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by Jennifer C. Davis

It takes more than hours at the gym to achieve your optimal fitness level. Adequate nutritional support is every bit as essential.

You've hit a wall. No matter how many pounds you press, curl, squat or crunch, your body just won't bulk up. Don't get discouraged -- the problem may not be your workout, but rather that you lack the nutritional support it takes to pump up your muscles.

Our bodies have a clear set of priorities. First and foremost, we require nutrients and calories to maintain essential body functions such as breathing and maintaining a heartbeat. Second, nutrient and caloric intake supports brain activity, permitting cognitive thought and reasoning. Lastly, our bodies use additional nutrients and calories to accumulate mass. It's easiest for our bodies to accumulate fat mass as opposed to lean mass, so if your goal is to achieve a more muscular appearance, your body has specific activity and nutritional needs.

When attempting to gain lean muscle mass, you must establish -- preferably with the help of a certified fitness or nutrition professional -- a regular resistance training program based on your specific goals and body type.

Muscular development occurs through the "overload principle": Working a muscle beyond its current ability forces it to adapt. Using systematically heavier weights in your strength-training program causes your body to produce more muscle in order to accommodate the increased demands placed upon it, explains Ann C. Grandjean, Ed.D., director of the International Center for Sports Nutrition (ICSN) in Omaha, Neb. Of course, gaining lean muscle can happen only when the body has sufficient caloric and nutrient stores at its disposal.

Your body's primary consideration when building muscle mass is its caloric intake. When you place energy demands on your body for strength training, your caloric needs increase dramatically. The body only accumulates mass -- lean or otherwise -- when it has excess calories. According to Grandjean, the body needs approximately 2,500 calories to develop one pound of muscle. If your body can build a pound of muscle each week, that translates into 350 calories each day in addition to what you generally eat to maintain health.

But bulking up doesn't mean simply accumulating empty calories. Calories from sources such as sugar and simple carbohydrates don't help your body build lean muscle mass. The carbohydrates in a plain bagel simply make you feel full. Sugar gives you short bursts of energy, but leaves you feeling tired. Complex carbohydrates in whole grains provide long-term energy while still providing nutrients. However, be wary of "carbo-loading." High carbohydrate intake supports the body during long-term aerobic activity and endurance training such as distance running. Protein is of greater concern for strength athletes.

Protein Rules
The proteins that make up human muscle don't come directly from the diet. Rather, the body breaks down dietary protein into its derivatives, amino acids, the primary building blocks of protein. With these amino acids, the body synthesizes the proteins it needs to accumulate muscle. In addition, amino acids perform a number of vital functions. They either act as, or are precursors to, the body's neurotransmitters, substances that carry messages from one nerve cell to another, and that serve as the body's main form of internal communication. They also enable vitamins and minerals to perform their duties.

When it comes to strength training and lean weight gain, amino acids perform a number of functions, from encouraging the production of growth hormones to promoting muscle gain and fat loss.

Of the approximately 28 known amino acids, the body can make only about 80 percent. The remaining nine amino acids -- histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine -- are considered "essential amino acids" because the body can't manufacture them and, therefore, must acquire them through the diet. According to Kristi Reimers, M.S., R.D., associate director of ICSN, it's possible to consume all the necessary amino acids through diet; however, when the body requires a combination of amino acids to form a protein, if it's missing even one, it may break down tissue such as muscle to find it. In fact, during childhood, amino acid deficiency may lead to stunted growth.

Therefore, when trying to build muscle, it's important to ensure the body has all the necessary amino acids. Certain conditions and dietary choices can contribute to amino acid deficiency. For example, many amino acids can't be found in vegetable sources, so vegetarians, especially vegans, may be at risk for deficiency. In addition, high stress, depression, infection and nutrient imbalance can contribute to deficiency of one or more amino acids, according to James Balch, M.D., and Phyllis Balch, C.N.C., in their book Prescription for Nutritional Healing: A-to-Z Guide to Supplements (Avery).

If you think your diet lacks amino acids, there are a number of individual amino acid supplements and combination products that may help.

Fuel Your Muscles
Although protein supplementation remains controversial, there's no question that protein needs increase during strength training. Protein accounts for approximately 15 percent of the body's mass, according to Grandjean. The body simply needs protein to make muscle. Serious strength trainers generally need between 1.5 and 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight each day -- about 150 grams of protein daily for a 170-pound strength athlete, she says.

"It's entirely possible for a strength athlete to receive the necessary amount of protein through diet, considering the additional caloric needs," says Reimers. If you have difficulty consuming adequate protein, you can find protein supplements in a number of forms. Various studies suggest protein supplementation augments muscle development, she says.

But which supplements provide the right type of protein? Some strength trainers swear by soy protein, claiming it's most easily absorbed and utilized by the human body. Others rely on whey protein, the top-selling protein supplement on the market at the moment, according to Tim Avila, president of Systems Bioscience, a bioceutical consulting firm in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. Whey protein, the liquid by-product of cheese production, contains lactose and several proteins such as lactalbumin and lactoglobulin. In its natural liquid form, it contains only about 0.9 percent protein. With the help of technology, manufacturers create protein supplement products from whey by isolating and concentrating the protein elements, according to the ICSN.

In addition to studies that report whey protein enhances immunity and increases the availability of glutathione (an essential antioxidant), some claim whey protein has the highest biological value (BV) rating of all protein products. This means whey protein may provide a form of protein that's easily used by the body. The BV is supposedly what makes a protein supplement useful for strength trainers. A protein easily processed and used by the body may facilitate the gain of lean muscle mass.

Studies also back up the efficacy of soy protein in athletic performance. A Romanian study found that two months of supplementation with an isolated soy protein product resulted in increased lean body mass and strength and decreased fatigue (Rev Roum Physiol, 1992). Soy protein products may be especially beneficial for athletes with lactose allergies or intolerances.

"Both soy and whey protein products have the potential to provide tremendous benefit," says Avila. "Remember that protein supplements are essentially amino acid products in the end. That's what our bodies break them down into." Both whey and soy products are natural-source proteins and contain branched-chain amino acids, meaning they contain amino acids that are branched structurally and used in different metabolic ways by the body, explains Avila. "Specifically, branched-chain amino acids such as leucine, isoleucine and valine are used during exercise or are used to make other amino acids such as glutamine (an amino acid with powerful immune-stimulating and antioxidant capabilities -- an essential consideration during strenuous exercise, which results in the release of free radicals)," he says.

The presence of branched-chain amino acids could indicate a good-quality protein product, but the real difference comes from the ratio of these amino acids. "Quality is linked to its amino acid profile," says Avila. "Rice and eggwhite protein products can have a weaker amino acid profile, while both soy and whey proteins have a relatively good one." Avila stresses that while numerous studies support protein and amino acid utilization for functions such as immunity, little research has addressed it as a fuel for muscle development.

"This will change as we continue to work on 'super protein' products," he says. Eventually, engineered protein blends will appear on store shelves. Made of a mix of rice, soy and whey proteins, these new products will yield ideal results, he predicts. "Nature has given us natural-source proteins with unique amino acid profiles. The ultimate goal will be to find just the right combination in just the right ratio to specifically facilitate muscle gain," he adds.

Before beginning a strength training supplementation regimen, remember to consult your health care practitioner or nutritionist