Nutrition and Strength Training

Posted by Jennifer Murray Jun 5, 2008

While writing my most recent article, a review of The New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women, I started thinking about all of the books I have read on strength training, and while large portions of this book and others that I have read are devoted to why women should resistance train, how they should resistance train, and descriptions of strength training options, the books do not spend a lot of time talking about nutrition and strength training and how to eat in order to experience maximum results.

While most of these types of books do provide recipes, what the majority of authors do not explain is that what we eat is responsible for 80% of how we look and feel. You can do all of the aerobics and resistance training you want, but if you're not nourishing your body with the right type and amount of food, you may get results, but those results will probably not be the results you're looking for. A lot of women are surprised that once they add strength training to their workout regimen, they actually need to eat more, not less. The need to eat more doesn't mean the need to eat more of just any food (i.e., junk food), but to eat wholesome, healthy foods and a well-rounded diet consisting of enough calories, carbs, protein, and fat to fuel the body to build the muscle you want.

The type of diet you eat will depend upon what type of results you want and will require more research, but it's always a good idea to start out with a healthy diet and adjust it to suit your fitness needs and desires.