TN50#56, Eat More Protein! 24 January 2022

Hi Team,

Happy Monday and welcome to The Next 50 #56.  Let’s get right to it, you are not eating enough protein!  OK maybe some of you are but I am going to guess that almost all of you are under serving yourself on my favorite macro nutrient.

I recently started snooping around the literature regarding protein requirements for the 50+ crowd based on my 2022 training plan which will be very intense compared to my 2021 plan.  Why you ask?  This is based on a pretty intense physical challenge I am starting to train for (sidenote: a week-long set of challenges, to be more precise, that are planned for January 2023 based on our current time line, I will share more with you all on what we are up to over the next few weeks – stay tuned!). Optimizing my protein intake, based on the increase in training volume, will be a big part of setting up a system for success.

But enough about me, I was surprised to find a well curated interactive guide that makes me think that all of you reading this will consider increasing your protein intake as well, at least on very active or heavy lift days.  Here are some of the numbers referenced from the studies powering the site:

“If you’re of healthy weight and active and wish to build muscle, aim for 1.6–2.4 g/kg (0.73–1.10 g/lb). Intakes as high as 3.3 g/kg may help experienced lifters minimize fat gain when bulking.”

WHAT?  3.3 grams a kilogram!  Check out the whole guide here, take your time and enjoy the 30+ scientific papers linked at the end of the page.

I imagine there will be some questions around meal timing and how you can fit all that protein in when you are only eating 8 hours of the day so, as always, please share your thoughts and share this with your team or anyone who might find it useful.

Have a good one, Alex

PS: If you started a new system or two that you are still following for 2022, congrats you have officially made it one-week past “Ditch New Year’s Resolution Day” which was 17 January.  Remember systems are for winners (hat tip, Scott Adams)!

2022 Murph Count: 28