5

I want to maintain my bodyweight but increase my performance on exercises like pull-ups and skater squats. Assume that I find ways to create progressive overload that stimulates the muscles to improve.

When eating a maintenance diet, does the proportion of protein matter for the adaptations the body does to get stronger? Is high protein needed to build the new nerve cells or muscle nuclei the body creates when it becomes stronger without adding muscle?

Improve this question
5
  • 1
    Can you please give an update on you experience? Did you manage to achieve your goal without additional protein intake?
    – Ivan Koshelev
    Jul 3, 2018 at 21:18
  • 1
    I did not. The only time I have gained strength in the last three years was when I also gained weight. I did the hundredpushups.com for many weeks and gained no more pushups, while my protein bar eating brother moved on to one-armed pushups. I probably also don't do enough volume, sleep enough, and I've passed forty, but I have gained nothing despite steady workouts ever since I posted.
    – Noumenon
    Jul 3, 2018 at 21:40
  • @IvanKoshelev You probably also gained weight, right? I was trying to hold weight constant and just eat a higher proportion of protein.
    – Noumenon
    Sep 17, 2019 at 21:39
  • A year later, protein shakes made a lot of difference for me. 1 scoop of protein isolate (35 grams of protein AFAIR) + banana + spoon of peanut butter + milk in a blender; 1 after gym, 1 in the morning for two following days. An hour after the morning shake I also did light excircle to stimulate blood-flow to muscle-groups in training. Even with gaps in my gym schedule, I went from bench press 80kg x 8 to 100kg x 10. P.S. beware though, I also got small kidney stones, probably due to protein intake boost. I passed them by drinking around 2 litters of water in the evening of shake-days .
    – Ivan Koshelev
    Sep 17, 2019 at 21:43
  • 1
    I'll have to weight myself, but I don't think I did. Muscle volume - yes, but no fat all. Although, I must add that I hardly ever gain fat, I suspect I have very active 'Brown Fat' livescience.com/49652-what-is-brown-fat-facts.html
    – Ivan Koshelev
    Sep 17, 2019 at 21:46

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
4

Apart from your general protein need, you need some to repair muscles after training, so your protein intake should be slightly increased. This website states a need of 1.2 to 1.4 gram per kg bodyweight. That is not much, the average western diet easily covers even the strength athletes protein need. So don't worry about it.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.