So what does a female powerlifting diet look like? A female powerlifting diet will generally involve eating enough calories to maintain weight, and allocating 1.5 to 2 grams per pound of bodyweight to carbs, 0.9 to 1.1 grams per pound of bodyweight to protein, and the remainder of calories to fats. However, this will change if we’re cutting or bulking.
With this article I wanted to provide the science of nutrition in a practical way, so that you can read this article and understand the basics of female nutrition, and how to implement nutritional changes yourself.
After reading this article you will learn:
How to implement each layer of the nutrition pyramid
How to optimize your nutrition based on your goals. This will be split into: weight maintenance, muscle gain, and fat loss.
How to work with the menstrual cycle to better your performance
How to alter your nutrition for competition prep & competition day
Female Powerlifting Nutrition: Overview
With so much information out there regarding nutrition it can be difficult to determine what to dedicate our efforts to, that is going to give us the best bang for our buck.
For this reason, I like to use the nutrition pyramid, which tells us what foundational skills we need to master before we start worrying about the top layers.
Calorie Balance
Calorie balance refers to the balance of energy between how much we’re eating and how much we’re burning. Our calorie balance determines if we will gain weight, lose weight, or maintain our weight.
If we haven’t mastered the foundational skills of calorie balance, then adjusting everything else (macros, micros, timing & supplements) will have little effect on our actual weight goal.
This is because calorie balance is the key determinator of weight loss, weight gain, and weight maintenance.
It is for this reason that we could have a healthy diet (lots of micronutrients and sufficient macronutrients), but still gain weight.
Caloric Surplus
A caloric surplus involves taking in more calories than we are burning, and gives us excess energy that we can either store as fat or use to build additional muscle mass.
Typically female powerlifters will eat in a caloric surplus when they are actively trying to build more muscle mass to become stronger over time. This could be to potentially move up a weight class, or to become more competitive in their current weight class.
A caloric surplus is the best way to encourage our body to build additional muscle mass once we are no longer a beginner.
This is because muscle costs our body a lot of energy and the body will not build additional muscle mass if it doesn’t have the resources available to do so, so by eating more calories we’re ensuring that our body has the resources available to build additional muscle. However, if our goal is to add more muscle mass and limit the amount of fat mass we store, then we’ll also have to dive deeper into where the increase in calories is coming from (carbs, fats, and proteins) and how aggressive our surplus is – but more on that later!
Caloric Deficit
A caloric deficit involves taking in less calories than we are burning, and can be accomplished by increasing the amount of calories we burn throughout the day or decreasing the amount of calories we consume.
The most efficient method to achieve a caloric deficit is to do both of these at once. We can decrease our intake, and increase our energy output so that both of these methods are working in unison.
Female powerlifters will typically be in a caloric deficit when they are trying to decrease their body fat percentage to be more competitive in their current weight class, or down a weight class.
Decreasing the amount of body fat we have will make us more competitive (to a certain extent) because fat mass does not exert force like muscle does.
Therefore the more we can fill out our weight class with muscle mass (rather than fat mass), the more potential we have to exert force and be stronger than our competitors.
Macronutrients
Macronutrients are the nutrients that food is broken down to when it is digested. These nutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, and fats which all play vital roles in keeping our body functioning optimally.
It is recommended that we eat different food groups (grain products, meat & alternatives, dairy & alternatives) so that our diet emcompasses all of the macronutrients that our bodies require.
Let’s briefly look at each of the three macronutrients:
1. Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are especially important for powerlifters because carbs are the body’s preferred source of energy when we’re exercising, and therefore will have a large impact on how much energy we have and how well we perform in training and in competition.
Although carbs are typically the macronutrient that is feared the most because of its potential to be stored for energy as fat, it is so important to continue to consume carbohydrates to keep us fueled for exercise and for important bodily functions.
However, if we’re someone who is vegetarian or vegan, then we’ll have to try a bit harder to ensure that we’re getting enough in.
For these individuals it’s important to eat lots of beans, legumes, higher protein grains, and some soy products. I would also recommend supplementing with a protein powder.
Micronutrients
Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals that our body needs to function optimally and we get these from eating a variety of whole foods.
Micronutrients are often neglected because those interested in altering their weight are really only concerned with calories, because by focusing solely on calories and macronutrients, they can achieve their desired results.
However, micronutrients need to be taken seriously for health purposes – if they’re neglected then our body will not be operating like the well-oiled machine it should. For these reasons, we should be sure to include whole foods in our diet regularly rather than falling victim to the IIFYM (if it fits your macros) approach that tells us that we can just eat poptarts and fried chicken at every meal.
We can get the necessary micronutrients by including lots of color in our diets through fruits and vegetables. The more colorful our fruit and vegetable selection is, the more rich in micronutrients our diet will be.
No matter what our goal is (maintenance, fat loss, muscle gain) we should always be striving to keep our micronutrient intake high. For this reason, when we dive into the specifics of how to eat for each goal I won’t be discussing micronutrient intake.
