first of all sorry about the length of this message !!!
I am new to this forum and before I start is anyone else from the u.k ? I would love to hear all your thoughts on the following . My questions are on the bodybuilders right hand man so to speak , protein , some are pretty basic and some require some thought but I would really appreciate some hard core lifters views/opinions/beliefs about protein and its part in improving body composition and its role with aas cycles.
I have read many articles and listened to many conflicting views from various experts over the years as I am sure you all have to . I am sure that when manipulating body composition by altering macronutreint ratios protein holds top spot and as a group bodybuilders eat more protein than anyone else on the face of this planet . So what is this fascination with this macronutrient ? The following questions have always bothered me and I am sure you guys could help out . I think the following 7 categories will basically cover everything I want to know.
1- How much protein per lb of b.w?
I know I know very simplistic , this ranges between 0.5 ? 4 grams per lb with non using lifters probably focusing on 1-2 g per lb and using lifters focusing on 3-4 g per lb . O f course if budget allows this is great , do you guys work on g per lb of lbm or total mass ? what do you guys consume regarding amount of protein per lb etc etc
2- How much protein when expressed as a % of total energy consumed?
I realise this is closely linked to question no 1 , again various experts differ ranging from 15-50% . What % do you consume regarding protein ?? and why??
3- which protein sources : few or many?
Well they say variety is the spice of life . Do you guys get your protein from as many sources as possible (ie) milk , meat, poultry , fish , egg etc ? I think it is easy to stick to the same sources daily , I am really guilty of this and if you use a lot of powders for ease of use , you could get as much as 50% of your protein from 1-3 sources depending on what blend / brand you buy . Is this optimal ?? . Also some sources are more expensive than others and so budget could limit intake (ie) tuna price per g of protein is cheaper than venison etc etc .
Also some sources have been getting a bad rap such as tuna due to heavy metal contamination . I have been eating tuna for years as it is cheap , quick to prepare , cooked and canned and doesn?t taste too bad. I did get a bit scared though and paid our for a urine test to evaluate mercury levels in my body which came back normal which was good news . What do you guys think ? Do you eat tuna everyday and is there a better test to test for mercury levels in the body apart from urine test?? . We also get the old this protein is better than that one as it has a better (NPU) (PER) (PDCAAS) score or its amino acid spectrum is better balanced or its is more complete etc etc etc . Another argument which only applies to whole food sources (I dont think there are any organic powders out there at least I have not seen any myself ) is to only choose organic sources of meat , fish , and poultry due to contamination of meat and improved micronutrient content of organic meat ,fish and poultry in comparisom . What do you think and what are your favourite sources???
4- should we eat the same protein sources All the time or should we rotate?
What is your take on this ? I personally think it makes sense on paper but is a nightmare when trying to apply it . I only eat 230 g a day due to budget and I find it hard so for you guys who probably eat anywhere from 300-500 g a day it must be close on impossible ( god I hate that word , sorry) . Various experts recommend this approach and say it reduces the negative effects of food intolerances and allergies etc etc . Even experts I have very high respect for such as poliquin and chek recommend this , what do you guys think of the protein rotation principal have any of you tried it what were the results like???
5- Should protein be cycled?
One expert a while ago whos name escapes me at the moment recommended that protein should be cycled . With a period of time (ie) 2-3 weeks of very low protein intale (ie) 10-15% of total calories then it should be followed by a period of time of very high protein intake (ie) 30-50% of total calories!! His argument is the first period causes a catabolic environment in the body which is similar to what ARL recommends at some periods of time before an AAS cycle to increase effectiveness etc and he then says that protein synthesis and the overall anabolic environment of the body is increased for a brief period of time before the body realises what is going on and bring things back to normal . What do you guys think has anyone out there tried this??? What were the results ??
6 - protein timing ?
I remember B batcheldor once recommended eating all your protein before 12.00 am in the morning !! with carbs and eating the rest (ie) carbs and fat for the rest of the day he called this the protein pulse plan and said it increased protein synthesis two fold , Brian is no fool and is the steroid guru of the u.k and is a powerlifting coach also an all round expert so to speak . Have you guys ever heard of this or tried it what were the results like?? Some one else said you could eat 50% of your total protein intake during and in post workout nutrition , again what are your thoughts ??
7- Protein combining
What do you guys think of the (protein /carb) (protein fat) rule were (fat/carb) is looked on as evil and should be avoided at all costs . this concept has been recommended by j.b l.l and swole cat The (protein /carb) meals are kept for times of the day where insulin sensitivity is heightened (ie) morning before 12.00 am and during workout and post workout nutrition . The (protein /fat) meals are eaten at all other times were insulin sensitivity is less than optimal so to speak . What are your thoughts, views and experiences ??
8- protein absorption
The old 30 g rule , who ever said that ? As I said earlier I can imagine some of you guys especially the bigger ones are eating 300-500 g a day of protein that would mean you would have to eat between 10 and 16 meals a day which is a bit much , I tend to stick to 8-10 myself but 16 come on unless you are a cow and graze all day it would be hard going . What do you think the maximum you can absorb regarding food sources like steak and powders especailly post work out . I also remember one diet which made different but certainly interesting reading recommended one meal a day at night were all your protein is eaten in one sitting , imagine that I think it was called the warrior diet ? which would be hard for you guys unless you had the stomach volume of a sumo wrestler!!!
I think that about wraps it up , sorry to have gone a bit , if anyone gets back to me thanks s om uch for reading and responding to this it means a lot . On last thing were do you guys get your protein from regarding powders is there anywhere were you can buy in bulk and get massive discounts I have heard of kilo sports but is there any where in the u.k you know of that supplies cheap good quality protein etc I realise this is only relevant to u.k forum readers and as far as I as I know I could be the only one so I am shooting in the dark here . Any way thanks guys.
slimbob