Protein: The Non-Negotiable Macro

As much as we love triathlon, let’s face it: training and racing is stressful on the body. In order to stay active and awesome in the sport, taking a proactive approach to nutrition in general, and recovery more specifically, is essential to maximizing health and performance and reducing our risk of injury. While many athletes are meticulous about following a swim, bike and run training plan, few have yet to embrace plotting out a nutrition plan that is in sync with their training. All three macronutrients (carbohydrates, fat and protein) play a role in a healthy triathlete’s diet, but this article focuses on protein. (Check out our previous article covering carbohydrates here.)

In this article, we’ll cover some of the common myths surrounding protein, or mistakes we often see triathletes making in this area. If you’ve ever wondered about things like timing your protein intake for optimum health and performance, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a quick glance at the four key “protein myths” that we’ll cover in this article: 

1. Protein isn’t as important as carbs and fat
2. We don’t need that much more protein than non-athletes
3. Protein needs vary by gender and age
4. Timing doesn’t matter

Myth 1: Protein isn’t as important as carbs and fat
 

Recent “trends” in performance nutrition have elevated the status of fat and carbohydrate intake as fuel sources for athletes, leaving protein somewhat out in the cold, undeserving of its own headlines. Whether your approach to fueling for training is high fat/low carb or higher carb/moderate fat, as a multisport athlete you still need sufficiently high protein to aid in one key area: your recovery from workouts.

Not only is protein essential for repairing and building muscles, it’s also the building block of every cell in the human body. It’s important for muscle, skin, hair, bone, joint, and ligaments and inadequate intake of protein could result in sub-optimal repair of these elements. 

Protein also contributes to hormone and enzyme production. Insulin, growth hormone and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) are proteins that are involved in the regulation of metabolism, growth, and cellular repair and recovery.

Finally, protein also plays a role in the athlete's immune system. Antibodies are proteins that form the defense system against viruses and bacteria; low protein intake can lead to more instances of illness and injury that derail our training.

Overall, protein plays a vital role in the creation and maintenance of every cell in our body. While you may vary your carbohydrate and fat intake to a certain extent—depending on your nutritional philosophy—consuming appropriate amounts of protein daily is non-negotiable.

Myth 2: We don’t need more protein than non-athletes
 

At its simplest, endurance athletes require more protein than sedentary individuals to support muscle recovery and growth. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that endurance athletes consume a minimum of 1.2-1.4 grams per kg (0.55-0.64 grams per pound) of body weight per day. However, this figure has recently come under scrutiny with data suggesting that protein intake above 1.6 grams per kg (0.73 grams per pound) of body weight per day has demonstrated a reduced loss of total body protein.  What this means is that consistent daily protein intake in the range of 1.6-2.5 grams per kilogram (0.73-1.14 grams per pound) of body weight per day has been shown to reduce muscle soreness and markers of muscle damage. Grab a calculator and figure out whether you're getting what you need.

One reason that as an endurance athlete you might consider consuming more protein than the ACSM daily recommendation would be if improved body composition (weight and fat loss) is a key goal alongside training. According to research by Professor Stu Phillips at McMaster University, protein consumption as high as 1.8 - 2 grams per kg of body weight may help prevent lean muscle mass losses during periods of caloric deficits to promote fat loss.

When it comes to building muscle from strength training, research appears to support capping protein consumption at around 1.6 grams per kg of body weight, however, endurance athletes aren’t only concerned with lean muscle mass. Protein plays a role in many bodily systems beyond muscle growth and repair, so there is a substantial benefit to a higher protein intake. 

An additional key takeaway from recent research is that high daily protein consumption overall, or throughout the day (as opposed to loading up on protein after a single training session) helps reduce muscle breakdown, enhance immune function, and improve bone mineral markers. 

Myth 3: Protein needs vary by gender and age
 

The exciting aspect of protein consumption is that regardless of age or gender, the intake amount does not dramatically change in terms of recommendations for athletes. As mentioned above, the protein recommendation for endurance athletes is 1.6 - 2.5g/kg/day. The American Dietetic Association recommends that adult female athletes consume 1.2 to 1.5 g/kg/day and adult males aim for 1.5 to 1.7 g/kg/day, but this information is now outdated. For simplicity and to avoid confusion, it is recommended that all endurance athletes consume a minimum of 1.6g/kg/day. Again, this is the minimum; athletes are encouraged to consume between 2.0-2.5g/kg/day to fully support their training.

Age and gender are often talked about with regard to protein requirements.  Marketing will have you believe that a special amount is required if you are female, male, or a younger or older athlete.  However, current evidence supports that the ranges remain the same, no matter the athlete's age or gender. That is 1.6 - 2.5g/kg/day for total protein and at least 25-40g of protein per serving to allow you to hit your protein needs.

	MALE	FEMALE
<30 years old	1.6-2.5g per kg of body weight daily	1.6-2.5g per kg of body weight daily
30-50 years old	1.6-2.5g per kg of body weight daily	1.6-2.5g per kg of body weight daily
50+ years old	1.6-2.5g per kg of body weight daily	1.6-2.5g per kg of body weight daily

Table 1: Protein requirements for age and gender endurance athletes. Note: This is not a misprint. The figures are the same. Personal adjustments should be applied to account for differences in absolute protein intake based on training load, genetics and personal preference. 

Myth 4: Timing doesn’t matter
 

Hands up if you’re one of those triathletes who chugs a protein recovery shake after a hard training session (and probably posts about it on Instagram, too). Protein shakes definitely have their place, but there are ways of maximizing that post-workout window even better, according to prevailing research.

The post-exercise period (anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours) is often referred to as the “recovery window.” This is the time to replenish glycogen stores that were depleted during the workout. We said above that daily, consistent protein matters more than slamming protein down post-workout, but consuming recovery nutrients within the first hour post-workout is still important. And protein isn't the only player here–carbs matter here, too. The sooner you can “carb-up” post-exercise, the higher your glycogen replenishment will be for additional sessions later that day and the next day. (We’re not one-sport or one-session per day athletes, after all.) Boost your meal's effectiveness by ingesting small amounts of fat and protein (25 to 40 grams) along with your carbs to further assist glycogen replenishment, muscle protein synthesis and cellular repair. 

In short, you don’t need to slam a protein shake while in the shower—you have time to cool down, upload your workout, and prepare a tasty meal with mixed macronutrients. Within one hour of finishing your session, eat a snack or meal that contains both protein and carbohydrates. Protein shakes or supplementation do have their place in helping athletes meet their recommended daily protein numbers (as mentioned above), but their immediate post-workout timing is less important than most athletes think.

Consuming such a meal within one hour of your session will maximize muscle protein synthesis, improve bone mineral markers, help with satiation and improve overall recovery. Remember also that it’s the total protein intake across the day, combined with consistency across weeks and months of quality training, that brings the biggest results—not a “magic window” that happens after a single session.

For endurance athletes, increasing daily protein intake is often the first and most important part of reframing this nutrient. Once you’ve achieved your total protein intake targets, you can start to fine-tune the timing and protein amount in each meal to boost the benefits of higher intake. This applies to all endurance athletes, regardless of age or gender.

Scott Tindal is a performance nutrition coach with 20 years of experience working with pro and amateur athletes. He has a master's degree in Sports Medicine, a Bachelor's in physiotherapy, and a post-graduate diploma in performance nutrition. He is the co-founder of Fuelin, the world’s first training-based nutrition coaching app that syncs directly with major training logs to provide simple, personalized, and results-driven daily nutrition guidance.