The Worst Nutrition Mistakes Every Lifter Makes

Timestamps:
0:00 - Mistake 1 - Thinking that you can force feed muscle growth
3:19 - Mistake 2 - Not realizing that most supplements are overrated
5:56 - Mistake 3 - Thinking you need a super high protein diet
8:05 - Mistake 4 - Misunderstanding meal frequency

I love when Jeff goes in deep on stats and science and doesnt treat his viewers like dummies. Always a clear and succinct breakdown with the full information on the screen. What a guy.

I am always amazed at how down to earth and no bs his approach is. It's good to see his podcast and dedication to a science driven approach.

Thanks Jeff. I’ve struggled for a while trying to max out my protein and be as efficient as possible. I burnt out and realized what I was doing wasn’t sustainable for me.
This video drops at a good time, encouraging me to practice workout /life balance

Thank you for covering the ability to gain muscle even eating a bit less protein than is recommended, and acknowledging those who can't afford a high protein diet. Your videos are always so professional, and cover topics so thoughtfully in a short amount of time. Thank you for all your hard work and providing these educational, evidence-based videos for free!

Thanks for the vid, Jeff! I’m starting my fitness journey later in life than a lot of friends did (I’m 25M). I enjoy the fact that because of my age I’ve been motivated to learn how to train most efficiently. This cuts down on bad habits needing to be broken and also saves me lots of time in the future from this start point. I’m proud to say you’ve gained a good follower and I even visited your website to grab a few products! Keep making great content!

Jeff I really love and appreciate everything you do and have done for the community. I have followed you since like 2016 you have helped me SO much.

Nice video as usual Jeff. One thing I was wondering was if there are any similar studies to the Sundgot-Borgen paper that had an extra experimental group for training intensity or volume. It would be interesting to see if high muscle stimulus/large calorie surplus would have any changes in fat mass gained compared to the low muscle stimulus/large calorie surplus groups.

Ive been doing your Push Pull leg split from your website for about 1 month now. Ive noticed overall strength and increased proportions. I was skeptical at first because it was a large decrease of volume however it showed me that i had too much junk volume in my last self-made routine. Helped me max out at 275 on the bench. I was stuck at 160. Now im gonna test a squat max next week so i can update the spread sheet so it gives me more accurate numbers for working weight. What your doing it amazing. Thank you. I also got a friend to get the same routine from your website because he was looking for a change in routine. Last note: single leg swiss ball leg curls are the most intense leg exercise ive ever done.

I've been gaining muscle while maintaining my weight the past month but want a slight cut (maybe 250-300 calories max). Needed this. Love this channel :)

So happy to see that it isn’t mandatory to meet your daily protein goal. I always thought if I wasn’t reaching my daily protein goal I was building almost no muscle as if I didn’t have enough. I guess it makes sense since protein is a building block and not a fuel source. I guess it’s like building a brick house with only 500 bricks a day instead of 1000 bricks. 500 bricks ain’t as fast but your still building the house just slower.

Jeff adding water to the whole protein container and drinking it made me gain some muscle 😂.
Love your videos and all the information you provide for us.

Love this video as an physiotherapist and therapy scientist. So good in showing evidence of strength training and the nutrition. 🤩

Mistake 4 is such a common one. Im glad you covered it. Really enjoyed the video, i think this was one many lifters did need.

Jeff, your whole energy and personality really encourages the long-range perspective which I think is so helpful for motivated people like me. Thank you for that 🙋‍♂️

This is the first Jeff Nippard video I’ve watched in a while, and I’ve been back in the gym because I turned into a bit of a chubby lad. Hit nearly 100kg in September, dropped to 90kg by December. Put 6kg back on over the holiday period, and now I’m sitting at 85kg. All of the loss occurred when I tracked my macros using MacroFactor. Sweet to know you’re a part owner 💙💙 glad my money’s going to the right places

Jeff will always be the guy I watch when trying to learn anything with lifting!

Fabulous breakdown as always. Thanks Jeff. Keep up the great work ❤

Im glad you've mentioned about the protein intake. I've had numerous arguments with people in recent years about how much protein you need to consume. In my opinion, the majority of people don't need any more than 0.8g per lb of lean body mass. Anything from 0.5-0.8 will suffice the majority of people. I've seen people saying you need between 1.5 and 2g per lb of bodyweight and that's just ridiculous. Half of that is literally being excreted .