Nutrient Timing
Once we’ve optimized our caloric intake for our goals, and we’re consistently hitting our macronutrient and micronutrient goals, then we can start talking about nutrient timing.Nutrient timing can help us increase our performance in the gym significantly, but is only worth our time if the previous steps have been mastered.
Nutrient timing involves consuming different macronutrients at certain times to work with our body to optimize our performance in and out of the gym.
I’ve touched briefly on the fact that carbohydrates are the body’s main fuel source while exercising and that fats are the main fuel source while at rest. This is useful to know because we can use this information to work with our body’s preferences and optimize our performance.
The way that we can implement this is to:
Prioritize a higher carb intake before and after our workouts
Eat most of our daily fat intake during the meals that aren’t around our workouts
Consume protein consistently throughout the day with each meal
These strategies are the best way to work with our body because we know that our body prefers different types of fuel at different times. We also know that fats and carbs have different uses.
Therefore we can make an effort to consume most of our fats in the meals when carbs are consumed in lower amounts (at rest, or when doing daily activities that aren’t exercise). Along with this we’ll consume most of our carbs around our workouts (when we’re most active) and keep fats a bit lower.Protein should be consumed consistently throughout the day so that throughout the day we are never in a state where our body doesn’t have enough protein to undergo it’s processes.
Nutrient timing can be implemented with any goal that we have, whether it’s maintenance, muscle gain, or fat loss. However, it should only be prioritized after our calories, macros, and micros are taken care of.
Supplementation
First of all, let’s be clear that supplementation is absolutely not necessary and we can perform optimally without any use of supplements.
However, if we’re already mastering every other level of the nutrition pyramid, then supplementation can give us a slight advantage over those who are not supplementing.
The only supplements that are worth our money/time based on current research are:Caffeine or Pre-Workout
Creatine
Protein Powder
Let’s briefly look at each of these three supplements types:
1. Caffeine/Pre-Workout
Caffeine has been shown to have a positive impact on our powerlifting performance if it’s ingested 40 to 60 minutes before a workout. It takes that long to reach its peak effects so if we’re planning to caffeinate ourselves for our workout, we should keep this in mind.
As for the dosage, that’s something that is going to be more individualized because some lifters have a higher tolerance for caffeine while others have an extremely low tolerance.
The general recommendation is between 2 to 6 mg per kg of bodyweight; but all in all, we should be consuming an amount that makes us feel energized but not anxious or overly jittery.
Whether you choose to get your caffeine from coffee, a caffeine pill, or a pre-workout is totally up to you.I will say that if we’re planning to compete in an IPF tested powerlifting meet, then we should verify that the ingredients in our pre-workout are approved, and not on the banned substance list.
2. Creatine
There is so much positive research supporting the use of creatine for increasing performance because of its potential to increase our muscle cell’s energy production, encourage muscular changes in size and strength, and support healthy brain function.
I highly recommend that all female lifters consider supplementing with a type of creatine. For the best results, we want to make sure we’re using creatine monohydrate (the purest form) and taking 1 scoop (~5 gram) daily.
3. Protein Powder
It’s important to first state that there is nothing magical about protein powder and it will not make or break your nutrition/performance. However, it is typically used by most lifters because of the convenience factor it provides.As lifters we do have higher protein requirements than the average person, and it can be hard to eat enough protein throughout the day. This is where protein powder can step in and help us reach our daily protein goal.
Most quality protein powders will have around 25 to 30 grams of protein per 1 scoop. So if we’re having protein powder once a day, then this is 25 to 30 grams of protein that we don’t have to worry about.
Female Powerlifting Diet For Weight Maintenance
Note: regardless if your goal is weight maintenance, muscle gain, or fat loss, you should read this section on weight maintenance because it will allow you to more accurately determine your calories and macros for muscle gain or fat loss. When our primary goal is weight maintenance (keeping our body weight relatively the same) we will be in a great position to increase our strength levels.
This is because we will be eating enough calories to keep our body properly fueled for performance and for recovery, and be able to optimize our macros, micros, timing, and supplement regime.
Determining Our Caloric Intake
To eat for weight maintenance we need to ensure that we’re eating approximately the same amount of calories as we’re burning.To do this we must first find out how many calories it takes to maintain our weight. In an ideal scenario, we would already be eating the right amount of calories to maintain our weight.
But this isn’t always the case, and we could be currently eating too many calories (our weight is trending upwards) or too little calories (our weight is trending downwards).
In order to find out exactly how many calories we should be consuming we can either experiment by changing our food intake accordingly (which is more precise), or we can use a calorie calculator to estimate a range.
Let’s look at these two options below.
Experimenting With Our Intake Based On Our Current Consumption
The first step for this is to track ideally 5 to 7 days of regular eating into an app like MyFitnessPal to see approximately how many calories we’re consuming day-to-day. Carbohydrate Intake For Maintenance
To give us an idea of how many carbohydrates we should be consuming (assuming we’re training for weight maintenance and prioritizing performance), we as powerlifters should be eating 1.5 to 2 grams of carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight.
