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This article is part of a series:
→ Post-exercise nutrition.
→ Carbohydrates.
→ Protein.
→ Carbs plus protein.
Recovery nutrition for runners and endurance athletes.
→ Healthy eating.→ Post-exercise nutrition.
→ Carbohydrates.
→ Protein.
→ Carbs plus protein.
Eating protein supports muscle protein synthesis to repair and build tissue.
Thomas Solomon PhD.
29th Aug 2020.
You should now be well-versed in the nuances of post-exercise (or between-session) nutrition and the importance of eating carbohydrate between your sessions to replenish muscle glycogen. As we plough onwards with this series on recovery, now turn your attention to the importance of eating protein to get yourself ready to go again...
Reading time ~16-mins (3200-words)
Or listen to the Podcast version.
Or listen to the Podcast version.
Protein metabolism is very different from carbohydrate metabolism. First, there is no amino acid store in the body. Yes, we “store” amino acids in the proteins of our body but these are critical for the protein to function appropriately (unlike glycogen, our glucose store, which if you remove some glucose from it, still functions as glycogen). Second, protein turnover is constant, i.e. protein synthesis and breakdown don’t take a rest, they are continuous processes like your beating heart or breathing lungs (on the contrary, muscle glucose metabolism is only high when workload is high). Third, the contribution of amino acids to total energy production is very low; ~5% of total kcals in healthy people, in whom more than 90% of energy production comes from glucose and fatty acids. Noting, of course, that protein contribution to energy production is increased during catabolic states found during starvation, in burns patients, and certain diseases, like cancer.
Proteins are 3-dimensional structures made up of specific sequences of amino acids. When you eat food containing protein, the bonds holding the protein’s 3D structures together are destroyed, the protein is digested in the gut and free amino acids are delivered to the intestine to be absorbed into the blood. Amino acids are then delivered to tissues for protein synthesis, which, in the context of muscle, includes building enzymes that help produce energy (ATP) in the mitochondria and building structural (e.g. titin) or contractile proteins (e.g. actin/myosin) that help develop the force required to make you run fast and lift heavy. A work-out increases protein breakdown and synthesis; resistance exercise increases protein synthesis more than endurance exercise, while a low-intensity work-out has less overall effect than a moderate- or high-intensity work-out.
So, as an endurance athlete, to stay in protein balance and allow yourself to optimally build and repair muscle tissue and synthesise new mitochondrial proteins, the recommended guideline is to
While self-report surveys find that most elite athletes across multiple sports consume protein within recommended intake guidelines, within a range of ~1 to ~3 g/kg/day, these surveys also show that, like many nutrients, protein intake (g/day) is proportional to daily caloric intake, i.e. if you eat more total daily food, you will generally eat more total daily protein. The good news here is that, if your daily energy intake is sufficient to meet energy availability needs, it is highly likely that your protein intake is also adequate. However, daily energy intake is not always adequate and athletes in some sports are more commonly found to have a low daily protein intake; this includes gymnasts, dancers, ski jumpers, athletes in weight category sports (e.g. boxing), and runners.
There are also some scenarios when greater emphasis should be placed on protein intake:
old-age, because as we age the increase in protein synthesis following a meal is blunted (a phenomenon called “ anabolic resistance”);
prolonged high-intensity exercise, particularly with low carbohydrate availability, because of the increased use of amino acids for producing glucose (gluconeogenesis) or direct oxidation for producing ATP;
and, following eccentric exercises that elevate muscle damage and the need for repair (for example, mountain/downhill running, and other things like plyometrics, sprinting, jumping, maximal lifting). Note: it is also worth noting here that although eccentric exercise causes more muscle damage and soreness (DOMS), protein supplementation is not used to reduce soreness. Feelings of soreness are related to muscle damage, which if lessened may help you “feel” ready to go again. But a lack of soreness is not an indicator that you are physiologically ready to perform at your best.