My first 3-4 months of lifting, I gained 30 ish lbs. At the end of it my body fat was still around 15%, and it still looked pretty lean. I wouldn't do it again now as a more experienced lifter, but i think the large surplus helped squeeze every ounce out of the newbie gains

I am 44, been watching your videos for about 2 years already...
Couldn't agree more.
Every person has to listen to the results certain muscle building tips/advice give you.
In order to meet that diet and routines that help you meet your goals.

Yeah, I made a mistake in my first two months so I ended up gaining fat to where I was 206,57 lbs. I've been trimming it down and now I'm at 191,14 lbs with approx 18% fat so I have a bit further to go.

Great video as always. Jeff please do a video discussing cardio and it’s effects on muscle growth when trying to cross train. Powerlifting/running etc. not just in terms of “fat loss” but in terms of its tangible effects on gaining strength.

Great content as always from my inspiration! The editing is getting even better.
Thank you Mr. Jeff!

Another home run from Jeff. JEFF - in your protein intake recommendations - do you count grams of trace proteins from foods such as nuts or quinoa towards your daily goal? Or only straight protein sources like fish, meat, etc.?

I always appreciate how you always make your videos so well researched. So many fitness influencers are going off anecdotal evidence and pushing bs supplements. Please keep doing what you’re doing.

I really appreciate how you clearly state you own a part of the app you sell. The transparency is really nice considering how fake some fitness channels can be.

Hey Jeff!! Quick question… in regards to training, is it more preferable to do strength (6-10 reps) or endurance (12+ reps)? I’ve read that fasting is very bad when it comes to muscle loss, so unless you’re for strength, it seems you’ll lose that.
Would love your opinion/explanation for what the best training is as I’m currently on a calorie deficit and on the MF app

Thank you for making such great, free content backed by experience and evidence 👏 Huge value!

Loved the bit about eating below .7g/lb and how you can still build muscle, just not as fast. I've experienced this personally and appreciated the call-out for not being able to afford 1g/lb.

subbed, really informative straight to the point. Provides the science to your claims. found out i been cutting way to hard thanks for the knowledge!

Your Videos are always a highlight for me, Jeff. Seriously though. Whenever people want to gain knowledge about X or Y i can always give them precise answers and also the studies which cover the topic when they don't believe me. You're the King, my friend!

I wanna say thanks for the videos. I started going to the gym consistently the end of December 2022, didn't see any results until I started focusing on my calorie and protein intake. I started at 135lb and 6ft, I still only weigh 146 now but it's progress and I'm getting the foundation.

Biggest mistakes I made early was definitely being overly focused on protein and supplements (including test boosters, fat burners, etc. 😖) but I learned within the first year to ween off of that. Now I only do creatine and maybe a multivitamin, only use protein shakes when I really need it which isn't often. Another thing I'll add is thinking you need to eat a certain way, but really as long as calories + protein are good and you're not extreme with your choices you'll be fine.

Absolutely solid info', no bullshit. Love it. It's a little tricky for me after getting really bad digestive issues post Lyme Disease/antibiotics, a lot of supplements are intolerable. Focusing on clean eating, but your videos are great I get tons of great exercise/nutrition info'. Cheers there!

You are a gem to the fitness industry !
No BS at all 😀

Excellent breakdown of nutrition mistakes, and alternative approaches for lifters🔥

Brilliant video as always, thanks! When you calculate the amount of protein you consume, do you add up the high quaility protein (e.g. chicken, whey etc. that contain higher amounts of BCAAs such as Leucine) or all protein consumed? For example, if I'm consuming 150g protein per day, should I aim for all of this to come from high quailty protein and ignore the extra grams of protein from foods like, rice, fruit and vegetables? Or should it all be included in the total?

Great Content! Would be interested in seeing a video about recovery in regards to sleep. What effects does strength training before bed have on the quality of sleep?

Jeff - I would love to see you revisit supplements if there has been additional recent research on the leading candidate supplements that interest you. Personally, I think Im a creating non-responder, but I get a significant pump with L-Citrulline. Anecdotally, I think it has promise. Thanks for another great, well-researched, informative video.

