The Protein Needs of an Athlete

Why is Protein Important for Athletes?

First and foremost, humans have a nutritional requirement for protein within the diet. Protein is involved in the repair and rebuilding of tissues, hormones, and the immune system. In fact, the word protein is derived from the Greek proteios, meaning primary or prime importance.

Adaptation to Training

The training volumes and intensities experienced by athletes are much higher than the average person. This higher level of physical stress requires higher protein intakes to facilitate the adaptations to the training sessions and positively influence the recovery processes.

During a time when an athlete is required to increase lean body mass, sufficient protein should be consumed to promote skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Many factors including the training goals, intensity and duration of training will determine the optimal protein requirements for an individual athlete. This requirement generally centres around the idea of nitrogen/protein balance.

What is Protein Balance?

Protein balance is similar to thermodynamics for calories; for example, calorie surplus (weight gain), calorie deficit (weight loss), and balancing calorie expenditure and intake results in body weight maintenance.

Once you have negative protein balance (protein loss), protein balance (no gain or loss), and when you have positive protein balance (protein gain). Therefore, different athletes will have different requirements, and requirements may increase or decrease depending on the time of season/demands.

Negative Protein Balance

When dieting, let's say for; a) a weightlifting meet, b) a bodybuilding show or c) a sprint meet - the goal is to decrease body mass -while maintaining lean body mass and losing fat mass to a) get in a lower weight category, b) look aesthetic on stage and c) enhance the power to weight profile.

When we decrease our calories - we are in an energy deficit. To make up for this energy deficit, we oxidise a greater percentage of adipose tissue (fat mass) for energy. As a result, we can begin to produce more glucose from non-carbohydrate sources such as lactate and amino acids through a process known as gluconeogenesis. Remember, amino acids = protein.

In a state of negative protein balance, you are fundamentally converting amino acids from muscle mass to glucose for energy for the brain (which cannot use adipose tissue/free fatty acids for energy) and other bodily functions such as movement.

This is no bueno for sports performance!

A negative protein balance can compromise your ability to sustain the required exercise intensity during training sessions, impair power outputs, and exacerbate the subjective experience of soreness and lethargy.

Protein intake when in a calorie deficit

As an athlete, you want to offset the negative protein balance during a calorie deficit to ensure the maintenance of lean muscle tissue. It is therefore recommended to increase your protein intake when dieting. A higher daily protein intake (approx. 2g/kg ) has shown to be critical in optimising muscle protein synthesis response and preserving lean body mass, during periods of energy restriction (Mettler et al., 2010). Moreover, the ingestion of smaller protein feedings of 20 -40 g spread routinely throughout the day has proven to positively affect muscle protein synthesis rates, which in turn, is associated with favourable body composition and performance results (Kerksick et al., 2017).

Protein feeding can also help improve satiety levels (feeling of fullness) during a calorie deficit. Further, protein also has a higher thermic effect than carbohydrates and fats, meaning that much of the energy from the consumption of protein goes towards digestion and absorption. All these factors are useful in the arsenal of an athlete who is looking to maintain muscle tissue, whilst reducing bodyweight before a competition.

Protein Balance

If you are consuming maintenance calories (no weight gain or loss), you are not in an energy deficit, therefore, amino acids are not being converted to glucose via gluconeogenesis to any great extent, so you are less likely to lose muscle mass. You can get away with 1.6-1.8 g/kg of protein for endurance athletes and for strength-power athletes around 1.6 - 2.0 g/kg to support the adaptation and recovery process (Thomas et al., 2016).

Positive Protein Balance

Like a calorie surplus (gaining weight), you will convert a larger amount of protein you ingest to muscle mass if you consume more protein than you require. Therefore, if you are trying to bulk up, strive for positive protein balance and an energy surplus. Generally speaking, 2.5 g/kg is the peak, with no further benefit noted when going >2.5 g/kg. However, I would only go with 2.5 g/kg if you were a bodybuilder.

If you play a team sport such as soccer or lacrosse (something with an anaerobic demand) and want to bulk up, aim for 2.0 g/kg of protein and keep carbohydrates high (for performance purposes).

In addition, partaking in exercise (resistance and endurance) will increase muscle protein breakdown. Such exercised induced stress is all part of the adaptation process. As a result of a greater breakdown, your protein requirement is heightened versus an ordinary civilian.

Recovery from injury/surgery

After sustaining an injury or post-surgery, the addition of amino acids can help muscle recovery. Protein is required for the repair and remodelling of tissue. During the rehabilitation process higher amounts of protein are required to support the recovery process and reduce the breakdown of the muscle during inactivity.

Conclusion

Protein consumption in sufficient amounts can have a dramatic impact on your body compositional and sport performance goals. Ensure that you’re protein requirements for your sport and activity levels are being met, otherwise, you are limiting your progress. Working with lots of clients and athletes over the years, this is something that is nearly always an area for improvement. Adding a quality protein source during each of your meals spread across the day and incorporating protein-rich snacks such as greek yoghurt, edamame beans and protein shakes/bars can help you meet your protein requirements.

• If you would like me to take a closer look at your nutritional requirements and current diet for your training goals please don’t hesitate to drop me a message.