Top 5 Nutrition reasons you’re not gaining muscle (despite all that training)

If you're putting in the work at the gym but not seeing changes in muscle size or strength, you’re not alone. Many athletes struggle to gain lean muscle despite consistent training. The missing link? More often than not, it’s nutrition. Think of your muscles as a house being built, where nutrition is the materials needed to

build a strong, resilient structure. Without proper nutrition, the house won't be built to its full potential; it might not be as sturdy as it needs to be and you might need to forego the upgrades you’ve always wanted.

So, here’s my top 5 nutrition tips for building muscle — plus the science behind them.

1. You’re not eating enough

Muscle growth requires a calorie surplus, not just consistent training. If your energy intake doesn’t exceed your daily needs, your body simply won’t prioritise building new tissue. Muscle gain is possible without an overall calorie surplus across the week, but you need to periodise energy intake so that on gym days you’re in a surplus and non-gym days you’re in a deficit. This is a much trickier process.

Practical Tips:

A daily energy surplus of at least 200–500 kcal/day is considered ideal for gaining lean

muscle without excessive fat gain. That could look like a combination of the options below:

• An extra egg with breakfast (+70cals)

• An extra piece of toast (+100cals)

• Adding a banana to your morning weetbix or smoothie (+100cals)

• An extra ½ cup cooked rice (+150cals)

• A handful (30g) of nuts (+185cals)

• Swapping vegemite for peanut butter on toast (+190cals)

• Protein shake with 300ml milk (+325cals)

2. Your Protein intake (and timing) isn’t optimal

Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS) is the process your body uses to repair and rebuild muscle fibres after they’ve been stressed through resistance training. For muscle gain (hypertrophy) to occur, MPS must exceed muscle protein breakdown (MPB) over time. Consuming adequate protein across the day promotes greater MPS.

What are the recommendations?

Recommendations suggest consuming 1.6–2.2 g of protein per kilogram of body weight

each day (during weight gain/weight loss efforts), although individual recommendations will vary depending on your overall energy requirements and training program.

But, it’s not just about eating enough protein — it’s also about the timing. It can be useful to spread your protein across meals to maximise muscle protein synthesis (MPS). Research suggests aiming for 20-40g protein in 4-5 spikes across the day. Lets’ see what 150g protein looks like. The example below also spreads the protein across

five key timepoints in the day!

Breakfast (~35g protein)

• 2 x slices toast with 100g cottage cheese & 3 eggs

Snack (~20g protein)

• 200g Greek yoghurt with ½ scoop protein powder and berries

Lunch (~35g protein)

• 2 x tins tuna with 1 cup cooked rice and steamed veg

Snack (~20g protein)

• 1 x boiled egg, 30g tasty cheese and small handful of nuts

Dinner (~40g protein)

• 150g cooked beef mince, 1 cup cooked lentils & tomato-based sauce + spices, served with baked potato steamed greens

3. You're not nailing recovery nutrition

Training stimulates muscle growth, but recovery fuels it. Without the right nutrients at the right time, your body can’t repair and build effectively. While the recovery window spans across 24hrs post-training, there is a short window in the 30–60 minutes post-training where nutrient uptake is at its highest. So why not make the most of it!

Practical Tips:

• If you have >1hr until your next meal, add in a recovery snack with a minimum of 15-25g protein.

• Pair protein with carbohydrates after training e.g. protein smoothie with milk, oats

and fruit or tuna sandwich and a glass of juice.

• Keep portable snacks in your gym bag so you're never caught out.

• Don’t rely solely on shakes — real food should be your priority.

4. You're not eating enough carbohydrate

Carbs are often overlooked when trying to gain lean muscle, but they play a vital role in

fuelling high-quality training and supporting anabolic (muscle building) hormone responses. During resistance training, muscles experience high-magnitude, short-duration contractions and for this type of training, glycogen, the storage form of carbs, plays a key role in providing energy. So, it’s not just your pre-training snack that needs to be high in carbs, you should have a good amount of carbs across the day, every day.

Practical Tips:

• Carbs include oats and other wholegrain cereals, bread, sweet potato, rice, pasta,

fruit, milk and yoghurt.

• Aim for a minimum of 3g carbs per kilogram of body weight (likely 4-8g/kg

depending on overall training load).

• Aim to include carbs at every main meal.

• Include carbs before training e.g. banana, toast with honey, handful of trail mix,

muesli bar.

• On days when you train more, add more carbs.

5. You’re ignoring the importance of sleep

Ok so this one isn’t a nutrition tip but it’s essential for muscle growth. Even perfect nutrition can’t overcome this one…….poor sleep. During sleep, the body releases certain hormones which are vital for muscle repair and growth. So, it doesn’t take a genius to work out what happens if your sleep quality and quantity are sub-par.

Did you know?

Roger Federer is known for prioritising sleep; when he was still competing, he would aim for around 12 hours a day, including 10 hours at night and a two-hour nap during the day (during competition). If that’s not enough to convince you to prioritise sleep, I don’t know what is!

Practical Tips:

• While you might not be able to fit in 12hrs a day like Roger, aim to get at least 7–9

hours of quality sleep per night.

• Include a pre-bed snack rich in Tryptophan

o 1-2tbsp cottage cheese with crackers.

o Greek yogurt with a sprinkle of nuts or seeds.

o A protein shake on milk (using a slowly digestible protein like casein).

• Put a good sleep routine in place

o Consistent sleep and wake times

o Avoiding stimulants like caffeine and phones

o A comfortable sleep environment

• Practice mindfulness if you have trouble getting to sleep

Final thoughts: You can’t out-train poor nutrition

Gaining lean muscle isn’t just about lifting weights — it’s also about providing the raw

materials your body needs to build muscle. Start by identifying which of these five areas might be holding you back. Often, a few targeted changes in your daily nutrition or sleep habits can unlock the results you've been working so hard for.

Need help optimising your muscle-building nutrition?

Our team of expert sports dietitians at Nutrient Nation help athletes at all levels implement real-world nutrition strategies that deliver results. Get in touch for 1-on-1 support.

This is Sports Dietitian Dr Rebecca Haslam, signing off for now!

You can book an appointment with Bec or Belle at www.upnadamptphysio.com (booking button at the top of the homepage)

Bookings also available on our website for:

• VO2 Testing - to optimise your training

• Physiotherapy - to treat acute or chronic injuries

• Run Specific Strength Programs - contact us via the website or email us at upnadamptphysio@gmail.com

• Remedial Massage - to relieve accumulative muscle tightness from training & racing that could lead to injury.