I feel like mistake nr 4 also depends on what you are training, what type of muscle fiber you’re exhausting. Since type 2x or “white muscle fibers” don’t create it’s ATP (motion energy) with oxygen and only stored energy such as carbohydrates, it’s very important to have enough carbohydrates before a powerlifting session were you work low volume high intensity 1-2 reps. And if you’re running and using type 1 muscle fibers that creates energy via oxygen, eating carbohydrates is less important.

Hi, I really enjoyed macro factor for the 2 months I used it. My problem was that 1. it didn’t really have any meals in the database itself and 2. I couldn’t adjust my goal over 0.3 kg per week, since the app limited it. Would love to see some changes here

Jeff has transformed my life in so many ways. really helped me break free from self-doubt and hit the gym but I wass kinda ashamed ofmy shape at ht firs time., Now I'm even trying to film workouts and dreaming of becomeing a fitness influencer one day because i really love it..Keep it up dude, your motivation as really important, and I'm pretty sure not only for me.

Can we take a moment to talk about how improved Jeff's video quality production is looking in this video? My man did some serious upgrade, shit's looking crisp AF! Thanks Jeff for putting such high quality content out there

Been doing some research for a while but you have become my go to guy for the science based facts in my training! 💪 shout out from Glasgow, Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Thanks, glad to know my 9hr eating window isn’t hurting my gains too much. But Mistake 1 should be- not following Jeff to gain science based lifting/nutrition info 💪

I actually find it hard to follow the 2g/kg (150ish g in my case) while in a calorie deficit. You really need to check constantly your protein in every meal and protein powder becomes key.

What's your stance on caloric fluctuations to hit a weekly goal instead of just a daily target? Is there any research to suggest it being better or worse?
Good video as always

I really appreciate your empirical evidence-based approach. Thank you for making this type of content available.

It's good to know that I don't need as much protein; it's been hard to hit my target protein intake while eating in a deficit, even with protein powder. I eat eggs, tuna, and chicken every day with 20g from protein powder but that's still shy of the 85g I'd need to hit even 1.0 grams per kg

This is an incredibly helpful video you are like my favorite fitness youtuber and I love your science stats thanks jeff!

The protein thing and food is what I just recently got into just bc in the past I never made it something I needed to do. I wanted to be same body weight and just progress in being freakishly strong, but now I try to eat a lot and I try to make sure it’s meals filled w protein. I think for my heavy lifting, and me almost always feeling hungry I should be eating a lot anyway tbh

Hey Jeffie boy ! Nice to see you again.
Should we calculate our protein intake based on body mass or lean mass ? Does it make a difference?

This was very similar to my experience. I think it will get alot better when its content is linked directly to the code in the ide and can execute code tests to understand if it has done the right thing.

Been using macrofactor for 2 months. Lost 13lbs (6kg) and gotten alot more leaner and stronger in the gym. Definitely recommend it! It´s not a silver bullet but a really helpful tool to support the journey.

I find this video SOOOO helpful. Everything I've been unsure about you addressed.
My only disagreement is no disclaimer about this knowledge being based on your personal experience and knowledge.
I say this because I've seen how addictive caffeine can be and personally I don't think it's worth that little kick to go to the gym. I wish you said something about how addictive it is for those who don't know and start drinking coffee because of this video

Been enjoying this quality content since 2017! Thank you Jeff!

One mistake I’d add is that fasted workouts don’t actually cause more bodyfat/weight loss. While it may cause a bit more fat than glycogen to be used as the energy source for the workout, you’re not actually burning more or less calories as a result, nor are you burning off any additional body fat. I’d actually argue that you’ll probably have less energy going into the workout when fasted, which can lead to a less intense & therefore less productive training session than if you properly fueled your workout beforehand.
Edit: To clarify, I’m not saying you need a full meal shortly before working out. Even just eating a banana, granola bar, or a similar small healthy snack with some carbs does the job just fine 20-30 minutes before a workout. 💪

I do not know if you made a video specificly on this topic outside of the one on excessive clean eating, but did you do a video on balancing intuitive eating and general fitness (particuliarly for those went through eating disorder or disordered eating while obsessing about health and fitness) ?

Hey Jeff, you should talk to Andy Galpin about protein intake. He has some good research to back his hypothesis of over 1g/lb of bw. Thanks for the video!

Tried 5 meals in a deficit, felt like it was not enough to be sated (meals too small) and a hassle to constantly be fixing tiny meals. Four seems to be the magic number for me.

