Protein
Interesting Facts
- Whey is preferred as a protein source by most performance nutritionists.
- If you consume extra protein you will just excrete it in urine. (there is no downside).
- Depending on exercise difficulty, the optimal protein portion size is between 20 and 40g.
- Daily intake for endurance athletes should be around 1.5 – 2.5g /kg of body weight.
- Protein is a key ingredient in the World Tour Cycling race recovery drink. It contains a fixed 25 – 30g of protein (ideally animal-based).
Information from this article comes from Tim Podlogar and Asker Jeukendrup. Nutritionists and sports scientists from their respective World Tour Cycling teams Bora Hansgrohe and Jumbo Visma.
How Much Protein Do Athletes Need?
As mentioned above, daily intake should be around 1.5 – 2.5g per kg. At 2g/kg that’s about 140g for a 70kg athlete.
If you include a decent protein portion in every meal throughout the day you should be able to reach this.
This quantity remains relatively constant between easy days and hard days. Obviously, you can have slightly less when in the off-season.
An important factor to note is the amino acid content of the protein you consume. This is key as mentioned below.
When do the Pro's Consume Protein
A common misconception you will often hear is something along the lines of “Make sure you consume lots of protein straight after exercise”. While this is a good idea, it’s more important you have a relatively even spread of protein intake throughout your day.
In terms of breakfast, you should almost always look to include a protein source. Most of the time you will see elite athletes having an egg or two on the side of their normal meal. Podlogar did note; “if you have a short early morning training, don’t stress about having protein as carbohydrates take priority. Just make sure you get in some protein afterward”.
A good rule of thumb that athletes can follow is to consume a decent serving of protein at least every 5 hours. This way you will always have enough proteins in your body to carry out protein synthesis. This is key in muscle recovery and adaptation.
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World Tour Secret Recovery Nutrition
We will talk about this more in Recovery – Nutrition. However, as mentioned above protein is a key ingredient in the World Tour Cyclists recovery drink.
As soon as a rider finishes a hard race or training they make sure to quickly take in carbohydrates (often a flat Fanta or Coke) quickly followed by 25 – 35g of protein. Apparently, protein intake is relatively fixed compared to carb intake, regardless of body weight. Riders will just always look to consume somewhere between 25 and 35g depending on stage duration and difficulty.
Which is the Best Type of Protein
Leucine is the most important amino acid when it comes to protein synthesis and muscle recovery. In general, most amino acids aid bodily functions which is why you want a protein source with high amino acid content. Therefore the type of protein you consume is important.
According to Asker Jeukendrup (Jumbo Visma Nutritionist), we are looking for servings containing 3g of leucine.
Whey protein has the highest leucine content. 27g of whey will give you your 3g of leucine. Whey protein is also high in other amino acids which is why it is generally accepted as the best form of protein (what the pros consume in their main protein meal of the day).
Casein comes in second place. You usually find caseins in yoghurt which is why it is common to see yoghurt in a pro’s breakfast. 35g of caseins gives you your 3g of leucine.
An egg has around 6g of quality protein. 5 eggs will give you 3g of leucine. This a similar meal size to a small beef steak, a chicken breast, or 180g of peas.
Remember you don’t have to have 3g of leucine in every protein serving. It is just something worth noting. Also, almost every sports nutritionist will tell you to eat predominantly real foods. This ensures you get enough micronutrients in your diet which boosts general health. So mix it up.
Going plant-based is absolutely fine. However, animal-based sources are often much more amino acid dense.
Key Ideas to Remember
- Ideally include a protein source in each meal.
- Animal-based sources are best. Whey is most commonly used by professionals.
- For optimal protein synthesis, you will want to consume a serving of protein at least every 5 hours.
- Find a variety of protein sources to include in your daily diet. From here you can focus more on carbs. The most important fuel source for endurance athletes.