Whether you are a gymnast, a dancer, a ski jumper, a boxer, or a runner, or whether you are in your golden years, or whether you frequently engaged in prolonged high-intensity exercise with low carbohydrate availability, or whether you often smash eccentric exercises that cause excessive muscle damage, aiming for adequate energy availability through the use of a healthy eating pattern, will help achieve your protein intake requirements.
After each session, the urgency for eating protein in the post-exercise period is related to the duration and the intensity of the work-out. For example, at the end of a long run it may be way beyond 3-hours since your last protein-containing meal. A long-duration vigorous workout may also deplete glycogen and increase the utilisation of precious amino acids for energy production rather than muscle repair. However, it is far-more-relevant to know when you last ate and how much protein you consumed. If you ate a large protein-containing meal before the session and the session was relatively short (e.g. <1-hour), it is very likely that blood amino acid levels are still elevated and therefore supplying adequate building blocks to rebuild needed proteins. In this case, your urgency for post-exercise protein ingestion can be dampened a little.
The notion of a post-workout protein window was based on early findings that rates of muscle protein synthesis rise and peak during the first couple of hours after exercise. But the precise timing is probably less important than total daily intake. In 2013, Brad Schoenfeld’s meta-analysis found that immediate pre- and/or post-exercise protein timing is important for gaining muscle size (hypertrophy) but not for muscle strength, which can be improved no matter what timing regimen is used so long as total daily protein intake is sufficient. An updated meta-analysis published in 2020 confirmed that total daily protein feeding can boost training-induced muscle strength irrespective of protein timing. This knowledge is important for endurance athletes since they need to be strong not huge — as an endurance athlete you do not need stress over strict protein timing, just make sure you are consuming adequate amounts of total daily protein distributed through the day.
What does this mean?
Well, there are 20 amino acids used to build proteins in the human body. Of these, 9 are known as “essential” amino acids (histidine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, valine, isoleucine, leucine), which must be consumed because our bodies cannot synthesise them. Three of the essential amino acids are known as branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs: leucine, isoleucine, and valine). During exercise, BCAAs are metabolised by muscle to produce ATP (although this only accounts for about 5-10% of energy production). One of the BCAAs, leucine, is also the most potent direct stimulus for muscle protein synthesis of all the amino acids--the leucine content of a protein is actually the strongest determinant of the magnitude to which a protein will increase muscle protein synthesis. The human body requires each of the 20 amino acids in specific amounts because proteins in the body are made up of different combinations of amino acids. So, back to nutrition…
A “complete” protein is one that provides all amino acids the body needs in sufficient amounts;
and
a high-quality protein is a “complete” protein with a high leucine content and high digestibility (i.e. quickly digested, like whey and soy vs. casein).
Animal-based foods like beef, egg, or dairy, provide “complete” protein. Isolated proteins derived from animals, which include whey and casein, are also complete proteins. Individual plants and plant-derived foods like rice or legumes are often lacking in some amino acids (particularly the essential amino acids, leucine in particular), but plant-based diets can still provide sufficient protein needs if a variety of plant-based foods are eaten. For example, soy-based foods and isolated soy protein are also “complete”. So, complete protein intake can be achieved with either an animal-based or a plant-based diet but slightly more grams of plant- (vs. animal-) protein are required to gain sufficient amounts of essential amino acids because plant-based foods typically contain lower grams of essential amino acids per gram of total protein and induce a lower blood leucine level. For a more detailed analysis of amino acid content and blood leucine response to plant- vs. animal protein, please check out the phenomenal 2018 chemical analysis from Luc van Loon’s lab and the blood leucine response data from Danone.
Eating whole foods that contain protein provides us with the entire range of amino acids in adequate amounts. For this reason, when following a healthy eating pattern, there is absolutely no rational basis for supplementing with specific amino acids--drinking a BCAA-containing drink or taking a 3-gram leucine pill doesn’t initiate any magic on top of high-quality protein you have already ingested. In fact, supplementing with such things while neglecting whole foods will leave you deficient in total protein and lacking in other specific amino acids. Why do some energy drinks contain the three BCAAs? I have no bloody idea. If you want to “branch” out and get your BCAA fix, go and eat some whole food that contains “complete” protein.