I'm definitely making these mistakes. I'm trying to force myself to be big even though I've only started lifting a year ago. I have to mature to make this work.

What's your opinion on cutting weight fast with fasting? I find it really easy to fast up to 48 hours and getting a big caloric deficit. Then eating a few days and doing the same thing again. That leads to big weight loss but is it bad for muscle preservation? I've read about increase in HGH while fasting which would help with the muscle loss.

Hey Jeff, I’m curious your thoughts about the potential strength and health gains from wearing “barefoot” style shoes. Seems like having a wider toe box and stronger foot muscles would help prevent injuries and pressing power on movements like squatting. Or perhaps clever marketing is taking effect. I’d love to hear your scientific opinion!

Interesting about the 'eating more doesn't speed your metabolism', my coach split my same diet I was eating in three meals into five and I lost 6cm on my waist in a few months. That was the only change.

This is a good thing to talk about because the biggest mistake is my eyes that alot of lifters do is misunderstand the science behind the big picture, ultimately your diet will control how you look, exercise will guide you into your goals but theres no point in climbing a mountain with the wrong tools, all you are doing is making it harder 😎

Buddy, I weigh 115kg, roughly 230 lbs, and I get out of breath climbing stairs! Your progress and attitude are amazing, keep at it.

I don't if it's worth the effort looking into, but it would be cool to know if health conditions such as celiacs, lactose intolerance, and or IBD affects absorption of protein. Current medical books says that's celiacs severity can manifest in adolescent age and even potentially inhibit growth. I wish I had the knowledge you been sharing before falling for health fads when I was younger. Keep up the good work with the research and your health goals!

I can attest to this. I put on 9kg in 5 months (91->100kg) for mass and that translated in 4% more fat. Though it wasn't bad aesthetically.

Used to workout so hard, but was only getting around 50g protein max, it was so hard to put on mass. Now I hardly workout but get around 150g, and I find it far easier to put on muscle.

Jeff, I’ve been watching your vids for 7 years now and as a fellow Ex Sci grad and gym bro, your content never fails to engage… something hard to do with such dense ducational material! 👏

I made those mistakes over a decade ago--believing that during bulks you had to eat a lot to gain muscle, but even though you feel stronger, you gain more fat instead if your caloric surplus is beyond 20%; going from three meals to six meals for the false reason that six meals would raise your metabolism; taking creatine, glutamine, BCAA, and whey protein and eating cottage cheese for casein protein for the last meal in order to boost my protein intake and get bigger faster. But the truth is that you need a smaller caloric surplus when bulking, your protein intake has to be enough and not too much and can be fulfilled without supplements although supplements can be used in addition to food when you're not eating enough protein in your diet.
I liked the metaphor of nutrition being the building blocks and your training program being the construction crew and blueprint of a building and the left over building blocks are fat and the building is muscle that you've built.

my last bulk was at around a 300 daily surplus and it worked pretty well. I was wondering if going to 500-600 would have worked better, but it sounds like maybe not :(

When considering protein at 0.7-1 g/lb of body weight, doesn’t it make sense to calculate that based on lean body mass, like you do when figuring maintenance calories?

most of my lifting I have followed the body composition book jeff published and ended up eating 1.2 - 1.3 g per lb of body mass for protein so for me right now I am 208 and eating 223 g of protein a day on a cut and I have enjoyed it. think about it this way if you eat more protein then needed then that leaves no room for under-eating protein and most protein dense foods are nutrient-dense

For mistake 1, were the lifters Enhanced or Natural? and does that matter for nutrition intake.
For example: We've heard about Trenbolone and it's nutrient partitioning effects..

Hey man, just found your channel. Fun watching the rips. Would love the base cards, just got back into collecting. Keep up the solid videos

Given the yield of lean muscle, would you recommend taking the prescribed dosage for creatine monohydrate? I cant help but feel 2 tsp (5g) is too much and its the company wanting you to pee out expensive urine. Would you also refute that the loading phase is also redundant considering the yield? Thanks!

Please man, never stop with the amazing content.

Thank you for using lb and kgs in the examples. I know you can do the conversion on Google but you know, details like that are always a plus :D

Better late than never. So glad I found your channel! Love your content man, thanks for helping!

