8 Important Aspects of the Optimal Diet for Powerlifting: A Guide for Women

Calories... how many should you eat?

There is not a universal answer to the exact amount of calories you should be eating throughout the day. The right amount of calories for you is not going to be the right amount of calories for someone else–even if you and the person in question are similar in size.

There are quite a few factors that determine ideal calorie intake. A few big ones include gender, body size, overall body composition, age, genetics, and activity level.

Your BMR (basal metabolic rate) includes the calories you burn disregarding any physical activity you do. So, for example, the calories you burn while you sleep (which is dependent on gender, body size, body composition, age, and genetics) are included in your BMR. 

Active calories are the opposite–they include only the calories you burn while exercising. Together, BMR and active calories make up your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). 

The amount of calories you should consume also heavily depends on your fitness goals. Do you want to lose weight, maintain your weight, or gain weight? Each goal yields a different optimal calorie intake. 

To be completely honest, I don't trust most online calorie calculators because they have no way of knowing your body composition which is a VERY important aspect of BMR.

I suggest investing in an affordable body composition scale. It offers insight on your BMR based on your body weight and the amount of fat and muscle mass you have.

Just keep in mind that you'll need to estimate your active calories throughout the day and add those calories onto your BMR to reveal your TDEE.

I have this exact scale and love it!

Losing weight

If you're trying to follow a powerlifting diet to lose weight, you must eat below your TDEE. This basically means eating in a a calorie deficit–consuming less calories than you ultimately burn throughout the day. 

After you figure out your TDEE, you can start by subtracting 200-300 calories. Consume that amount of calories for a few weeks, and be sure to monitor your weight from time-to-time.

You never want to start in too large of a deficit; it can cause issues when your weight begins to plateau, and a huge deficit can ultimately ruin your metabolism (not good)!

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Maintaining your weight

When maintaining your weight, you need to eat right at your TDEE. That way, the calories you're eating and the calories you are burning are balanced. 

Gaining weight

Lastly, weight gain requires you to eat in a calorie surplus (the complete opposite of a calorie deficit). 

A surplus occurs when you eat more calories than your body can expend throughout the day. To eat in a surplus, take your TDEE and add around 200 calories to that number.

The degree of the surplus will vary depending on how much weight you want to gain in a given time period, but a 200 calorie surplus is a good starting point. 

Water, water, & more water!

Believe it or not, staying hydrated is HUGE for strength athletes. 

Most sources suggest men drink 15.5 cups of fluids throughout the day, while women should drink about 11.5 cups. I can seriously tell a night and day difference when I'm hydrated vs. when I'm dehydrated during my training sessions.

According to muscletech.com, low to moderate dehydration can cause a drastic decrease in muscular endurance and power, with lower body lifts being affected the most.

A tip I utilize to stay hydrated includes keeping a full glass of H2O on my nightstand and drinking it right away in the morning. This is because when we sleep, our bodies don't get any fluid for approximately 7-9 hours, therefore we wake up very dehydrated. So, it's very important to drink some water first thing in the morning.

I also carry a water bottle around with me almost everywhere. Sometimes adding a flavor packet helps me drink more fluids as well.

The importance of protein

This one is probably obvious, but it absolutely needs to be included on the list. The amino acids within protein sources are vital for muscle recovery. 

Let me elaborate:

When we strength train, we create small tears in our muscles. Those tears need to be repaired in order for muscle growth and increased strength to occur. That's where protein becomes SO necessary.

Amino acids are the main source of muscle recovery; they work to repair those tears we create during weight training.

Protein powders are great, but you should also get protein from real, whole foods as well. A few of my favorites include chicken breast, cottage cheese, yogurt, and eggs.

Why carbs & fats matter

Consuming carbs and fats is necessary to achieve a well-balanced diet. 

Carbs

Let's begin with carbs:

Carbs supply the body with glucose, a sugar that the body uses for energy. Carbs are actually our main source of energy throughout the day.

This is important because strength athletes need TONS of energy to have successful training sessions. 

Eating carbs can reduce soreness after your lifts as well. When you exercise, your glycogen stores become depleted. However, consuming carbs refills your body's glycogen stores which directly translates to faster muscle recovery. 

According to Paul Salter, a registered dietitian and competitive powerlifter, carbs should make up 50% (1.8 grams/pound of body weight) of your total calories on training days.

He says that on non-training days, carbs should make up close to 30% (1.2 grams/pound of body weight) of your daily calories.

For example, I weigh about 185 pounds. Let's do some calculations:

185 x 1.8 grams = 333 grams

185 x 1.2 grams = 222 grams

Considering the numbers above, ideally I'd be eating about 333 grams of carbs on training days and 222 grams of carbs on rest days. 

Fats

Calories from fats should make up the least amount of the three macronutrients, but that doesn't mean they aren't important.

Fats help maintain your hormone levels–specifically testosterone. This directly translates to increased muscle building within the body. 

Dietary fats are also crucial for several other reasons relating to general health: they help your body absorb vitamins, they are satiating and keep you fuller for longer, and they prevent you from feeling tired (or crashing) after eating meals and snacks.

