If you support a young athlete, you’ve likely heard them talk about protein, lifting or supplements. But most advice skips the fundamentals. There are 8 muscle building basics every athlete should know.
As a sport dietitian, I see athletes of all ages thrive when they learn to fuel and train early. Our group nutrition coaching programs show how these foundations transform performance, recovery, and growth.
8 Foundations to Build Muscle
These 8 muscle-building foundations go beyond protein shakes and give young athletes the right start for long-term success, whether they’re in-season, off-season, or just getting into strength training.
1. Exercise Effectively
Strength train 2–3 times per week to build muscle and prevent loss during injury or off‑season. Research shows 10–20 sets per muscle group weekly are needed for growth (hypertrophy).”
While endurance sports like running or cycling do activate muscles, it’s harder to build size during high-volume training. For this reason, many hockey players tend to focus on building muscle in the off-season when training is lower.
To build muscle, weight train 2-3 days per week and lift 10-20 sets per muscle group, per week.
2. Eat Enough Calories
Muscle-building requires a calorie surplus, not just protein. This means that even if you’re hitting your protein goals, if you’re not eating enough overall, your body will break down muscle for energy.
Your body needs energy to support its resting metabolic rate and replace energy used in physical activity. Skipping meals or training fasted puts the body in a breakdown (catabolic) state instead of growth (anabolic).”
Skipping meals makes your muscles break down.
Wondering if your young athlete is eating enough to support growth and training? Check out our guide to learn the signs, common pitfalls, and how to fuel right: Is My Child Eating Enough to Fuel Training and Growth?
3. Eat Carbs Before, During and After Training
Why carbs matter: Young athletes are still growing, so their bodies need extra energy for training, growth, and daily activity. Without enough fuel, the body may break down muscle for energy.
Carbs are ‘muscle sparing’: they fuel exercise, protect muscle, and jump‑start recovery.”
During workouts over an hour: Fuel with 1.2 g of carbs per kg body weight per hour.
After training: Have a recovery snack immediately with:
- 1.2 g carbs/kg body weight
- 15–20 g protein
Young athletes should always fuel with carbs around training:
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During long workouts: 1.2 g carbs/kg per hour
-
After training: Recovery snack with 1.2 g carbs/kg + 15–20 g protein
To learn about which types of carbs fill your gas tank for optimal performance, read this blog for Everything Athletes Need to Know about Carbs.
4. Prioritize Protein
Aim for an optimal amount of protein intake to build muscle: a good rule of thumb is 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day, which is equal to 1.8g protein/kg body weight.
If you are in a caloric deficit, your protein needs may increase to help preserve muscle. Aiming for up to 1g protein per pound of body weight per day, or 2.2 grams per kilogram can be beneficial during weight loss.
Aim for 0.8 g protein per pound of body weight daily (1.8 g/kg).
5. Get Enough Sleep
Muscle recovery takes place while you sleep. If you don’t get enough rest, your body’s ability to build muscle is reduced—even if your nutrition is perfect. Research shows that sleeping only 4 hours per night can cut muscle protein synthesis by about 25%.
The good news? Regular weight training helps offset this effect, supporting muscle health even when sleep is less than ideal.
Teens need 9-10 hours of sleep a night.
Good sleep maximizes muscle recovery and growth.
6. Distribute Protein Through the Day
While hitting your total daily protein target is most important, including protein at each meal can be a practical way to ensure that your muscles always have the building blocks they need.
Spread it out: Including protein at each meal makes it easier to hit daily goals.
Boost Your Breakfast: Breakfast is often a low-protein meal. Swapping cereal for eggs is a simple way to increase your daily protein intake and improve your body’s net protein balance. Protein at breakfast gives you steady energy and prevents sugar crashes or cravings later in the day.
Consider a Pre-Sleep Protein Snack: Consuming 30g of protein before bed can help maintain amino acid levels in your blood overnight, supporting muscle repair and growth while you sleep.
Include protein at each meal, so you hit your protein target.
Curious about how much protein your young athlete needs? Check out this blog post: How Much Protein Do Teen Athletes Need?
7. Focus on Protein Quality
Not all proteins are created equal. A protein’s quality is determined by its essential amino acid (EAA) content and how easily your body can absorb and use them (bioavailability).
Animal vs. Plant: Animal-based proteins like meat, eggs, and dairy generally have a higher EAA content and better bioavailability than most plant-based proteins.
You Can Still Thrive on Plants: You can absolutely build muscle on a plant-based diet, but you may need to consume larger quantities of plant protein to get a similar amount of EAAs as a smaller portion of animal protein. For example, you might need about 60 grams of wheat protein to get the same muscle-building effect as 35 grams of whey protein.
Whole Food Matters: The food matrix is important. Studies have shown that whole eggs stimulate a greater muscle-building response than egg whites alone, due to other nutrients in the yolk.
Get your protein from diverse sources: dairy, eggs, fish, chicken, meat and beans.
8. Use Supplements When Needed
Protein powders can be helpful for convenience, not as a replacement for whole foods. They’re ideal for busy mornings, post-training snacks, or travel. They’re also a convenient way to add protein to a breakfast or snack on the go.
Want to make sure your protein powder is actually safe? Not all supplements are created equal, and some may even contain harmful levels of heavy metals like lead. Learn what to look for and how to protect your health in this quick guide: What You Need to Know about Lead in Protein Powders
Essential Amino Acid (EAA) Supplements are useful when you need high protein quality without a lot of calories or volume, such as for preventing muscle loss during an injury.
For more information about optimizing recovery during a sports injury, check out this blog post: Which Supplements Help Athletes Recover from Surgery?
Protein powders and EAA supplements can be used for convenience, but they should not act as replacements for protein from whole foods.
Want to make sure your athlete is getting the nutrition they need to perform and grow?
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