Do
I need more protein if I’m a bodybuilder? Do I need less protein if I’m a
marathon runner? These are valid questions, as athletes participating in
various activities manipulate their intakes of carbohydrates, fat, and protein
differently to achieve their goals. The simple answer is that protein is key in
optimizing the performance of all types of athletes and anyone who exercises,
offering numerous advantages when consumed at levels above the recommended
daily allowance (RDA). Some studies even show that athletes can benefit from as
much as twice the RDA (1).
Athletes
can be categorized into three main groups based on the goals associated with
their chosen activities: endurance athletes, high-intensity athletes,
and strength athletes. Endurance athletes include those who participate
in activities requiring stamina, such as distance runners, swimmers, cyclists,
and triathletes. High-intensity athletes compete in activities that require
short, intense bursts of energy focusing on technique, lasting from seconds to
only a few minutes. Such athletes include sprinters, volleyball players, and
gymnasts. Like high-intensity athletes, strength athletes also engage in
activities that require short bursts of energy. However, their primary goal is
to attain strength and muscle mass rather than honing a sport-specific skill.
The term strength athlete is synonymous with bodybuilder.
Protein
has been shown to boost performance among the three categories of athletes in
the following ways:
1.
Endurance Athletes
Endurance
athletes engage in low to medium intensity activities that elevate the heart
rate for prolonged periods. To generate the energy needed to sustain low
intensity exercise over a long duration, the body mainly uses the aerobic
system—a system relying on the cardiovascular system to supply oxygen to the
muscle. Improving endurance in athletes demands optimizing aerobic energy
production, improving cardiovascular fitness, and maximizing the ability of
muscle fibers to contract.
Historically,
much more attention has been paid to carbohydrates in maximizing endurance than
protein. “Carb-loading” is a popular dietary strategy used by endurance
athletes to improve performance, and involves eating foods high in starch prior
to events in an effort to maximize muscle glycogen. Glycogen is the storage
form of carbohydrate that can be used by the aerobic system to supply muscles
with energy. With importance placed on carbohydrate consumption in endurance
activities, protein is often pushed to the wayside. Many myths regarding
protein intake have circulated among endurance athletes, such as the idea that
high protein intake will cause bulky muscle gains that hinder efficiency, or
that high protein intake is of greater relevance to strength athletes.
However,
strength and endurance athletes each have similar protein needs, with the only
difference being how the body uses the protein in relation to different
training regimens. While the protein consumed by strength athletes is primarily
used to build muscle, it is used by endurance athletes for muscle repair and
other functions related to the effects of prolonged training. Because protein
improves endurance performance in a variety of ways, false beliefs resulting in
low protein intake are detrimental to the athlete.
2.
High-intensity Athletes
High-intensity
athletes seek to perfect technique and train their muscles to perform the
powerful functional movements necessary to their sport. They engage in activity
that consists of repeated bouts of short intense exercise. Such activity draws
on the anaerobic system to make energy.
In
contrast to the aerobic system, the anaerobic system is able to make muscle
energy in the absence of oxygen. Although this system is able to rapidly
produce the energy needed to drive intense bursts of activity, it cannot be
relied upon for extended periods of time—less than a 2 minute maximum.
The
primary goal of high-intensity athletes is to improve performance by perfecting
technique and increasing speed, strength, and agility. This requires developing
muscle memory for optimally performing a sport-specific movement. It also
requires increasing the speed and force with which a muscle contracts,
optimizing the lean muscle to fat ratio, and raising the anaerobic threshold.
Supplying the body with adequate protein is essential for improving the
performance of high-intensity athletes, as protein plays a key role in muscular
development and fat loss, and may even beneficially influence factors that
affect the anaerobic system.