Please can you do a video about INOL (Intensity of Lifts) explaining how the math is supposed to translate into intensity and the usefulness of this as a training statistic vs volume tracking etc? It’s something I’ve only come across recently and it’s quite complicated to get my head around and whether it’s a stat that should be taken seriously. I seem to get pretty low INOL values even when I feel I’ve worked pretty hard following similar guidelines sets per week as you recommend. Thanks and keep up the good work!

Great video. I made the mistake of eating 6-8 meals a day when I started out. I went from 58 kg to 125 kg over 1.5 years - I had A LOT of fat to lose and ended up losing a lot of the muscle I had built.

What I've learnt in the last 6 months atleast for me is that cardio allows me to gain the benefits of a calorie surplus without actually being in a surplus. I eat 3500 calories a day, which more than allows for all the nutritional requirments to build muscle, usually the excess would go on as fat. But now I also run 20km/week, so that excess gets burnt off allowing me to stay at a fairly stable BF % (around 13-14%).
Since doing this my gains have remained more or less the same as they did when I would "bulk" (I never aggresively bulked mind you, I get very lethargic at higher body fat %s) and as a bonus I am also exponetionally fitter, closing in on a sub 20min 5k. Cardio has been the answer for me to balance out my need for additonal calories without wanting to gain body fat.

SOLID INFO AS ALWAYS. Wish I knew these things before! Thank you for this!

For mistake 1, there are 2 studies in your sources. The last one (from 2019) followed bodybuilders and the results are quite differents from the one you used in your video (2013 study).

no bs quick to the point video, keep it up bro these videos are soo helpful

Hey simple question for you guys.. of my maintenance caloric target is 2600, and I work out that day and burn like 600 calories (90 mins of workout), does that mean I need to consume about 3200 calories that day?
I assume yes, but would really like some confirmation 😅

Ive used macro factor for the past several months; my favorite app to track. Thanks for the awesome video Jeff, always love the researched videos you send out!

How much does the optimal range for caloric consumption (basally -10%-20% of maintenance as you say), change if you are in an overweight/high BF% category? Can you go lower on this spectrum without compromising anything, or is it relatively constant across weights?

Thanks for this video Jeff. I always appreciate the effort, and I also respect that you pick and change your opinions to match the science instead of vice versa. The bit about protein intake was particularly reassuring, since I usually just try and eat an "ample" amount of protein without being very strict about tracking because I find it more comfortable that way. I've had really good results with simply eating to my goal (less when heavy, more when light) and making sure each meal has 1-3 high-quality sources of protein. Using that I've stayed within +/- 4lbs of my goal weight for about 2 years now, adjusting that weight upwards slightly as I complete months of training to keep at 13.5-14.5% body fat. It's proven very sustainable, my doctor loves it for me, and it was nice to hear that it's scientifically sound as well.
Just as a final shout-out, your Fundamentals Hypertrophy program really changed how I work out for the better. I'm a very happy customer and recommend it to anyone that just wants a clear cut guide to getting fit.

hey Jeff,
loved the video. does meal frequency affect protein absorption by the body? i thought more meal frequency generally allowed for more absorption/increased protein synthesis. any thoughts?

Jeff is the gift that keeps on giving and giving and ..... thanks Jeff!

So basically eat right according to your goal. Continue training and be patient. It takes time. Consistency is key.

How much is wasted if you have a deficit? I have been lifting like crazy but I have a weird situation where I KNOW I'm not eating enough. I'm getting super shredded(and good muscle growth) but I wonder how much lean muscle growth I'm wasting.
Thanks!
Edit: The video pretty much answered what I already knew. I really am gonna have to add back in regimented nutrition. I find that to get the proper intake, I need to be disciplined and eat significantly more than I normally would. But that is what it takes!

Macrofactor is.... too good. I'm on week 15 of using it, and its just so easy. My weight is changing exactly how it has guided me.

Love this video, I would be curious to see the testosterone levels of the small cal surplus vs large cal surplus

Always amazing information and well science based! Easy and very clear to understand

I think most people confuse force feeding even when you're full with consuming massive amounts of food/calories because when you eat actual meat and carb sources that aren't super fatty or covered in sauce it is way harder to eat your required daily calories to grow muscle when the food isn't super delicious and calorie dense.

Hey Jeff, i weigh around 227lbs, but my body fat is around 27%. Should i base my protein intake on my muscle mass or full body mass?