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Nutrition Latest Science on Dietary Protein and Hypertrophy

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mprevost

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Hi folks. I posted a video lecture today covering a recently published review article that discusses the latest scientific findings on muscle hypertrophy and dietary protein. The authors propose a unique theory, plus there are some simple, practical recommendations. Much of this science will confirm what you already thought about protein intake but there are a few surprising findings. Hope you enjoy it.

http://mikeprevost.com/dietary-protein-and-m uscle-hypertrophy/
 
@mprevost thanks for sharing, that was really interesting. In particular, its quite counterintuitive that less protein is required when strength training, than when not strength training.
 
@mprevost thanks for sharing, that was really interesting. In particular, its quite counterintuitive that less protein is required when strength training, than when not strength training.

Well....sort of. It gets pretty nuanced. Less protein is needed for the same muscle protein synthesis response when strength training compared to no training. However, extra protein can enhance the muscle protein synthesis response, especially if in a calorie deficit.
 
Interesting video lecture. I've increased my protein intake in the last 6 weeks to about 1g/lb of bodyweight (165g is my daily goal) and it seem to be helpful in supporting my training. Nice to know more about how it works.
 
This is similar to Iron Addicts modified warrior diet. He would have 3-4 protein shakes during the day spaced about four hours about and his main meal at night.
 
Could the four hour period be applied to the leangaìns fasting protocol that alot recommend? I usually don't get to eat supper till at least seven pm if not later. So protein around noon, another around last break at three thirtyish or on my drive home, and then eat.
It just seems to me everyone is all over the sixteen hour fasting and eight hour feeding.
 
Well....sort of. It gets pretty nuanced. Less protein is needed for the same muscle protein synthesis response when strength training compared to no training. However, extra protein can enhance the muscle protein synthesis response, especially if in a calorie deficit.

@mprevost I haven't watched your video yet, but I will. I am very interested in how micro and macro nutrients interact with the body.

I have been reading a lot of Mike Matthews recently (Muscle For Life). He has an IIFYM approach where 80% of your come from nutritious, whole foods and the rest is whatever you want. He's a big advocate of higher protein intake when in a caloric deficit as to build some while losing fat at the same time (body recomp). He does say this usually only possible for newer lifters as they have the most substantial gains in the begining.
 
I've read having the same amount of protein everyday makes your body less sensitive to it. Would it just be a case of having one scoop of whey instead of the usual two per shake every couple of days? On the weekends I usually forgo shakes during the day as I get busy with life and family matters.
 
I just reread the article and realized protein and Pavel go hand in hand. 3-5 reps 3-5 set 3-5 times a week. 3-5 protein meals 3-5 hours apart.
 
Having put on five kg over winter (Southern Hemisphere) I'm using the Dan John inspired double-protein-shake-before-each-meal method to get back below 90kg. Usually I am not particularly conscious of my protein intake but this diet does push it up to around 200g per day (2.2g/kg approx) and depending on what else I eat it can exceed 250g per day. I'd forgotten the effects other than weight loss - old aches and pains receding and improved recovery from workouts leading to greater intensity when I do workout. I'm not sure you would need to go this high in protein unless your goal was weight loss but certainly higher than RDI is worth a try
 
Could the four hour period be applied to the leangaìns fasting protocol that alot recommend? I usually don't get to eat supper till at least seven pm if not later. So protein around noon, another around last break at three thirtyish or on my drive home, and then eat.
It just seems to me everyone is all over the sixteen hour fasting and eight hour feeding.

I don't know. I am not aware of any research on the subject that would adequately answer the question. The 16 hour fast aims at improving health, by stimulating apoptosis (programmed cell death) of damaged and weakened cells. It is not aimed at optimal hypertrophy, which would more than likely support the continued existence of damaged and weakened cells (and not apoptosis). Whether the approached could be combined to approach maximum hypertrophy and stimulate apoptosis is, to my knowledge, unknown. However, besides for competitive bodybuilding, or vanity, excessive hypertrophy is not useful. It might make sense to employ both methods simultaneously, reaping some benefits of both if the goal is long term health and function.
 
