NUTRITIONperformance
52 MD musculardevelopment.com July 2019
By Robbie DurandSome bodybuilders may eat less protein on their “off”
days, but this may be a mistake.
Do You Need Less Protein on
Days That You Don’t Train?
Most bodybuilders know that on training days
they need to up their protein intake to support
increased recuperation and gains in lean muscle
mass. The major goal of bodybuilding is to increase
lean muscle mass, which requires that muscle
protein synthesis exceed protein breakdown over
time (i.e., a chronic positive protein status). Previous
research has shown that higher protein diets and
resistive exercise have additive effects on lean
body mass maintenance or even gain of lean body
mass in a caloric deficit. Higher protein diets and
supplemental exercise tends to increase weight loss
but has greater effects on body composition through
the preservation of lean body mass while increasing
fat loss.
The muscle protein synthesis acute response
from exercise is a dose-response depending
upon exercise intensity and workload. There is
a delay in protein synthesis after exercise of
about 45 minutes to an hour and muscle protein
synthesis rises sharply (2-3 fold) between 45 and
150 minutes. The increased sensitivity of muscle
protein synthesis in response to essential amino
acid intake after exercise can last up to 24 hours,
and some studies have even documented up to
72 hours. Most research studies have found that
resistance-trained men consumed protein intakes of
1.8 to 2.7 g/kg while engaged in a rigorous strength-
training program. A new study set out to determine
the protein needs of bodybuilders that had been
training for three years on their “off” days.
Some bodybuilders may eat less protein on
their “off” days, but this may be a mistake. The
aforementioned study had bodybuilders tested 48
hours after their last bout of resistance exercise
and were fed various doses of protein on their days
that they were resting. Shockingly, the study found
that despite the bodybuilders not training, they had
a high protein requirement on non-training days.
It also demonstrates that protein intake remains
elevated at least 48 hours post-workout. The
estimated average protein requirement was found
to be 1.7 to 2.2g/kg per day, even though they had
not trained for two whole days! This means even
though you may not be training on a particular day,
the muscle recovery and building process is still
occurring as a result of your previous workout.
Reference:
Bandegan A, Courtney-Martin G, Rafii M, Pencharz PB,
Lemon PW. Indicator Amino Acid-Derived Estimate of Dietary
Protein Requirement for Male Bodybuilders on a Nontraining
Day Is Several-Fold Greater Than the Current Recommended
Dietary Allowance. The Journal of Nutrition. Published online
8 February 2017.PER BERNAL