Protein? Yes, whey!
If you’ve spent any time in fitness and nutrition, you’ve likely felt personally attacked at your protein intake, or lack thereof. Protein is super important if you’re looking to build muscle mass, or even if you’re just trying to maintain what you’ve got. Remember, muscle burns fat, so the more lean mass you have, the more calories you burn doing absolutely nothing. That in itself is a good reason to feed those muscles and keep them happy. In this blog I will breakdown how the body uses protein, and how you can maximize your intake so your muscles are optimized.
Many people have this idea in their heads that the body can only absorb so much protein. This is kind of accurate, and kind of not. Muscles will fully absorb 20-25g of fast-digesting protein (ie whey) within 2 hours following exercise, aka the body digests about 10g/protein per hour. While the muscles aren’t always able to absorb excess protein, it doesn’t just disappear. The excess protein is used as energy or stored as fat, and the additional amino acids are typically excreted. This means over time, if protein ingested is greater than the muscles can utilize, it won’t be used optimally, and in some cases could cause weight gain. Generally speaking, you want carbohydrates to be your primary energy source during exercise, so it’s important to make sure you eat something carb dense prior to exercise (ie a banana) and then replenish glycogen stores post-workout for the muscle-stored glycogen that is used during the activity.
Breaking up your protein intake over all of your meals could look like eating something with protein (20-25g) every 2 or so hours so the muscles are able to utilize it well. Consuming protein feeds the MPS (muscle protein synthesis) process, which is the incorporation of amino acids into bound skeletal muscle proteins… aka GAINS. When I say gains, I mean progress, not Hulking out. Muscle protein synthesis is maximally stimulated with 10g of essential amino acids (EAA - histidine, isoleucine, leucine, valine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, and tryptophan), or 25g of complete protein (animal products, quinoa). The type of protein, amount of protein, and timing of protein intake are all factors in maximizing muscle mass.
Type of Protein - Eggs, salmon, chicken, Greek yogurt, tuna, shrimp, soybeans, quinoa, tofu are all great sources for building lean muscle.
Amount of Protein - 10g/hr or 20-25g every two or so hours is the best way to feed the muscles and be sure protein is utilized efficiently.
Timing of Protein Intake - Ingesting protein within 15 minutes of exercise is a great way to get protein to the muscles fast, and really maximize the time spent in the gym. After that, 20-25g of protein every 2 hours (reaching your ideal body weight in grams) is the best way to feed muscle protein synthesis and maintain lean muscle mass.
The majority of people trying to lose weight/get fit don’t realize the impact protein has on progress. The recommended daily value of protein is actually incredibly low compared to what most people need to maintain their physique, let alone build mass or lose weight. When in doubt, ask for help determining your personal protein requirements.