This means that if I weigh 160lbs, I should be eating between 240 to 320 grams of carbohydrates each day. Typically I pick somewhere in the mid-range initially (~280 grams of carbs per day) and make adjustments later if I need to.Protein Intake For Maintenance
When we’re eating for weight maintenance I recommend keeping protein consumption between 0.9 to 1.1 grams per pound of bodyweight.
Returning to our previous example, if I weigh 160lbs, then I should be eating between 144 to 176 grams of protein. As I do with carbs, I typically pick somewhere in the mid-range initially. So we’re looking at around 160 grams of carbs per day.
Fat Intake For Maintenance
Last but not least, we have to determine our daily fat intake, which will be calculated using our maintenance level of calories, and the calories we’ve already allocated to carbs and protein.Female Powerlifting Diet For Muscle Gain
If we’re eating to gain muscle, then we will be in a caloric surplus. This means that we will be eating more calories than we burn throughout the day.
Oftentimes female powerlifters are nervous about eating in a caloric surplus because they are worried about gaining fat, but there is no need to be nervous!
We can absolutely tailor our nutrition to help us gain muscle while reducing the amount of fat gain that occurs based on how aggressive we are with our calories and the amount of macronutrients that make up these increased calories.If our goal is to build muscle but minimize fat gain, then it really is true that slow and steady wins the race.
If we’re wanting to put on muscle mass at a faster rate and we’re okay with some fat gain, then a moderate approach would be the best option.
And finally, if we just need to put on weight as quickly as possible to move up a weight class and adding fat mass isn’t an issue for us, then a more aggressive approach is best.
To gauge how well our muscle gain phase is going we will mostly refer to the scale, but our measurements and pictures we take along the way will also be super valuable in noticing progress.
Before we dive into calories and macronutrients let’s talk about how much muscle we can expect to gain per month in a muscle building phase based on our training experience:Beginner: ~0.65 to 1 lb of muscle
Intermediate: ~0.33 to 0.5 lb of muscle
Advanced: ~0.16 to 0.25 lb of muscle
I think this is important information in order to manage expectations because it is difficult to put on muscle and the changes will not happen overnight, especially for those who are more advanced.
So it’s important to be patient with the process and know that changes are happening.
Calculating Caloric Intake For Muscle Gain
To eat enough calories for our goal of gaining muscle, we will have to eat more than our maintenance level of calories. If we know what our maintenance calories are, then we can be a bit more precise in our initial calorie goals.
But if we don’t know our maintenance calories then that’s okay too, we will just have to use a calorie calculator instead to give us an estimation of how many calories we need to eat for muscle gain.Using Maintenance Calories To Determine Muscle Gain Calories
If we already know our maintenance calories (the amount of calories that allows us to maintain our weight), then all we have to do is increase our intake by 10 to 20%. With 10% being a slower approach and 20% being a more aggressive approach
I would maintain this new calorie goal for 2 weeks to see how our bodyweight is changing, and then adjust accordingly.
If we’re losing weight, then we should increase calories further; if we’re maintaining, then we can stay the course or increase (based on how aggressive we want to be); and if we’re gaining too quickly for our liking, then we can decrease by 100-300 calories.
Determining Macronutrient Split For Muscle Gain
Optimizing our macronutrient split when we’re eating for muscle gain is an important step to ensure that the macronutrients contributing to these calories are coming from the right places to encourage muscle growth and not simply adding fat mass.
Carbohydrate Intake For Muscle Gain
As we discussed previously, carbohydrates are so important for fueling our performance and so we need to make sure we’re allocating enough of our calories to our daily carb intake.For female powerlifters looking for muscle gain it is recommended to eat 2 to 2.5 grams of carbohydrate per pound of bodyweight.
For example, if I weigh 160lbs, then I should be eating around 320 to 400 grams of carbohydrates.
The number we choose within this range is really our choice. If we’re someone who thrives off more carbs, then we can choose a higher number within this range.
But if we’re someone who struggles to get enough carbs in throughout the day, then we are probably better off picking a lower number in the range.
Typically, I would choose something right in the middle of the suggested range, so for my example this would be around 360 grams of carbs per day.Protein Intake For Muscle Gain
Protein is super important when we’re trying to gain muscle because it provides the building blocks we need to build more muscle. For this reason, it’s important that we’re eating enough of it, and that we’re consuming it regularly throughout the day.
The recommended amount of protein intake guidelines for muscle gain to support athletic performance is based on our current activity levels.
The categories may look familiar if we used the calorie calculator to determine our maintenance calories.
Lightly Active (active less than 3 hours per week): 0.8 to 1.0 (grams/lb)
Moderately Active (active 3 to 7 hours per week): 0.9 to 1.1 (grams/lb)
Highly Active (active more than 7 hours per week): 1.0 to 1.2 (grams/lb)
There's a lot that goes into eating for gains , I can help you guys track and fig out your macros ! ♥️