Protein Intake And Personal Training: Strategies For Becoming Fitter, Healthier, And Stronger

We've all heard it. Protein is bad for you. It'll hurt your kidneys. You'll get super bulky. All of this is not true.

In fact, ingesting more protein is may be one of the best things you can do for your overall health.

Although the RDA for protein is a measly .8 grams per kilogram, new science is showing that ingesting more can be very beneficial.

From weight loss to weight gain - encouraging my clients to eat more protein is of top priority.

Why?

After age 30, we actively start undergoing sarcopenia or the losing of significant amounts of muscle mass per decade. Why is this bad? Retaining your mobility as you age is one of the most important factors for your overall health. A fall leading to a broken femur can be a death sentence, literally: 'Falls are the leading cause of injury and death in older Americans'.

With low muscle mass comes low strength, and strength is one the biggest predictors for living a long and healthy life. 'Muscular Strength as a strong predictor of mortality: a narrative review'

This interconnects well with osteoporosis also, and the two become exclusive partners in making sure your quality and length of life decreases. Lower protein intake equals lower bone mineral density.

If you want to maintain your independence and quality of life as you age, eat your protein.

How Much?

1) Weight Loss: depending on how heavy you are you should surely be consuming more protein as you lose weight.

For overweight clients, which I consider an amalgam of a BMI over 30, fat masses above around 22% and 30% for male and female, or waist circumferences larger than 40 inches or 37 inches for male and female; you're going to meet my criteria for running the risk of decreasing your life expectancy via metabolic syndrome. Which is a cluster of conditions that lead to what most people in developed nations die of.

Prescription is immediate weight loss via larger caloric deficits than say a body re-composition client. Anywhere from 1%-2% of your total body weight can be lost per week. Protein intake should be at minimum 1g/1lb of fat-free mass with a range between 1g/1lb FFM -1.25g/1lb of Body Weight.

An example: 200 pound female with 35% body fat effectively is comprised of 130lb of fat-free mass, and has 70lb of fat mass. She should be consuming at minimum 130lb of protein daily, split between 3-5 meals, spaced 2-4 hours apart.

Body Recomposition, or someone looking to maintain fat free mass and decrease fat mass. This person will be in more healthy or borderline ranges of BMI, Body fat percentage, and waist circumference. While also probably experienced in weight training. Body weight loss per week should be closer to .5%-1% of total body weight to help potentially better preserve fat-free mass. Protein intake should be at minimum 1g of protein/ 1lb to 1.15g/ 1lb body weight.

2) Weight Gain

The very skinny client with low body fat percentage and fat free mass. This person will have more discretion in how quickly they would like to gain weight. It's very likely that this client will be untrained in terms of exercise and would respond better to a larger caloric surplus than say someone with lifting experience and more FFM. Protein intakes should be in the range of 1-2g/ 1lb of body weight with .5%-1.5% body weight gained per month. Running a "Dirty Bulk" or substantially increasing daily calories +1000kcals/day runs the risk of accumulating excess body fat.

The skinny client with some lifting experience who wants to gain a bit more weight. This client will not have the discretion of potentially running a dirty bulk and must be more mindful of overall caloric surpluses on a daily basis. Protein intakes should be 1g/ 1lb - 1.5g/ 1lb body weight. With weight gain occurring at a rate of increasing total calories to around +400kcals/day more than what was previously being eaten.

There are some baselines for starting your own journey. Mind you, everyone is unique and you should feel free to experiment and figure out what works best for you. For tracking macronutrients and calories Myfitnesspal is my go-to and my recommendation. All of these body weight goals will not realize their true potential without 2-5 days a week of properly programmed strength and conditioning work. So make sure you're lifting.

To extend and enjoy your life more, make sure to eat your protein. You'll thank yourself later.