To support this sentiment, consider that a typical example of a BCAA supplement (My Protein Essential BCAA tablets) provides 2 grams of leucine, 1 g of isoleucine, and 1 g of valine in a single day if taken in the recommended 2-tablets 2-times per day dose. Whole foods can provide large amounts of total protein containing the complete array of amino acids including all the essential amino acids and not just BCAAs (which are only three of the essential amino acids our body cannot synthesise). For example, 100 grams of roasted chicken provides ~2.6 grams of leucine, and ~1.5 grams of both isoleucine and valine, plus ~24 grams of total protein, ~13 grams of fat including 3 grams of polyunsaturates, some sodium and potassium, a little bit of iron and vitamin A. Or, how about 100 grams of tofu… you get 1.4 grams of leucine, 0.8 g of isoleucine, and 0.9 g of valine (plus ~10 grams of total protein, ~5 grams of fat, mostly from unsaturates, and some sodium, potassium, calcium, and iron). As you can see, a portion of either of these whole foods, chicken or tofu, provides everything the BCAA pills provide, are far more nutrient dense and, when mixed into your favorite dishes, will be phenomenally more tasty. Learn from the mistakes of “supplement” junkie, Mark Renton — “Chooselife food”.
One-serving (24 grams) of Powerbar whey powder provides
~20 grams of protein.
One breast (100 grams) of roasted chicken provides
~24 grams of protein.
One ½-fillet (115 grams) of grilled salmon provides
~25 grams of protein.
One ½-cup (80 grams) of shelled edamame provides
~10 grams of protein.
One ½-cup (100 grams) of tofu provides
~10 grams of protein.
Many other foods provide protein, including beef, pork, seafood/freshwater fish, milk, eggs, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, and various plant-based foods, including soy, seeds (especially flax), and nuts like almonds and peanuts, or peanut butter. As you can tell, these types of foods can easily be added to any breakfast, lunch, or dinner meal to ensure an even distribution of protein intake throughout the day. Whole food protein snacks can also easily and affordably be incorporated into your between-session window. For example, a tin of tuna (or mackerel) in sauce contains ~20 grams of protein and costs around £1, while large bags of nuts (including almonds, cashews or peanuts) can be found for around £2 in stores like Aldi, Lidl, or Home Bargains (or Walmart and Target, for those of you on the other side of the pond).
Always aim to choose nutrient-dense, whole-foods to meet your healthy eating and sports nutrition goals. Understandably, there are situations when high-quality whole foods are not available. In these cases, protein supplements (bars, powders) become a convenience but keep such choices simple—choose a whey or soy protein supplement that provides “complete” protein—there is no need to mess around with (or stress over) individual amino acids.
Let’s visit our hypothetical athletes, Stone Gossard and Deborah Anne Dyer, to see how this would look in practice. Both should be aiming to consume a total of approximately 1.6 grams of protein per kg body weight distributed through each day among meals and snacks containing 0.25 to 0.4 g/kg (Note: with his infrequent training habits, Stone would probably even be OK with a daily protein intake anywhere between 1 and 1.6 g/kg/day.). This equates to ~120 grams of “complete” protein per day for Stone (~18 to 30 g per meal/snack, each containing ~3 g leucine) and ~80 grams per day for Deborah (~13 to 20 g per meal/snack, each containing ~3 g leucine).
