Why a bodybuilder shouldn’t fast.

[01dragonslayer]

Protein Balance- and why it matters.

This actually quite basic information which every bodybuilder should know.
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The maintenance of skeletal muscle tissue is predicated on the dynamic balance of muscle protein synthesis and protein breakdown. The human body is in a constant state of protein turnover (the constant fight between build up and break down) proteins are constantly degraded and resynthesized throughout the course of each day.
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As a bodybuilder you want to stimulate the shit out the protein synthesis and minimize degradation, and by that create a net positive, ‘gain state’.
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Skeletal muscle protein turnover in healthy recreationally active people averages approximately 1.2% a day and exists in dynamic equilibrium; muscle protein breakdown exceeds muscle protein synthesis in the fasted state and muscle protein synthesis exceeds muscle protein breakdown postprandially (during or relating to the period after dinner or lunch) (49)* This is why everything that includes a “fast” is by principle a bad idea for the bodybuilder. -
The protein balance is also true reason why it’s a bad idea going 5+ hours without any food.
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Worth pointing out (!) eating every 1-2 hours is not only extremely impractical but it’s not beneficial, due to the ‘muscle full effect’.** -
Simple terms; if you stimulate the MPS properly (ingesting 30-50 grams of protein, your body can easily handle more but for MPS this is sufficient) it stays elevated for about 3-4 hours before returning to baseline. This means you have a chance every 3-4 hours to maximize MPS in order to win the war against protein degradation! -
MPS=muscle protein synthesis.
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*Atherton, PJ, and Smith, K. Muscle protein synthesis in response to nutrition and exercise. J Physiol. 590: 1049-1057,