side effects and the most effective ones are only effective as long as you are taking them.
Many professional athletes in fitness and bodybuilding take fat burners only during cutting before preparing for competitions. And no one in their right mind does this constantly.
Proper sports nutrition for weight loss implies the ability to plan a diet using natural products and to limit calorie intake. Consuming fat burners for weight loss is an INCORRECT strategy.
We recommend: Fat burners for weight loss: reviews from doctors, athletes, and.. those losing weight
4 universal criteria to distinguish the correct nutrition strategy in sports from the INCORRECT one
Today, there are a huge number of diets, both for weight loss and for gaining mass.
Below are four general principles that can help separate the sheep from the wolves or the correct philosophies of nutrition from those that claim to be.
Proper sports nutrition is NEVER based on the following principles:
Refusal to consume one or more groups of nutrients
For example, without carbohydrates or without fats.
Such diets do lead to weight loss because they are extremely low-calorie or promote water loss from the body. At the same time, none of them actually lead to a real reduction in fat content.
Results: dehydration (disruption of water balance), loss of muscle mass (!), chronic fatigue, and consequently, decreased athletic performance and harm to health.
Consumption of only one type of nutrient
For example, only a carbohydrate diet or only a protein diet, or only a fat diet.
It is obvious that such diets are also extremely low-calorie and cannot meet the body’s needs for all necessary substances.
Excessive intake or insufficient intake of certain nutrients
This includes diets high in protein or carbohydrates, which lead to water loss from the body, the content of which is restored as soon as one returns to a normal diet.
Additionally, a low-carbohydrate diet negatively affects training efficiency and the ability to concentrate.
Super low-calorie diets on the verge of starvation
Do not meet the increased energy needs of athletes, lead to dehydration, a decrease in metabolic rate, and consequently, a reduction in muscle mass (there is nothing to build and maintain them).
The numbers on the scales will decrease, as will training efficiency and health levels.
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How to properly choose sports nutrition?
For the attentive reader, the answer to this question should already be clear.
There is no magic pill that would help quickly gain mass or lose weight without harming health – whether you take sports nutrition or build your diet on natural products, in both cases, you will have to work on yourself, train, and limit your appetite.
In which case the effect will be greater and faster depends on many factors, and no one will ever answer this question, as one and the same person cannot live life twice.
Below are some recommendations on how to choose sports nutrition for those who decide to use it.
And yes: the considerations we presented above should not be understood as an indication of the complete uselessness of sports nutrition. It is rather an attempt to sober up from thoughtless spending and false expectations.
For many athletes today, the presence of jars of sports nutrition of various sizes becomes something like a talisman, which they take pride in, post on social media, and whose presence on the shelf is comforting.
When used correctly, it can be beneficial and make life a bit easier. But it is important to keep the following in mind.
1 Choose sports supplements that have scientific evidence of effectiveness
Have studies been conducted on the product? What were the results? On which specific groups was the research conducted (age, gender, activity level, etc.)? Was the physical activity level of the subjects comparable to that of athletes?
For example, if studies showed an increase in the distance covered by elderly people over 6 minutes while taking a certain sports supplement, it is obvious that these results are not applicable to young athletes.
It also happens that the quality, quantity, and even type of ingredients used during scientific research differ from those used in the production of the tested sports supplement or product.
And did you know, for example, that 90% of scientific studies on the effectiveness of sports supplements are conducted on an empty stomach after a night’s sleep? This is fundamentally a flawed approach, as in reality, athletes eat frequently and try to avoid a state of hunger, which is fraught with catabolism.
When a person is hungry, it is much easier to prove the benefits and effectiveness of BCAA amino acids for muscle gain, for example, and everything else.
So what should we do? Does it mean we cannot trust scientific research?
You can trust it, but you need to learn to distinguish such nuances.
That is why we created PROmusculus.ru – our mission is to sift the wheat from the chaff and provide relevant information, an independent objective view on problematic issues in the field of sports nutrition, dietetics, and pharmacology.
Here are a few examples.
Some of the most common supplements in sports nutrition are protein, creatine, energy drinks, and supplements that increase blood nitric oxide levels. What does science say about them?
We recommend: Types of sports nutrition: 23 most common sports supplements
Nitric oxide has a vasodilating effect, which has proven benefits in sports and bodybuilding. Most often, the amino acid arginine is recommended to increase nitric oxide levels in the blood, the effectiveness of which is highly questionable. See Arginine in Sports and Bodybuilding: Benefits, Harms… Uselessness. A Comparison of Perspectives from Popular Internet Resources and Scientists.
Similarly, although energy drinks provide a short-term energy boost due to the carbohydrates and caffeine they contain, there is virtually no research confirming the safety and energy effects of other active ingredients in these drinks.
On the other hand, the harmful effects of energy drinks on the heart, metabolism, and central nervous system have been proven.
Finally, research unequivocally confirms the effect of consuming protein and creatine. However, there are many types of creatine, each with varying effectiveness, and some of them are completely useless.
The same goes for protein. Without it, muscles will not grow. But there are scientific facts confirming the harm of sports casein, soy protein, and even animal protein in general.
2 Choose sports nutrition from well-known brands with a good reputation
It has long been known that both in the USA and in Russia, the market for specialized sports nutrition is not regulated or controlled by government bodies competent in the field of dietetics.
Therefore, there is no guarantee that what is written on the label corresponds to the actual component and quantitative composition of sports nutrition products.
In reality, there may be more or fewer ingredients, or they may even be completely absent. There may also be substances not listed on the label. This problem is the most unpleasant and dangerous.
The market for specialized sports nutrition is not regulated or controlled by government bodies in the USA and Russia
Instances of such discrepancies are more common than they seem and often lead to positive doping tests for professional athletes.
Moreover, ingredients that are “accidentally” undeclared by the manufacturer are very often the cause of serious health problems and even deaths.
In the article Harm of Sports Nutrition: Scientific Facts, you will find many similar examples.
Therefore: the more well-known the manufacturer of sports nutrition, the less likely you are to purchase a low-quality product. This is precisely the case where “quality is proportional to price.”
A well-known manufacturer will never experiment with banned substances in their products, as this could jeopardize their reputation.
Choose sports nutrition from well-known brands; avoid products from unknown manufacturers no matter how attractive the price may be.
3 Choose sports supplements whose quality has been verified by an independent laboratory
Even sports nutrition from well-known manufacturers can have quality issues. In particular, it may contain impurities of heavy metals and other contaminants, or have a protein-to-carbohydrate ratio on the label that does not match the actual content in the case of sports proteins.
This is confirmed by data from independent laboratory tests. One of them is ConsumerLab.com. On their website, you can access numerous results of laboratory tests of various types of sports nutrition through a paid subscription.
As an illustration, two examples of such test results can be found in our materials Quality Protein: Common Quality Issues of Sports Proteins, Laboratory Test Results, How to Check Yourself and The Best Creatine: Quality Issues.