Stone usually eats ~30 grams with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and a further 30 grams with a snack (or two 15 gram protein snacks, while Deborah typically follows a similar pattern: ~20 grams with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a 20 g protein snack or two 10 g snacks. But neither athlete needs to be super stressed about measuring out specific grams of protein. By consuming nutritious food that provides sufficient energy to meet their daily demands, Stone and Deborah know that their healthy eating pattern provides high-quality protein at every meal and snack and therefore distributes sufficient protein throughout each day. By doing so, their amino acid availability (including essential amino acids) is always sufficient to maintain net protein balance. Stone and Deborah are also well-versed in the knowledge that consuming protein beyond a 20-40 gram dose “saturates” the rate of muscle protein synthesis and consuming protein in excess of your needs (super loading) is pointless since excess levels of amino acids are simply metabolised and excreted as urea, rather than used to build muscle proteins.
Thanks for joining me for another “session”. I hope to have opened your eyes to the world of dietary protein, your need for it, and how it can be consumed... Once again, to help choose nutrient dense foods, ones that you like to eat and that meet your recovery nutrition goals, check out FoodNutritionTable.com or the USDA FoodData Central, and make use of the free analysis tool at Nutritionix . The more you learn, the more intuitive you will become with your good habits. Until next time, keep eating well and training smart.
Proteins are 3-dimensional structures made up of specific sequences of amino acids. When you eat food containing protein, the bonds holding the protein’s 3D structures together are destroyed, the protein is digested in the gut and free amino acids are delivered to the intestine to be absorbed into the blood. Amino acids are then delivered to tissues for protein synthesis, which, in the context of muscle, includes building enzymes that help produce energy (ATP) in the mitochondria and building structural (e.g. titin) or contractile proteins (e.g. actin/myosin) that help develop the force required to make you run fast and lift heavy. A work-out increases protein breakdown and synthesis; resistance exercise increases protein synthesis more than endurance exercise, while a low-intensity work-out has less overall effect than a moderate- or high-intensity work-out.
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When protein synthesis rates consistently outweigh breakdown rates over many days, muscle cells enlarge (hypertrophy) and measurable increases in muscle mass will eventually be detectable. But when breakdown is greater than synthesis over several days, muscle cells shrink (atrophy) and muscle mass eventually gets smaller. With the exception of perhaps exogenous testosterone supplementation (and, no I am not endorsing the use of a WADA-prohibited banned anabolic agent), exercise is the most powerful stimulus for muscle protein synthesis. But protein synthesis can only be supported if there is a constant supply of amino acids. Post-exercise protein ingestion helps maintain net protein balance by preventing muscle protein breakdown from outweighing muscle protein synthesis (note: the same is true for connective tissue but only the muscle will be discussed here). The goal of the endurance athlete is to maintain muscle mass even when exposed to frequent muscle-damaging sessions and a high training load — a healthy eating pattern supplies amino acids in adequate amounts to facilitate this.
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What is the optimal dose/rate of post-exercise protein ingestion for muscle protein synthesis?
The current recommended daily intake of protein for non-pregnant adults is ~0.8 grams per kilogram body mass per day. Exercise studies show that while ~1.0 g/kg/d is sufficient to maintain nitrogen balance (a proxy for protein balance) during low to moderate intensity endurance training, studies of endurance athletes with high training loads find that ~1.6 g/kg/d is more appropriate, ranging from 1.65 to 1.83 g/kg/day to support intense and long-duration running. Evidence confirms that many elite athletes achieve these higher intake values, while some Tour de France cyclists and powerlifters/bodybuilders eat as much as 2.5 to 3 g/kg of protein each day!So, as an endurance athlete, to stay in protein balance and allow yourself to optimally build and repair muscle tissue and synthesise new mitochondrial proteins, the recommended guideline is to
Aim to consume a daily intake of
~1.6 grams of protein per kg bodyweight.
It is important to note that most of these ingestion dosing studies used whey isolate or egg protein to provide protein. However, their findings have been confirmed in a study using whole food, which showed that 30 grams of protein from beef mince was as effective as 90 grams for increasing post-exercise protein synthesis in men and women. Furthermore, high protein feeding is only shown to cause harm in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). In healthy people, high protein intake is safe—protein does not damage your liver or kidneys nor does it elevate cholesterol, as shown by a 1-year cross-over study of strength athletes consuming as much as 3.3 g/kg/d.
