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The Breakfast Hack
If your daily protein intake is imbalanced, you won't be getting maximal results from your hypertrophy training. Here's why and what to do.
Statistically, the average overweight person skips breakfast. Also statistically, the average person who does eat breakfast eats a low-protein morning meal. Even the average lifter gets most of his protein in the evening. Call it an "imbalanced" protein intake.If you're hitting your protein goals for the day, does it matter if breakfast is low protein? Well, according to a recent study, it could be slowing down your results in the gym.
The scientists found that men whose protein intake was asymmetrical – who took in more protein at dinner than at breakfast and lunch – had less muscle protein synthesis compared to those who had proportional amounts of protein for all three meals, even if the total daily protein intake was equal between the two groups.
The Study
The scientists took 26 men and divided them into two groups:- One group received three daily meals, each containing roughly the same amount of protein. At breakfast, lunch, and dinner, they ate meals that contained 0.33, 0.46, and 0.48 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, respectively. This was the high-protein breakfast group.
- The other group also got three meals, taking in 0.12, 0.45, and 0.83 grams of protein per pound of body weight for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, respectively. This was the low-protein breakfast group and it reflected the societal habit of skewing most protein intake towards dinner.
The experiment lasted 12 weeks and all the subjects lifted weights three times a week.
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What Happened?
The high-protein breakfast group put on over 40% more muscle than the low-protein breakfast group.Despite there being no significant difference in the total daily protein intake between the two groups, eating disproportionate amounts of protein (low protein) at breakfast and lunch, but especially breakfast, adversely affected muscle protein synthesis, regardless of total daily protein intake.
The scientists concluded: "To maximize muscle accretion with resistance training, not only daily total protein intake but also protein intake at each meal, especially at breakfast, should be considered."
How To Use This Info
You may have guessed that protein intake should be evenly distributed throughout the day. Even so, you probably wouldn't have guessed the magnitude of the difference. More importantly, it adds to the growing stack of evidence supporting the importance of breakfast in general.People who eat smart breakfasts are generally in better shape than those who don't. They're more insulin sensitive and they don't store as much of what they eat as fat.
The fix for this asymmetrical daily protein intake is simple: eat breakfast and make sure it contains a lot of protein, just like your other meals. How much? Based on other studies, roughly 35 to 44 grams of protein. If you don't feel like eating six or seven eggs or a big steak for breakfast, do what the high-protein group did in the study: have a protein shake.
Ideally, use a protein powder containing micellar casein, which keeps you full longer and is a better muscle-builder than a whey-only shake.
Or, have some solid food and add a scoop of MD Protein to hit your protein goal for the meal. Drink it as a shake or add it to oatmeal. If you're feeling chefy, whip up some high-protein pancakes (40 grams of protein) or waffles (33 grams of protein).
Heck, if you can't start the day without your Cocoa Puffs, add a scoop of MD Protein to the milk then pour it over your questionable breakfast choice.
Look at it this way: Failing to balance your daily protein intake over the day is probably the muscle-losing equivalent of missing a workout or two a week. And that's practically criminal, given how easy of a fix it is.
https://vip.t-nation.com/MDprotein
