Just like you plan your gym routine, you should also plan your diet to maximize your workouts. Giving that extra effort will make a noticeable difference in your day-to-day activity.
Here are some tips for timing your protein intake and knowing which micronutrients can maximize your performance and recovery.
Maximizing protein intake
Most athletes are well aware of the importance of protein. One of protein’s primary roles is to build and repair muscle tissue. But unlike carbohydrates and fats, the body doesn’t have a protein reservoir to draw from.
When you engage in intense exercise, you use carbs and fats for the energy to do so. But when you run out of carbs and fats, protein must step in, even if it needs to be stolen from tissues like your skeletal muscles.
That’s why consuming post-workout protein is important – it helps repair existing muscle tissue, and it initiates new muscle growth by jumpstarting a process known as myofibrillar protein synthesis (MPS).
But is it as simple as slamming down a protein shake after a workout? A 2014 study clarifies how protein consumption optimizes MPS. This study compared the consumption of varying protein combinations to examine which combination best supports maximum MPS.
In the study, 40 men (ages 18-35) were randomly assigned to one of five groups based on various protein combinations.1 Each group consumed their assigned protein combination after conducting resistance exercise. The five groups were:
The study is also unique in that the protein combinations were mixed with a nutrient beverage containing carbohydrates and fat – similar to how protein is consumed from real-world dietary sources.
So, what did the study find? All protein combinations positively impacted MPS in the immediate period following exercise (0-1.5 hours). However, only two combinations achieved optimal MPS after 1.5-4.5 hours – the low-protein + high-leucine group and the high-protein group.
Interestingly, while both groups achieved optimal MPS, the low-protein + high-leucine group needed only one-fourth as much protein to do so as the high-protein group.
What does that mean for athletes? By adding protein and 5 g of leucine to your post-workout routine, you can help your body achieve an optimal state of MPS.
Because of the relatively high leucine content of whey, Thorne Whey Protein Isolate is popular among athletes and active individuals. One serving of Whey Protein Isolate contains 21 g of protein and 2.2 g of leucine.
For extra convenience, Thorne Whey Protein Isolate is also available in single-serving travel packs.
Thorne Plant Protein is another popular option, with each serving providing 22 g of a complete protein from pea, brown rice, and chia, including 1.9 g leucine.
Maximizing your micronutrients
But protein is just part of the story. You can also help maximize muscle performance and recovery by properly timing the consumption of certain minerals and special nutrients.
A 2019 study analyzed research on muscle performance based on specific timings of consuming select minerals and other performance aids – iron, calcium, creatine, beta-alanine, nitrates, and caffeine.2 Here is what they found:
For creatine monohydrate powder and beta-alanine, two common supplements for athletes and other active individuals, the study found:
Thorne Creatine delivers pure creatine monohydrate, with 5 g per serving. It’s also available in strawberry or pineapple orange flavors. For a workout on-the-go, Thorne Creatine also comes in travel packs.
Thorne Beta Alanine-SR provides 1.6 g beta-alanine per serving in a sustained-release tablet delivery system.
Nitrates, another popular workout supplement, work through the body’s nitric oxide pathways by increasing blood flow and muscular contractility and decreasing oxygen requirements during endurance exercise.
The study found that nitrates dosed per manufacturer recommendations (because all are not of equal potency) should be consumed 2-3 hours before exercise to best improve endurance and intermittent exercise capacity.
Caffeine, between 100-300 mg (or 3-6 mg/kg body weight), should be consumed less than two hours before exercise because of caffeine’s fast action and rapid clearance from the bloodstream. Caffeine has positive benefits for improving fat utilization, mental strength, muscular strength, endurance, and decreasing fatigue.*
To jumpstart your daily exercise routine and delay time-to-fatigue, Thorne Advanced Pre-Workout combines 200 mg caffeine derived from coffee bean with 3.2 g beta-alanine per serving.
Other tips for making the most of your workout
If you are wondering what you can do during a workout to enhance performance, the simplest strategy is to stay hydrated, an often-overlooked aspect of working out – especially in the weekend warrior crowd.
Vigorous physical activity always causes sweating, which leads to fluid and electrolyte loss that can hinder performance. A 2% loss of an individual’s body weight lost through sweat will impair athletic performance, and a 5% loss of body weight lost through sweat decreases the body’s capacity to do work by 30%.
This is where an electrolyte supplement, such as Thorne Advanced Electrolytes, comes in handy. Advanced Electrolytes combines sodium, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and chloride with B vitamins, vitamin C, and fast-acting carbohydrates to restore fluid balance and sustain energy levels during exercise.
Advanced Electrolytes’ formula replaces the primary electrolytes lost in sweat, while also helping fuel endurance during high-intensity training.
For everyday hydration support with 0 g sugar, Thorne Daily Electrolytes provides the five primary electrolytes – sodium, chloride, magnesium, potassium, and calcium – in single-serving travel packets, perfect for keeping in your backpack, purse, or gym bag.
Source: Thorne Take 5 Daily