~1.6 grams of protein per kg bodyweight.
While self-report surveys find that most elite athletes across multiple sports consume protein within recommended intake guidelines, within a range of ~1 to ~3 g/kg/day, these surveys also show that, like many nutrients, protein intake (g/day) is proportional to daily caloric intake, i.e. if you eat more total daily food, you will generally eat more total daily protein. The good news here is that, if your daily energy intake is sufficient to meet energy availability needs, it is highly likely that your protein intake is also adequate. However, daily energy intake is not always adequate and athletes in some sports are more commonly found to have a low daily protein intake; this includes gymnasts, dancers, ski jumpers, athletes in weight category sports (e.g. boxing), and runners.
There are also some scenarios when greater emphasis should be placed on protein intake:
old-age, because as we age the increase in protein synthesis following a meal is blunted (a phenomenon called “ anabolic resistance”); prolonged high-intensity exercise, particularly with low carbohydrate availability, because of the increased use of amino acids for producing glucose (gluconeogenesis) or direct oxidation for producing ATP; and, following eccentric exercises that elevate muscle damage and the need for repair (for example, mountain/downhill running, and other things like plyometrics, sprinting, jumping, maximal lifting). Note: it is also worth noting here that although eccentric exercise causes more muscle damage and soreness (DOMS), protein supplementation is not used to reduce soreness. Feelings of soreness are related to muscle damage, which if lessened may help you “feel” ready to go again. But a lack of soreness is not an indicator that you are physiologically ready to perform at your best.
What is the optimal timing of post-exercise protein ingestion for muscle protein synthesis?
After eating a protein-containing meal, amino acids are preferentially used for muscle protein synthesis for ~3-hours (rather than for other fates, like oxidation to produce ATP). So, if your work-out starts more than ~3 hours after your last meal, it makes sense to go “old school” and consume protein as soon as possible after your workout to prevent a catabolic state of muscle protein breakdown. However, the “urgency” for immediate post-exercise protein is removed if a pre-exercise meal has been ingested within the 3-hour window prior to exercise.After each session, the urgency for eating protein in the post-exercise period is related to the duration and the intensity of the work-out. For example, at the end of a long run it may be way beyond 3-hours since your last protein-containing meal. A long-duration vigorous workout may also deplete glycogen and increase the utilisation of precious amino acids for energy production rather than muscle repair. However, it is far-more-relevant to know when you last ate and how much protein you consumed. If you ate a large protein-containing meal before the session and the session was relatively short (e.g. <1-hour), it is very likely that blood amino acid levels are still elevated and therefore supplying adequate building blocks to rebuild needed proteins. In this case, your urgency for post-exercise protein ingestion can be dampened a little.
The notion of a post-workout protein window was based on early findings that rates of muscle protein synthesis rise and peak during the first couple of hours after exercise. But the precise timing is probably less important than total daily intake. In 2013, Brad Schoenfeld’s meta-analysis found that immediate pre- and/or post-exercise protein timing is important for gaining muscle size (hypertrophy) but not for muscle strength, which can be improved no matter what timing regimen is used so long as total daily protein intake is sufficient. An updated meta-analysis published in 2020 confirmed that total daily protein feeding can boost training-induced muscle strength irrespective of protein timing. This knowledge is important for endurance athletes since they need to be strong not huge — as an endurance athlete you do not need stress over strict protein timing, just make sure you are consuming adequate amounts of total daily protein distributed through the day.
What is the optimal daily distribution of protein ingestion for muscle protein synthesis?
