Post evening work out protein needs??

[Stephan]

My question relates to protein needs post evening work outs. In my world I often train in the evening, teaching spin classes. I try to ride the easy half hour to the gym, teach from 6:00 to 7:00, usually get my 2.5-3 scoops of Recoverite in my belly beginning ~7:20 & nursing it while still at the gym & on my mellow spin home. Once home (usually ~8:30) I eat a relatively light meal & have a scoop of whey protein before bed (~11:00). I am usually awake ~0545 & head to work after that.

As with today, I often feel my workouts the following day & wonder if my morning protein intake should be increased. How long will my body "need" some extra protein to aid in muscle repair/recovery?

Thanks in advance!

Stephan

[steve-born]

Hello Stephan -

When you consume 3 scoops of Recoverite you're getting 15 grams of protein. That's plenty sufficient to cover you for awhile after your workout. Once you get home you're consuming a light meal so you're most likely obtaining some additional protein from that... good. Then you have a scoop of Hammer Whey prior to bed, which supplies you with another 18 grams of protein.

So from about 7:30 pm (give or take) until 11:00 pm (give or take), a period of 3.5 hours, you're getting 33 grams of protein, not including what your meal provides. Depending on your weight, that's going to cover a fair portion of your daily needs.

Our recommendation for daily protein intake for endurance athletes is 1.4 - 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. To get your weight in kilograms, divide your weight by 2.2. Then, multiply it by 1.4 (non-workout days or easy workout days) to 1.7 (high-volume/intensity workout days, periods of stress) and that will give you the amount of protein, in grams that you should aim for daily.

For example, a 160-lb athlete is roughly 73 kg. The daily protein needs for this athlete would thus be anywhere from 102 grams to 124 grams. If you're around that weight, your 33-gram consumption at night (and again, that doesn't include the protein that you're getting in your evening meal), covers about one-quarter to one-third of your daily needs.

So take a look at your protein intake throughout the day to make sure it's within the parameters we suggest (1.4 - 1.7 gm/kg). If it's on the low side you will need to bump up your protein intake via food or additional protein... a scoop of Hammer Whey in the AM wouldn't be problematic at all if you're not going to be exercising for about 3 hours or so.

I hope this helps!

Sincerely -

Steve