Your training is the main thing. Nothing below replaces turning up and gradually doing a bit more over time. But once the basics are in place, a few habits decide how much of that work turns into strength. Here they are, with how strong the evidence actually is.
1. Sleep
Adults are advised to get at least seven hours of sleep a night. That comes from a consensus statement by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society, and it is about health in general, not only training.
For lifting, a 2018 systematic review of 17 studies concluded that inadequate sleep impairs maximal strength in compound movements such as squats and presses. It also found that one night of no sleep at all had little effect on strength. The studies were rated moderate to weak in quality, so treat it as a sensible direction, not a precise rule.
What to do: protect a regular bedtime on the nights before hard sessions, and if you slept badly, still train, perhaps with a little less ambition.
2. Alcohol
In a small 2014 trial, eight active men did a hard training session and then drank a large dose of alcohol (1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight), with or without protein. The researchers measured how much the muscle built new protein in the hours afterwards, and alcohol lowered that response, even with protein in the mix.
That makes it a high-dose experiment with a short-term measurement: it tested one dose, so it cannot show how smaller amounts behave, and it did not follow people over weeks of training. What it does suggest is that a lot of alcohol right after training can get in the way of recovery. Drinking less around training is a reasonable precaution, and there is no need to make it a moral issue.
3. Protein
A 2018 meta-analysis of 49 trials (1,863 people) found that protein supplementation gave small but real gains in muscle and strength on top of training. On average, the gains levelled off at about 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. Treat that as an average, not a ceiling: the studies excluded people eating fewer calories, and a common recommendation for people training hard is 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram per day. Aiming for the upper end of that range is a sensible goal, and needs may be higher during a calorie deficit.
For a 70 kg person, 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg is about 110 to 155 grams a day, and it is very doable on a plant-based diet. Our Plant-Powered Protein Cheat Sheet has the plate, the target and the swaps on one page.
4. Creatine
Creatine monohydrate is the most studied supplement in this area. The International Society of Sports Nutrition’s position stand calls it the most effective nutritional supplement currently available for increasing high-intensity exercise capacity and lean body mass, and found no compelling evidence of harm in healthy people. That safety finding includes studies of much higher doses than anyone needs, so do not read it as a dose to copy.
The practical dose is 3 to 5 grams a day, taken every day, and it works through slow build-up, not a single big dose. It is optional: plenty of people get stronger without it. If you have kidney disease or take regular medication, ask your doctor first. Standard creatine monohydrate is typically made synthetically, so it is usually suitable for vegans, but check the label.
5. The unglamorous basics
- Hydration: drink regularly through the day and around training. Thirst and pale-yellow urine are a simple guide to whether you are drinking enough.
- Consistency: two or three sessions a week, most weeks, for months.
- Progression: a little more reps or load over time.
- Eating enough: not only protein. Training hard on too little food makes everything harder.
- Recovery days: muscle adapts between sessions, not during them.
- Cardio and daily steps: NASM recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio over at least 5 days a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous cardio over at least 3 days, or an equivalent mix over 3 to 5 days. As a simple rule of thumb from our trainer, aim for at least 10,000 steps a day on average.
What you can safely ignore at first
Most other supplements, expensive recovery gadgets and rigid meal timing. None has evidence that beats the five points above, and it is easy to spend money and attention on them instead.
What we are not saying
We are not saying you must sleep perfectly, never drink, or take any supplement. Small changes you can keep beat a perfect plan you drop.
General education, not medical advice or a personal program. Check with a doctor before starting a supplement if you have a health condition or take medication.
Sources
- Watson N.F. et al. (2015). Recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult: a joint consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 11(6):591-592.
- Knowles O.E., Drinkwater E.J., Urwin C.S., Lamon S., Aisbett B. (2018). Inadequate sleep and muscle strength: implications for resistance training. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 21(9):959-968. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2018.01.012
- Parr E.B., Camera D.M., Areta J.L., Burke L.M., Phillips S.M., Hawley J.A., Coffey V.G. (2014). Alcohol ingestion impairs maximal post-exercise rates of myofibrillar protein synthesis following a single bout of concurrent training. PLoS ONE, 9(2):e88384. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0088384
- Morton R.W. et al. (2018). A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 52(6):376-384.
- Kreider R.B. et al. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14:18. doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z