Total daily protein intake is important. The timing of protein intake is also important but is nuanced by the time since your last protein intake. The pattern of protein intake during the post-exercise or “between session” window should also be considered because there is only so much protein that can be eaten and effectively digested, absorbed, and utilised in a single sitting. Studies find no further increase in muscle protein synthesis when more than 20-25 grams of protein is ingested after exercise in people with relatively low muscle mass (<65 kg lean mass; ~77 body weight) but that 40 grams can further raise muscle protein synthesis in more muscular folks (>70 kg lean mass; ~98 kg body weight) and incorporation of ingested protein into newly-synthesized mitochondrial proteins increases in a dose-dependent fashion up to 45 g following endurance exercise in athletes. However, in these studies, protein oxidation and urea production were increased at higher protein intakes following exercise, evidence that excess ingested protein is simply used as fuel to produce ATP (protein oxidation) or peed out (urea production). Consequently, the current guidelines for endurance athletes state that muscle protein synthesis is maximised if you aim to:
Distribute your daily intake into meals and snacks containing
~0.25 to ~0.4 grams of protein per kg bodyweight,
up to a total of ~20-25 grams of protein per meal/snack.
~0.25 to ~0.4 grams of protein per kg bodyweight,
up to a total of ~20-25 grams of protein per meal/snack.
×
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Recent evaluations, which have confirmed that most athletes consume protein within recommended daily amounts, also find that athletes heavily weight their protein intake towards dinner. This means that many athletes do not evenly distribute their protein intake across the day and, therefore, amino acid availability for muscle protein synthesis may be inadequate at certain times of the day. So, if you are following a healthy eating pattern and if you are eating enough calories to meet your energy availability demands, you are very likely eating enough protein — just ensure that you distribute protein evenly through the day to maximise the benefit. The simple fix is to eat protein with every meal... a goal of your healthy eating pattern.
What is the optimal type of post-exercise protein ingestion for muscle protein synthesis?
Whether protein is being ingested for recovery or for daily needs, there is one incredibly important thing to learn about protein: you need to be consuming “complete” protein sources.What does this mean?
Well, there are 20 amino acids used to build proteins in the human body. Of these, 9 are known as “essential” amino acids (histidine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, valine, isoleucine, leucine), which must be consumed because our bodies cannot synthesise them. Three of the essential amino acids are known as branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs: leucine, isoleucine, and valine). During exercise, BCAAs are metabolised by muscle to produce ATP (although this only accounts for about 5-10% of energy production). One of the BCAAs, leucine, is also the most potent direct stimulus for muscle protein synthesis of all the amino acids--the leucine content of a protein is actually the strongest determinant of the magnitude to which a protein will increase muscle protein synthesis. The human body requires each of the 20 amino acids in specific amounts because proteins in the body are made up of different combinations of amino acids. So, back to nutrition…
A “complete” protein is one that provides all amino acids the body needs in sufficient amounts;
and
a high-quality protein is a “complete” protein with a high leucine content and high digestibility (i.e. quickly digested, like whey and soy vs. casein).
Eating whole foods that contain protein provides us with the entire range of amino acids in adequate amounts. For this reason, when following a healthy eating pattern, there is absolutely no rational basis for supplementing with specific amino acids--drinking a BCAA-containing drink or taking a 3-gram leucine pill doesn’t initiate any magic on top of high-quality protein you have already ingested. In fact, supplementing with such things while neglecting whole foods will leave you deficient in total protein and lacking in other specific amino acids. Why do some energy drinks contain the three BCAAs? I have no bloody idea. If you want to “branch” out and get your BCAA fix, go and eat some whole food that contains “complete” protein.
To support this sentiment, consider that a typical example of a BCAA supplement (My Protein Essential BCAA tablets) provides 2 grams of leucine, 1 g of isoleucine, and 1 g of valine in a single day if taken in the recommended 2-tablets 2-times per day dose. Whole foods can provide large amounts of total protein containing the complete array of amino acids including all the essential amino acids and not just BCAAs (which are only three of the essential amino acids our body cannot synthesise). For example, 100 grams of roasted chicken provides ~2.6 grams of leucine, and ~1.5 grams of both isoleucine and valine, plus ~24 grams of total protein, ~13 grams of fat including 3 grams of polyunsaturates, some sodium and potassium, a little bit of iron and vitamin A. Or, how about 100 grams of tofu… you get 1.4 grams of leucine, 0.8 g of isoleucine, and 0.9 g of valine (plus ~10 grams of total protein, ~5 grams of fat, mostly from unsaturates, and some sodium, potassium, calcium, and iron). As you can see, a portion of either of these whole foods, chicken or tofu, provides everything the BCAA pills provide, are far more nutrient dense and, when mixed into your favorite dishes, will be phenomenally more tasty. Learn from the mistakes of “supplement” junkie, Mark Renton — “Choose
So, how can you eat protein after exercise to boost muscle protein synthesis?
