Protein for Lean Muscle Mass and Strength

Are you eating enough protein?

Most people, in particular athletes and active individuals do not consume enough protein.

Please note, that everyone is individual and I am providing information based on current research.  For specific recommendations based on your own needs, please consult a registered dietician (RD).

(And in my opinion if you are a vegan/vegetarian athlete I would highly recommend working with an RD to make sure you are consuming enough.)

How much protein should active adults/athletes consume?

Active adults/athletes should consume 1.6 -2.2 grams/Kg/day spread across 4 or more meals/feedings.  This can be more or less depending on what your needs are.

Daily Protein Consumption for Athletes Based on Body Weight

How much protein should you eat per meal?

For maximal stimulation of muscle protein synthesis (MPS), individuals should aim for:

0.4–0.6 g/kg/meal of quality protein (found in meat, eggs, and dairy).

0.24 to 0.40 grams/kg/meal for most young adults

0.4 to 0.6 grams/kg/meal for older adults*

*Older adults need more protein due to muscle atrophy/sarcopenia - which is the progressive loss of muscle mass and strength. As you age it becomes harder to build muscle mass so you need to consume more protein to stimulate MPS.  (Ideally the additional protein should be paired with resistance training.)

 Can you eat too much protein?

It was previously thought that consuming an excess amount of protein would be wasted and excreted through your urine. However, that is from previous research 30+ years ago that believed that the increased amounts of nitrogen in urine was thought to be from excess protein consumption, in which case the protein was being wasted. This has since been refuted and the increased amounts of nitrogen actually represent an increase of the breakdown of your damaged or oxidized protein (which is a good thing - out with the old and in with the new!). Essentially, what is happening is that when you eat more protein, your body can replace more of its damaged or oxidized proteins, so that your protein synthesis (building) and breakdown are both increased.

 Therefore there is no downside to eating more protein (other than pushing you over your caloric goal if you are trying to be in a deficit). So have at her and let’s all eat some more protein!!

 References:

Morton RW, Murphy KT, McKellar SR, Schoenfeld BJ, Henselmans M, Helms E, Aragon AA, Devries MC, Banfield L, Krieger JW, Phillips SMA 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 adultsBr J Sports Med.(2018 Mar)

Moore DR, Churchward-Venne TA, Witard O, Breen L, Burd NA, Tipton KD, Phillips SMProtein ingestion to stimulate myofibrillar protein synthesis requires greater relative protein intakes in healthy older versus younger menJ Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci.(2015 Jan)

Morton RW, McGlory C, Phillips SMNutritional interventions to augment resistance training-induced skeletal muscle hypertrophyFront Physiol.(2015 Sep 3)

Schoenfeld BJ, Aragon AAHow much protein can the body use in a single meal for muscle-building? Implications for daily protein distributionJ Int Soc Sports Nutr.(2018 Feb 27)

10 Step Approach For When You Get Injured

Often people think that coaches are invincible/super human… but we aren't. You can do everything right: have a solid warmup, good technique etc but sometimes things happen!

Note that this is not medical advice - this is what I find works best for me.

1. Stop what you're doing

2. Don't be the hero and assume you can do another set. Trust me, it never goes well.

3. Book an appointment with your therapist of choice as soon as you can get in.

   1. Everyone has someone, or some type of modality that works best for them.

   2. But remember that these are always temporary solutions.

4. Assess your current movement abilities and the area of restriction with low level mobility drills.

   1. The first thing that I usually do would be a joint range of motion assessment - something like a cat cow/spinal rotation to see what positions I'm restricted in.

5. Usually attempting to foam roll or release the area does not work when it's too acute and flared up.

6. I find the most beneficial thing to do is to actually walk. Make sure that you walk with a good arm swing to allow rotation through the spine.

7. I will also do some positional breathing drills to drive expansion to the compressed areas.

8. Try to stay active -When you stop moving is generally when it starts to get worse.

9. Once it's less acute and/or you've gotten in to see a therapist, I will do some mobility and movement work.

10. I will gradually progress the intensity and start to add exercises that don't cause pain, increasing the load over time.

    1. Note this may take 1-2+ days or weeks depending on your situation

Be patient and keep moving. There is always something that you can do in the gym. I'm also a big fan of heat: hot baths, hot tub, sauna..

