As I recover from a shoulder injury I have kind of been improving my exercise and nutrition. I weigh about the same as I have since the Marine Corps, but let’s just say that it is distributed a little differently.
Just some background. I am getting a little more cardio. Previously I just counted on my somewhat strenuous job for that. However, as I moved up the food chain that got the be less and less rigorous. I’m changing my lifting as well. Used to lift sporadically, but heavy/low reps. More cause I liked doing it than any real effort to stay in shape. Now I’m lifting pretty light. Especially with the shoulder. Like 3-5 sets of 20-30 reps with pretty light weight but still getting muscle fatigue. As I heal more (doc don’t want me lifting heavy for a while yet) I will move back towards more weight lower reps. Probably not all the way back to my old 2-3 sets of 4-6 reps with as much weight as I can move. Doc says that ain’t good for older joints.
My question is more about feeding. I’m hearing that older guys need between .5 to 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight just to maintain muscle as our bodies age. More if you want to make gains and reverse the “dad bod” process.
Thing is though that I also see a lot of conflicting info about protein absorption. I see 5g to 20g/serving up to “as much as you want”. I understand protein can be metabolized into glucose so maybe “too much” is basically like eating sugars. Just trying to figure out what is good info.
I usually shoot for 1 gram per lb of body weight at the lowest .7. I have never had bad results doing this and it really isn’t that hard with a protein shake daily after my workout or before bed. I have dropped about 60lbs recently and kept my protein at this level… I have gotten a little stronger even as losing weight and have not lost any muscle (guessing gained some from looking in the mirror)
I would shoot for .7 on the low end an 1 on the high end per pound of body weight
I know you have an injury so higher reps is probably better, but i have found the 8-15 rep range optimal for muscle growth and some strength gain. If i was just trying to push weight i would go lower reps than that. More just a lifestyle thing these days to stay a healthy weight
There is a lot of debt around the subject of protein absorption. It doesn’t seem like there is a clear answer and also may very person to person. When you talk about protein being converted to glucose (Gluconeogenesis) I don’t think it occurs to the rate of causing fat gain. If you’re trying to be in a state of ketosis, it’s my understanding that high protein intake can kick you out of it. Also when you set a daily goal for protein intake, you base that on lean body mass not total body weight.
Among the researchers in the field, most of whom I know and or communicate with, there’s little actual debate. That’s not to say more data is not needed and unanswered Qs exist, but those who claim things like active people don’t require additional P, etc, etc have obviously not read the data and stuck in dogma. ISSN position papers cover many topics very well, and I just returned from the ISSN conference, and my write up on that is HERE.
Thanks Again! I was a Kinesiology major at Penn State (wanted to do PA School) . My life took me down a different carrier path not health related, but still love reading about this stuff
Great reading. The wife and I need to get on EAAs. Any recommendations on the best supplement that does not contain fillers or Glutamine. My wife’s body does not like glutamine.
Little or no fillers are a must. All of the artificial color and flavor BS is to be avoided. Cost is not an issue. We want the good stuff.
As far as I know, hormone replacement therapy is the most effective way to keep your body in shape. With age, the hormonal background changes, the metabolism slows down. Cramming more food and supplements into yourself is not productive. Talk to your doctor about taking hormones if you want to slow down the aging process.
My ex wife would disagree, but I do my best. Nutrabio is one of the few recommended/used by me, companies. He’s not a contract manufacturer, butafter my visit to his facility, I asked him to product AlphaJoe.
Great company with great products. There is a couple companies now that are producing products with proper dosing of the right ingredients, but you wont find another company with as many products as Nutrabio.
I believe that it is more useful to discuss your condition with a competent specialist, to be examined and draw conclusions based on real data. Forums are a good way to learn something new, but this is not a place where you can get expert advice. Without knowing the real state of health, it is difficult to judge which will bring the best efficiency.