Having put on five kg over winter (Southern Hemisphere) I'm using the Dan John inspired double-protein-shake-before-each-meal method to get back below 90kg. Usually I am not particularly conscious of my protein intake but this diet does push it up to around 200g per day (2.2g/kg approx) and depending on what else I eat it can exceed 250g per day. I'd forgotten the effects other than weight loss - old aches and pains receding and improved recovery from workouts leading to greater intensity when I do workout. I'm not sure you would need to go this high in protein unless your goal was weight loss but certainly higher than RDI is worth a try

I have not seen much satiety research on liquid protein shakes. However, fish, lean chicken and lean beef have a proven high satiety impact. I would suspect that liquid shakes would have a decent short term satiety impact, but because of their quick processing, might not provide much longer term satiety. The old school bodybuilders probably had it right by eating lots of plain tuna and baked chicken breasts. They are high protein, low calorie, and high satiety, the perfect combo when dieting.
 
I've read having the same amount of protein everyday makes your body less sensitive to it. Would it just be a case of having one scoop of whey instead of the usual two per shake every couple of days? On the weekends I usually forgo shakes during the day as I get busy with life and family matters.

I don't know anything about this effect and can't confirm or deny that is is real. I certainly have not encountered it in my reading of the science.
 
I have not seen much satiety research on liquid protein shakes.
In my experience casein is more filling than WPC or WPI but I usually take WPC because of lower cost. What I find in taking a double protein shake (47g protein, 200cal) about 20mins before each meal is the cumulative effect on satiety:

Week 1 - I pretty much eat normally plus the double protein shake (ie normal plus 600cal) but by the end of the week this is a struggle and I'm cutting back on solid food
Week 2 - I am dropping breakfast and eating maybe half lunch plus normal dinner
Week 3 - I am dropping breakfast, eating half lunch at most and usually half dinner

So by week 2 I am in a modest calorie deficit without feeling hunger or other discomfort. By week 3 the weight loss is accelerating. And by end week four or perhaps week five I have dropped the winter weight.

Also of interest is that when my diet outside the shakes is low carb (which I do not seek out but often happens because my wife is the cook and she does not eat wheat) I go quickly into ketosis (as measured by keto-stix) despite the high protein intake. My fat intake remains modest at all times.
 
Some people can enter ketosis easily apparently. I could also produce ketones with a high protein intake. While on a ketogenic diet I was also able to eat 150 grams of carbs for breakfast, then go for a run, and be deep in ketosis immediately after the run and for the rest of the day.
 
That is interesting and consistent with my own experience, that when in deep ketosis the carbohydrate content of a single "cheat" meal (ie high carb such as pizza plus ice cream) was not sufficient to kick me out for any appreciable length of time
 
I don't know. I am not aware of any research on the subject that would adequately answer the question. The 16 hour fast aims at improving health, by stimulating apoptosis (programmed cell death) of damaged and weakened cells. It is not aimed at optimal hypertrophy, which would more than likely support the continued existence of damaged and weakened cells (and not apoptosis). Whether the approached could be combined to approach maximum hypertrophy and stimulate apoptosis is, to my knowledge, unknown. However, besides for competitive bodybuilding, or vanity, excessive hypertrophy is not useful. It might make sense to employ both methods simultaneously, reaping some benefits of both if the goal is long term health and function.
How would you go about employing the two simulationsly? During the week have some protein shakes when my workload is heavier and I have more structured time schedule and fast longer on the weekend when everything is more lax?
 
How would you go about employing the two simulationsly? During the week have some protein shakes when my workload is heavier and I have more structured time schedule and fast longer on the weekend when everything is more lax?

I am doing this right now. My last meal is at about 3:00 PM and I don't eat again until about 7:30 AM. Sometimes the fast is a bit longer. All I try to do is get in more than 100 grams of protein (I weigh 180 lbs). I eat at about 7:30, 12:00 and 3:00. All of these meals have at least 30-40 grams of protein each. Breakfast is closer to 45-50 grams. Because my feeding window is 8 hours, I just focus on 3 meals. But I don't have aggressive hypertrophy goals. If I did, I would consume 30ish grams of protein every 3 hours, and expand my feeding window to more than 12 hours per day. One way to do this is to focus on hypertrophy for 6-8 weeks once or twice per year (with a long feeding window) and switch back to a compressed eating window the rest of the year.
 
That's along with the other thought I had. With Thanksgiving and the holidays fast approaching (the good eats and and the get togethers) hypertrophy for a few months and have the protein shakes (which might help cut down on binging and crazy overeating) and when like gets back to normal back to proper fasting.
 
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