Understanding The Role of Macronutrients

Macronutrients are the larger nutrients that we need an adequate balance of in our diet. They are Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats. Getting the balance or ‘split’ of these macronutrients right is an important part of overall health and will play a large role in determining whether you’ll see the intended results from your training program.

All of the constituent macronutrients play their individual role and are part of the puzzle we’re trying to solve, which is to gain muscle in a healthy way. 

Protein

From a pure muscle building perspective, you need to prioritise your protein intake. If this drops too low you simply won’t be able to gain muscle and, if it consistently falls very low whilst you are also in a period of heavy training,  you could end up drawing on your existing muscle mass for energy. This type of catabolism is the direct opposite of our recomposition approach to exercise.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are necessary to fuel your workouts. If you allow your carbohydrate intake to go too low for too long you may soon start to feel fatigued, and you’ll eventually burn out. Again, heavy training alongside burning through your body’s glycogen stores can also lead to catabolism. Carbs work on a scale of 1-100 referred to as the Glycemic Index (G.I.) - the higher the food is on this scale, the quicker the sugars from the food enter the bloodstream, thus low G.I foods are thought to be healthier.  If you want to eat higher G.I foods you are best to do that pre- and post-workout when the body is better poised to make use of the sudden influx of energy. 

Fat

Fat is an essential part of health. You need it for hormone health, which in turn is necessary for gaining muscle, also for repair and skin health. On a more day to day level, as a good source of calories, without the calories coming in from fats you would be very hungry. 

So there really is no way around the fact that we need all three, and it is important to work on getting the macronutrient balance right for your particular requirements; as long as you are within 10% either way, your body will know what to do. Remember that exercise is great for you, and your body needs the support of all three macronutrients to get the job done. I will work on the ideal macronutrient split for your goals and your food preferences, this will be laid out and visible in your Meal Plan.

Tip: Notable exceptions to the dietary information above are the ketogenic diet, both traditional and cyclical (CKD), and the ‘carnivore’ diet, both are out of the scope of this document and are generally implemented for either a large weight loss goal or to address autoimmune conditions. I am happy to discuss these with you but they are a more specialist area of nutrition.