Protein
is the primary substrate used by muscle to achieve the optimal physical
adaptations that enhance high-intensity performance. Following a strenuous
workout, the body is very sensitive to the effects of protein in stimulating
muscle synthesis. Eating protein during the post-exercise period promotes the
synthesis of new muscle fiber proteins and an increase in contractile muscle
proteins, resulting in greater strength and speed (2).
3.
Strength Athletes
Strength
athletes share the same goal as high-intensity athletes in improving strength,
but they place a particular emphasis on aesthetics, seeking to achieve optimal
muscular proportion while maximizing muscle size and definition.
Because
lifting weights primes the muscles for growth, resistance training is the
central component in the work-out regimen of the strength athlete. Like
high-intensity athletes, strength athletes draw on the anaerobic system to get
the energy they need to fuel their grueling resistance workouts. High
protein intake has always been a central component of the dietary strategy used
by strength athletes, as they have long recognized its value in promoting
muscle synthesis.
In
addition, the beneficial effects of protein in promoting fat loss and
preserving muscle is extremely important to strength athletes, who desire a
particularly high lean muscle to fat ratio in achieving their aesthetic
goals. Although all athletes will benefit from using dietary strategies to
maximize muscular development and body composition, this is particularly
important to strength athletes.
Timing,
Type, and Source of Protein for Any Athlete
Following
intense exercise, the body is very sensitive to the effects of protein in
provoking muscle synthesis. Studies suggest that there is an optimal window
during which maximal benefits can be derived from eating protein. Most experts
agree that protein eaten close to the end of a workout provides the greatest
benefit, especially within an hour after finishing exercise. However, some
benefit has even shown to be derived up to 2 hours post-exercise (1, 3).
An
optimal amount of protein is needed to maximally stimulate muscle growth.
Studies have shown that a dose of about 18 to 40 grams (depending on body weight,
age, and workout length and type) is necessary to trigger muscle synthesis,
although no greater benefit is derived from consuming amounts above this level
in one sitting (2).
To
optimize muscle growth and repair throughout the day, studies suggest that
several meals consisting of about 30 grams of protein each should be eaten
throughout the day (3).
Whey
Protein
Whey
protein, derived from milk, is superior to other protein sources for promoting
muscle growth and repair. It is absorbed faster than either casein or soy
protein and is higher in BCAAs, ultimately leading to greater muscle synthesis
(1, 3). In addition, its high leucine content serves as a trigger for muscle
growth. Whey is also the most satiating protein, helping achieve fat loss and an
improved body composition.
With
the numerous advantages conferred by protein, and whey in particular,
incorporating this macronutrient into a dietary and training plan will help any
athlete get a leg up on the competition:
- Whey is classified as a fast-absorbing protein. It is absorbed faster to maximize peak muscle growth for high-intensity and strength athletes.
- Compared to other protein sources, whey is higher in BCAAs. BCAAs serve as a trigger for muscle growth after resistance training exercise.
- Whey protein enhances recovery after exercise because it elicits a higher insulin response that speeds up glycogen resynthesis.
- Enhanced recovery from whey protein enables greater training volume to support increased muscle growth or more frequent training.
- Whey protein stimulates greater fat oxidation following a test meal compared to other protein sources like casein or soy.
Although
the goals and training techniques used to improve performance varies by
athlete, protein has unanimous benefits among all athletes and exercisers of
any kind and should be a central component of any good dietary strategy.
For more information about this
topic and other health and wealth related topics use the following websites:
References
- Phillips SM, Van Loon LJ. Dietary protein for athletes: from requirements to optimum adaptation. J Sports Sci 2011;29 Suppl 1:S29-S38.
- Cribb PJ, Hayes A. Effects of supplement timing and resistance exercise on skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2006 Nov;38:1918-25. Doi: 10.1249/01.mss.0000233790.08788.3e
- Phillips SM, Tang JE, Moore DR. The role of milk- and soy-based protein in support of muscle protein synthesis and muscle protein accretion in young and elderly persons. J Am Coll Nut. 2009 Aug;28:343-54.