Do what works for you - and hopefully some of these pointers will help you!

Amateur Boxing Off-Season Nutrition and Supplement Recommendations

Note that this is not medical advice, the information being shared here is from my research and information that I gained during my sport performance nutrition class. I highly recommend that you consult a Registered Dietician (RD) to assist you with your nutritional and supplemental needs that are required for your sport. As a retired athlete, looking back on my athletic career, my biggest regret was not working with an RD, especially because I was competing in a weight class sport.

Below is an infographic that you can use as a resource for nutritional and supplement recommendations for amateur boxing. It is labelled as off season because trying new supplements mid-season is not recommended. In the off season, you can see how your body responds to the supplement(s) and if they are appropriate for you. Remember that everyones needs are individual and there is never a one size fits all approach.

What Goes into Developing a Tailored Program for an Athlete?

Part 1: The Needs Analysis

The first thing that is done is a Needs Analysis which is a process that is used to determine qualities that are important for the athlete and sport.

This includes a Sport Analysis. Here the S&C coach identifies the demands of the sport including the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). This requires knowledge of the sport, including the demands of the sport and a deep dive into the literature.  

3 Questions that a coach asks when doing the needs analysis:

1. What are the metabolic demands of the sport?

2. What are the biomechanical movements of the sport?

3. What are the common injuries observed in the sport?

From here the coach needs to determine the athletes current status which is achieved by doing an Athlete Analysis. This includes profiling the athlete, performance testing and goals.

Next the coach needs to determine what is required to bridge the gap between the current status of the athlete and what they need to do to achieve their goal - i.e. the Gap Analysis

From here the coach can implement the plan based on the Gap Analysis.

Part 2: The Yearly Training Plan (YTP)

First, the coach needs to take a look at the big picture in terms of competition schedule and the entire season. This requires the coach to develop a Yearly Training Plan (YTP).  A YTP is not only done by S&C coaches, but should also be done by the sport coach too; for developing technical and tactical skills specific to the sport.  When major tournaments are placed in the calendar the S&C coach can work backwards to develop the program.

 With the KPIs in mind, the plan can be written to make sure that the athlete is developing the right attributes to peak for the major competitions.  Coaches will use periodization, which is the systematic planning of long- and short-term training programs.

Periodization

The YTP with major competitions in mind, can be broken down into macrocycles, mesocycles and microcycles where the specific training sessions are designed, working to develop specific athletic abilities within the larger picture of the current training phase.

Strategic periodization involves intentional peaking for matches or events based on their perceived greatest priority or difficulty throughout a competitive season.  This is accomplished by the deliberate manipulation of training loads and recovery in the lead-up to targeted matches.

It should be noted that during the season, coaches need to be flexible, because schedules often change. However the YTP serves as the primary framework that guides the training season.

Do It With Intent

Let's make sure that what we are doing is with intention, and that we are not just going through the motions.

This is not only a great metaphor for life - but for training too!

This year instead of just doing what your friend is doing, doing random classes sporadically here and there, or going to the gym with no plan  (and don't get me wrong, all of this is great already!).

But, let's focus that energy and time you are currently using to be even more meaningful.

That means: moving with intent, following a program with intent that will not only help you move and feel better, but also see quicker results.

And as always - don't forget to have fun!

Female Athletes Performance During "The Cycle"

If you menstruate or work with anyone who does, this post is for you.

⚠️ There are hormonal differences and training considerations that need to be taken into account.

🤔 What is a 'normal' menstrual cycle (MC)?

- Cycle length 21 to 35 days

- Flow length 2 to 7 days

- No more than a few days of variation in each cycle length

- No excessive blood loss or severe symptoms

💥 More that 90% of individuals report symptoms during their cycle.

🏅 have been won during all phases of the MC

Research is very challenging in this area

1️⃣ One study found that exercise performance might be trivially reduced during the early follicular phase (during the bleed phase)

2️⃣ Another study showed that exercise performance was impaired during the mid luteal phase of the MC (when progesterone is high)

3️⃣ Another study found that adaptation to resistance training  increases in the later part of follicular phase when estrogen levels are high (might speed up recovery process)

Overall though more research is needed

✅ A personalized approach should be taken based on each individual’s response to exercise performance across the MC.

❤ and share this post with friends who might find this info helpful

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