Wellness Path

How to Eat for Muscle Growth

November 5, 2026 2 Min Read

Does It Matter What Type of Strength Training I’m Doing?

Not every strength training session looks the same. Traditional weightlifting uses weights or resistance machines to work specific muscle groups to exhaustion, usually with heavy loads, few repetitions and defined rest periods between sets.

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Bodyweight training, on the other hand, uses only your body weight and gravity for resistance, with no external weights; the challenge usually comes from higher rep ranges. Circuit training also involves rotating through various exercises with low-to-moderate weights while taking little to no rest to raise your heart rate and challenge your muscles.

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No matter which approach you take, your training intensity will affect how many calories you need, Dr. Pojednic says. The more hours you spend strength training each week and the harder your workouts are, the more total calories you’ll need. Adequate calories ensure that your body has enough energy to perform essential functions while fueling your athletic performance.

What those calories are made of matters, too, Pojednic adds. The right balance of macronutrients helps you build and maintain muscle as you age. As a general rule, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommend that protein make up about 10 to 35 percent of your diet, carbs 45 to 65 percent, and fats 20 to 35 percent.

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When you’re specifically focused on building or maintaining muscle mass, most experts recommend aiming for about 1.4 to 2 grams (g) of protein per kilogram (kg) of body weight per day.

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(To convert your weight from pounds [lb] to kg, divide it by 2.2.)

Beyond body size, your workouts also determine where you should aim within that range. People who meet the physical activity guidelines of two strength workouts per week might do fine with 1.4 g of protein per kg daily. Still, athletes training twice as often for competitive powerlifting events would be better off aiming closer to 2 g. “If your training volume or intensity is very high, you need more protein relative to less active people,” Shorenstein says.

She adds that you also want more carbs if you’re doing more intense strength workouts, like high-intensity interval training (HIIT). “Increased intensity burns through carbs more quickly,” Shorenstein says.