There is no such thing as a special blend of protein or an amino acid mix that, when ingested, goes straight to your muscles to make you mighty. All ingested nutrients enter the blood from the intestine and are transported all around the body to be used where they are needed. Naturally, when you are training regularly, your muscles’ demand for amino acids is high because they need to repair and adapt to your sessions. Protein bars or protein powders are a very quick and convenient way to get your amino acid needs, but they are not nutrient-dense and are relatively expensive. Besides, your protein needs can easily be met with real food—whole food—which is tastier, cheaper, and more nutritious. For example,
One-serving (24 grams) of Powerbar whey powder provides ~20 grams of protein.
One breast (100 grams) of roasted chicken provides ~24 grams of protein.
One ½-fillet (115 grams) of grilled salmon provides ~25 grams of protein.
One ½-cup (80 grams) of shelled edamame provides ~10 grams of protein.
One ½-cup (100 grams) of tofu provides ~10 grams of protein.
Always aim to choose nutrient-dense, whole-foods to meet your healthy eating and sports nutrition goals. Understandably, there are situations when high-quality whole foods are not available. In these cases, protein supplements (bars, powders) become a convenience but keep such choices simple—choose a whey or soy protein supplement that provides “complete” protein—there is no need to mess around with (or stress over) individual amino acids.
What can you add to your training toolbox?
You can now bolster the “umami” of your recovery toolbox. The timing and dosing of protein intake can affect your “between-session” protein synthesis rate and restoration of performance. If you adhere to a plant-based diet, protein goals can also easily be achieved so long as you ensure you are ingesting “complete” sources of protein in adequate amounts. Protein is indeed important but gorging glorious amounts of it will not have some magic effect on your recovery. Always think about the bigger picture. Protein-containing snacks/meals/drinks need to be integrated with your daily healthy eating practices and other recovery nutrition goals, like hydration and glycogen resynthesis.Let’s visit our hypothetical athletes, Stone Gossard and Deborah Anne Dyer, to see how this would look in practice. Both should be aiming to consume a total of approximately 1.6 grams of protein per kg body weight distributed through each day among meals and snacks containing 0.25 to 0.4 g/kg (Note: with his infrequent training habits, Stone would probably even be OK with a daily protein intake anywhere between 1 and 1.6 g/kg/day.). This equates to ~120 grams of “complete” protein per day for Stone (~18 to 30 g per meal/snack, each containing ~3 g leucine) and ~80 grams per day for Deborah (~13 to 20 g per meal/snack, each containing ~3 g leucine).
Stone usually eats ~30 grams with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and a further 30 grams with a snack (or two 15 gram protein snacks, while Deborah typically follows a similar pattern: ~20 grams with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a 20 g protein snack or two 10 g snacks. But neither athlete needs to be super stressed about measuring out specific grams of protein. By consuming nutritious food that provides sufficient energy to meet their daily demands, Stone and Deborah know that their healthy eating pattern provides high-quality protein at every meal and snack and therefore distributes sufficient protein throughout each day. By doing so, their amino acid availability (including essential amino acids) is always sufficient to maintain net protein balance. Stone and Deborah are also well-versed in the knowledge that consuming protein beyond a 20-40 gram dose “saturates” the rate of muscle protein synthesis and consuming protein in excess of your needs (super loading) is pointless since excess levels of amino acids are simply metabolised and excreted as urea, rather than used to build muscle proteins.