For most people including powerlifters, research shows that we should be getting around 30% of our total calories from fats. 

Here's how we can translate this to grams:

I aim to consume 2,300 calories daily. 

I'll first multiply 2,300 calories x 0.3 (30%). My calculator came up with 690 calories. Since fat has 9 calories per gram, we'll divide 690 calories/9 calories. That results in about 77 grams of fat per day. 

Caffeine: is it necessary?

Caffeine is NOT necessary, but it can be a helpful tool during a powerlifting meet or if you're feeling extra tired before a workout. 

To be honest, it's best to not become reliant on pre-workout and energy drinks on a daily basis. This is because if you really need a good boost of energy, your caffeine tolerance won't be so high to the point that you don't feel any effects from it. 

What about supplements?

Just like caffeine, supplements aren't absolutely necessary, but they can be a very helpful tool to boost muscle recovery and to promote better health in general. 

If you're after a powerlifting diet on a budget, it's probably best to avoid supplements and skip over this section completely.  Anyway, let's get into it: the most popular supplements among strength athletes (by far) are creatine and protein powder. 

Creatine

Creatine is a substance that naturally occurs in the body but in very small amounts. Many powerlifters supplement it, as it is thought that the supplement improves strength, increases lean muscle mass, and boosts overall recovery. 

Research shows that creatine is better for short bouts of performance and not endurance-based activities. Therefore, it's perfect for powerlifting and athletes who participate in other strength sports. 

Although, research also shows that creatine does not work for everyone–some people see little to no effect while taking it.

Protein powder

Next is protein powder: I'm almost certain you've heard of it before, so I won't spend much time explaining it's importance.

Rather, I want to educate you on what to look for in a good protein powder as a strength athlete!

If you are supplementing your protein powder post-workout (which you should be!), a whey-based powder is your best bet. Whey protein digests quickly and is therefore absorbed into your muscles quickly. Whey isolate is your best bet. 

However, a powder that consists of casein protein is slow-digesting, and it can be awesome to supplement right before bed. Supplementing casein prior to sleeping allows for continuous protein synthesis over 6-8 hours of rest.

I would for sure try to supplement whey post-workout, whereas supplementing casein is more optional. Though, I would for sure consider it if you can afford it.

(RELATED POST: The BEST Protein Powder for Muscle Gain: 10 Amazon Must-Haves)

Other helpful supplements for strength

I take both fish oil and ashwagandha on a daily basis. 

Ashwagandha is a medicinal herb that helps reduce stress. Studies also show that is can boost testosterone levels in men. 

Obviously boosted testosterone is directly correlated to increased strength, but decreased stress levels can significantly improve strength as well.

High levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) can inhibit protein synthesis which causes a decrease in strength.

Basically, studies suggest that ashwagandha can increase exercise performance, improve strength, and promote fat loss.

Fish oil is not only important for a healthy heart, but it's also been shown to enhance muscle recovery and reduce soreness, specifically DOMS.

A few other supplements to consider are

Ideal meal timing

Meal timing isn't something you have to be super worried about, but I thought you should know that there is, in fact, ideal meal times for muscle growth.

Firstly, know that it is best for you as a powerlifter to consume 4 to 5 protein-filled meals throughout the day; eating 5 small meals is better than eating 3 big ones, as you're continuously fueling your body throughout the day. 

Pre-workout

Try to eat a healthy meal 1 - 2 hours pre-workout. This meal should contain mostly carbs and proteins. Also drink LOTS of water! Being dehydrated can have awful effects on your performance in the gym. 

During a workout

You don't have to eat while training unless your training session is super long (2+ hours). Though, you should definitely drink water throughout your session.

Post-workout

Try to eat another balanced meal with a carb and protein emphasis within 1 - 2 hours AFTER your workout. It's also a good idea to have a whey protein shake post-workout, as the whey starts working quickly to repair your broken-down muscles. 

The best foods to eat on meet day

You may see lifters going crazy with junk foods on meet day... but let me tell you from experience, this IS NOT the best way to go about your meet day nutrition. 

The reason why lifters may choose sugar-filled snacks is because sugar enters the bloodstream quickly and gives us fast energy. However, if you only eat donuts, cookies, and gummy bears during a powerlifting meet, you'll more than likely experience a crash. 

Before the meet begins

This is assuming you aren't worried about making weight or you've already weighed in: DO NOT skip breakfast. Drink tons of water too! You want a carb-filled breakfast–just try to avoid foods that are super high in sugar. 

During your powerlifting meet

You'll for sure want a sports drink (or two) on hand. I personally like Pedialyte, but something like Gatorade will work too. Be sure to sip on liquids all throughout the meet. Dehydration is not your friend.

You should also have caffeine of some sort on hand. This could include caffeine tablets or an energy drink. 

Peanut butter and jelly (or honey) sandwiches are great to have handy. I like to bring granola bars and trail mix. I also suggest bringing fruit and a candy such as gummy bears. 

Definitely do your best to avoid bringing greasy foods.

Also know that you SHOULD NOT introduce new foods on meet day. You never know how your body will respond to them, and stomach issues are never fun. Especially when lifting heavy.