Is Growth Really "30% gym, 70% diet," or is There More to it?

[SwoleScientists]

At one point or another, we've all heard the remark that muscle growth can be quantified by "30% gym, and 70% diet." But is this really true? Some of the more experienced and/or scientific readers will look at this and scoff, knowing that there are tens, hundreds, thousands of factors that can influence muscle growth to some degree. However, there is no point in worrying about more than, say, a sextuple important ones.

Gym and diet CERTAINLY account for a fair bit of muscle growth, since the gym provides important stimulus and diet provides important raw material to repair muscles post-stimulus. The reason that a percentage cannot really encapsulate the significance of each is that they are dependent on each other. Even with a "perfect" diet, without stimulus, there is nothing to recover from, and even with a "perfect" training routine, without a good diet, there is a shortage of material to recover from stimulus.

Additionally, there are at least 4 other factors that also intertwine with these other ones to produce different results. I would mark...

1.sleep
2.stress
3.Electrolyte Balance
4.Hydration

...as the major ones to fill these spots.

Sleep and Stress:
The general recomendation for sleep of any athlete should range from 7-9 hours, with defincincies impairing glucose regulation, and cognitivie processes- both of which are sure to impact training. Lack of sleep also can increase cortisol (stress-hormone), and reduce testosterone and growth factor 1, the effects of which for muscle growth cannot be overstated [1]. As you can see, sleep intertwines with stress, which is a great example of the mechanisms by which these factors can interact to produce certain results.

Hydration and Electrolyte Balance:
Hydration is also key for any athlete and especailly bodybuilders. H20 accounts for about 55-60% of total body mass, and one study found that a mere 1-2% drop in this could impact cognitive and physical function [2], translating to poor sessions and recovery. An excess of water has also been shown to be detrimental, with pre-workout hydration diluting sodium levels and disrupting electrolyte balance. The study, almost ironically, found that non-alcoholic beer was a better pre-workout decision due to its higher sodium levels. Maybe it would be better just to have a salty pre-workout meal though.

Conclusion:
So where there were previously two things to worry about, now there are 6. And there are so many ways they can interact with eachother that its hard to predict each one's individual significance. If you have any other ones that I missed, comment!



*TLDR: NO. There is SO much more to it than this. Where did these numbers come from anyway?*





Sources:

Can't post links yet- sorry guys

1: Sleep and muscle recovery: endocrinological and molecular basis for a new and promising hypothesis

2: The Hydration Equation: Update on Water Balance and Cognitive Performance

3: Effects of Beer, Non-Alcoholic Beer and Water Consumption before Exercise on Fluid and Electrolyte Homeostasis in Athletes

[desslok]

Where did the numbers come from? The typical people pulling numbers out of their a$$ so they can sell you their diet plan or routine.

[SuffolkPunch]

It's stupid to assign percentages to it.

If you want a pseudo mathematical answer, you need to apply the Pareto principle to both lifting and nutrition - do the simple basics in both disciplines that get you the majority of the results without worrying about the last few % points.

[GeneralSerpant]

It's a matter of cruciality, not partitioning of any sort (effort or priority). You can boil it down to both nutrition and work being necessary and call it a day really.

You need protein to grow. You need fat and carbs to move. People are often undershooting the prior and overshooting the latter. With training, you're either progressing or you aren't, and it's much more apparent at the end of the day compared to what you have to do with eating.

To someone that has an adequate diet, that saying of it being mostly diet can seem somewhat asinine. Especially if the gym is your lagging aspect.

[DougyF7]

This is ten percent luck
Twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will
Five percent pleasure
Fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name

[EliKoehn]

This is ten percent luck
Twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will
Five percent pleasure
Fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name

Somewhere, somehow... Mike approves.

[paulinkansas]

This is the equation.

[desslok]

This is the equation.

He makes great pasta!

[paulinkansas]

He makes great pasta!

His cousin Bertolli makes a good sauce.