Protein Feeds Your Reps

Increase your protein, increase your payoff. Why 1.2 g/kg unlocks the work your workouts already do.

“I’m lifting twice a week so why am I stuck?”
At 67, Christine never misses her two full-body resistance sessions. A three-day food log shows the gap: 0.6 g·kg⁻¹·day⁻¹ protein which is half the 1.2 g·kg⁻¹ floor that lets muscle fully rebuild.

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Move First—Then Fuel

Resistance training supplies roughly four-fifths of all possible muscle gain. Adequate protein adds the final slice. Lift without amino acids and you aren’t getting all that you could get.

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How Much Protein Do You Need?

If you are eating under 0.8 g·kg⁻¹ you flirt with protein malnutrition and blunt every workout.

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Timing vs Total: What the Trials Say

Total intake is king. Systematic reviews show lean-mass gains track overall protein first; adjusting meal pattern adds only modest effects⁴.

• Fix low meals first. In one 12-week trial, raising breakfast protein from 10 g to 30 g (achieving ~30/30/30 g across the day) trended toward an extra 0.7 kg lean-mass gain, while strength changes remained minimal⁵.

• When total intake is ≥ 1 g·kg⁻¹:
  • In young men at energy balance, raising a very low-protein breakfast (~10 g → 30 g) trended toward +0.4 kg extra lean mass⁵.
  • In adults dieting with RT, an even 30/30/30 g split offered no added lean-mass or strength advantage over a skewed pattern6.

  

  Trial in healthy young men (Yasuda 2020): Lean-mass change with even vs skewed protein.

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  Build Your Plate

  

  Weak breakfast? Start with a 25 g whey shake.

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  Problem · Agitation · Solution

  Problem
  A substantial minority of adults over 60 still eat at or only slightly above the 0.8 g·kg⁻¹ RDA, despite evidence that ≥ 1.2 g·kg⁻¹ is needed to preserve muscle when lifting⁷.

  Agitation
  Stopping at the old RDA leaves up to 25 % of potential lean-mass gain on the table.

  Solution

  1. Track three eating days.

  2. Lift twice a week (see yesterday’s Exercise Blueprint).

  3. Raise protein to ≥ 1.2 g·kg⁻¹·day⁻¹—30 g at each main meal plus a snack if needed.

  Screen · Train · Fuel
  Screen your log: under 1.2 g·kg⁻¹?
  Train two full-body sessions per week.
  Fuel with 30 g protein each meal.

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  Next-Level Add-Ons

  • Creatine 5 g·day⁻¹ adds ~0.8 kg lean mass and 10–15 % more strength during the same training period.

  • Vitamin D repletion (< 30 ng·mL⁻¹) can add 4–8 % extra strength.

  • Omega-3 (EPA + DHA 2–3 g·day⁻¹) may provide an extra 0.5–1.0 kg lean mass if fish intake is low.

  Use them but only after training and protein are locked.

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  What to Do Right Now

  • Download “4-Week Muscle Rebuild” (exercise tables, protein logs, RPE guide).

    • I owe you this and will have to share it a different day. The formatting looks bad and I’m not happy with the product yet. If you are interested please comment and I’ll be sure to send it directly to you when it is ready.

  • Comment: Which meal is hardest for you to hit 30 g and how will you fix it?

  • Subscribe so Day 6 (Myth-Busting + Hope) lands in your inbox.

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  References

  1. Nowson CA, O’Connell SL. Protein requirements and recommendations for older people. Nutrients. 2015;7(8):6874-6899. doi:10.3390/nu7085311

  2. Phillips SM, Chevalier S, Leidy HJ. Protein “requirements” beyond the RDA: implications for optimizing health. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2016;41(5):565-572. doi:10.1139/apnm-2015-0550

  3. Deutz NEP, Bauer JM, Barazzoni R, et al. Protein intake and exercise for optimal muscle function with aging: recommendations from the ESPEN expert group. Clin Nutr. 2014;33(6):929-936. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2014.04.007

  4. Jespersen SL, Agergaard J. Evenness of dietary protein distribution is associated with higher muscle mass but not muscle strength or turnover in healthy adults: a systematic review. Eur J Nutr. 2021;60(2):1423-1438. doi:10.1007/s00394-020-02285-1

  5. Yasuda J, Tomita T, Arimitsu T, Fujita S. Evenly distributed protein intake over 3 meals augments resistance exercise–induced muscle hypertrophy in healthy young men. J Nutr. 2020;150(7):1845-1851. doi:10.1093/jn/nxaa101

  6. Hudson JL, Kim JE, Paddon-Jones D, Campbell WW. Within-day protein distribution does not influence body-composition responses during weight loss in resistance-training adults who are overweight. Am J Clin Nutr. 2017;106(5):1190-1196. doi:10.3945/ajcn.117.158246

  7. Tieland M, Borgonjen-van den Berg KJ, van Loon LJC, de Groot LCPGM. Dietary protein intake in community-dwelling, frail, and institutionalized elderly people: scope for improvement. Eur J Nutr. 2012;51(2):173-179. doi:10.1007/s00394-011-0203-6