Thanks for joining me for another “session”. I hope to have opened your eyes to the world of dietary protein, your need for it, and how it can be consumed... Once again, to help choose nutrient dense foods, ones that you like to eat and that meet your recovery nutrition goals, check out FoodNutritionTable.com or the USDA FoodData Central, and make use of the free analysis tool at Nutritionix . The more you learn, the more intuitive you will become with your good habits. Until next time, keep eating well and training smart.
Disclaimer: I occasionally mention brands and products but it is important to know that I am not affiliated with, sponsored by, an ambassador for, or receiving advertisement royalties from any brands. I have conducted biomedical research for which I have received research money from publicly-funded national research councils and medical charities, and also from private companies, including Novo Nordisk Foundation, AstraZeneca, Amylin, A.P. Møller Foundation, and Augustinus Foundation. I’ve also consulted for Boost Treadmills and Gu Energy on their research and innovation grant applications and I’ve provided research and science writing services for Examine — some of my articles contain links to information provided by Examine but I do not receive any royalties or bonuses from those links. These companies had no control over the research design, data analysis, or publication outcomes of my work. Any recommendations I make are, and always will be, based on my own views and opinions shaped by the evidence available. My recommendations have never and will never be influenced by affiliations, sponsorships, advertisement royalties, etc. The information I provide is not medical advice. Before making any changes to your habits of daily living based on any information I provide, always ensure it is safe for you to do so and consult your doctor if you are unsure.
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About the author:
I am Thomas Solomon and I'm passionate about relaying accurate and clear scientific information to the masses to help folks meet their fitness and performance goals. I hold a BSc in Biochemistry and a PhD in Exercise Science and am an ACSM-certified Exercise Physiologist and Personal Trainer, a VDOT-certified Distance running coach, and a Registered Nutritionist. Since 2002, I have conducted biomedical research in exercise and nutrition and have taught and led university courses in exercise physiology, nutrition, biochemistry, and molecular medicine. My work is published in over 80 peer-reviewed medical journal publications and I have delivered more than 50 conference presentations & invited talks at universities and medical societies. I have coached and provided training plans for truck-loads of athletes, have competed at a high level in running, cycling, and obstacle course racing, and continue to run, ride, ski, hike, lift, and climb as much as my ageing body will allow. To stay on top of scientific developments, I consult for scientists, participate in journal clubs, peer-review papers for medical journals, and I invest every Friday in reading what new delights have spawned onto PubMed. In my spare time, I hunt for phenomenal mountain views to capture through the lens, boulder problems to solve, and for new craft beers to drink with the goal of sending my gustatory system into a hullabaloo.
Copyright © Thomas Solomon. All rights reserved.
I am Thomas Solomon and I'm passionate about relaying accurate and clear scientific information to the masses to help folks meet their fitness and performance goals. I hold a BSc in Biochemistry and a PhD in Exercise Science and am an ACSM-certified Exercise Physiologist and Personal Trainer, a VDOT-certified Distance running coach, and a Registered Nutritionist. Since 2002, I have conducted biomedical research in exercise and nutrition and have taught and led university courses in exercise physiology, nutrition, biochemistry, and molecular medicine. My work is published in over 80 peer-reviewed medical journal publications and I have delivered more than 50 conference presentations & invited talks at universities and medical societies. I have coached and provided training plans for truck-loads of athletes, have competed at a high level in running, cycling, and obstacle course racing, and continue to run, ride, ski, hike, lift, and climb as much as my ageing body will allow. To stay on top of scientific developments, I consult for scientists, participate in journal clubs, peer-review papers for medical journals, and I invest every Friday in reading what new delights have spawned onto PubMed. In my spare time, I hunt for phenomenal mountain views to capture through the lens, boulder problems to solve, and for new craft beers to drink with the goal of sending my gustatory system into a hullabaloo.
Copyright © Thomas Solomon. All rights reserved.