Protein - Whats the real story?

[@user-tn8jw3vp3b]

Man you re just the best! The amount of info you present is amazing!!!

[@WillGirling]

I appreciate that!

[@JB-yk5ic]

Really helpful, thanks. I wasn’t aware of the advantages of pre-sleep Casein or similar protein, will definitely try that.

[@WillGirling]

Glad it was helpful!

[@collywobblelaw9934]

These videos are just so clear and obviously led by evidence based practice. I feel like I am being spoken to by an a professional and ultimately that leads to credibility and trust in the advice. Thanks for the great video. 👍

[@finessecycling]

Thanks Will. Great video.

[@joemewes1811]

very helpful thanks. Im turning 40 and trying to build power on the bike to I guess I need more protein than I have been eating more often. thanks again. really enjoying the channel.

[@WillGirling]

Definitely protein is the primary driver of adaption beyond achieving the sessions themselves

[@terryaming9580]

One of the most comprehensive videos I've seen on protein 👌

[@WillGirling]

Thanks so much bud!!!

[@derek6107]

So, it turns out I’m not the only geriatric cyclist learning from you Will ! Another really helpful video, clearly explaining everything. Years ago I was told “carbs before, protein after” and generally I followed this (before learning from you), with one main protein based meal per day. Think I need to vary this, to more regular intakes during the day, including perhaps a late night snack and also protein on the bike. Clear, practical advice as ever Will.

[@WillGirling]

Haha you're not indeed Derek a lot of them here commenting which is great to see! That's not a bad rule. But definitely protein every 3-4 hours would be the focus for me and esepcially if you're older. Yogurt before an hour bed is a solid choice for slow digesting protein and some berries for micronutrients (can even heat them to make a compote)

[@derek6107]

Will Girling Thanks Will.

[@laurentaudibert9632]

So much to take away and apply pretty much as explained! Thanks again Will, brilliant content!

[@WillGirling]

Awesome bud great to see!

[@Juanpa097]

Amazing!

[@Wofinet]

Thank you. Awesome.

[@WillGirling]

Absolute pleasure

[@fijikimbo]

Another brilliant vid 👌🏻 the ‘supposed absorption rate limit’ always confused me given certain recipes I use... though now I know ideal intake per sitting! 👍🏻

[@WillGirling]

Thanks so much Fiji! Yeah it's a funny one best to do it off that body mass as it always applies to you then!

[@butikitoo6403]

definitely helpful to learn about the age related requirements, and the late evening benefit! Thanks for another useful vlog!

[@WillGirling]

Glad you love it Butiki!

[@terryaming9580]

Thanks again Will, as always very informative and not to mention debunking some of those myths. The age related content was very helpful, as an O-40's athlete I need to up my intake especially as I do concurrent activities. Thanks again

[@WillGirling]

Fantastic knowing it really helped Terrence! Keep it up and drop-in in the future let me know how that protein intake is going

[@samroubaix_1756]

Great content. Covers alot of different situations. Thanks Will

[@WillGirling]

Thanks so much again Sam for loving the content!

[@jamesblackwell4141]

Started upping my Protein intake, which appears (early days/weeks) to be helping my muscle development, endurance and recovery over continuous cycling days of 1.5hrs - 2hrs. Interesting to here to late night Protein feast will also aid recovery. Been on the fence as to whether this would be a benefit. My yogurt and High Protein cereal snack will recommence.... great info as always Will👍

[@WillGirling]

Thanks James! Definitely the research in pre-sleep feedings for recovery seems pretty solid so If you're doing day on day riding like that and reocvery is the focus I would definitely partake

[@kr4ck3rj4ck3]

Will, another great informative video, as always. Some advice if you would; I am a 70Kg 6ft 60 year old, made redundant, became cycling addict 2 years ago (13,500 miles in 2019) - FTP 240. Since Covid canceled trip to Pyrenees I am now exclusively Rouvy on my Neo; past 14 weeks 4 sessions a week, 2-3 hour climbing focussed, averaging 21,000 ft for 104 miles at 80-90% FTP, in search of lean muscle mass and also in a small calorie deficit to lose a bit more weight for the climbs. Having watched "Power vs Weight loss - Are you losing power?" I have spent the past week focussed on increasing my protein intake and already feel the benefits, so thanks for that :O) What ratio g/Kg/bw would you recommend I target? As I am old it appears I should be taking as much as 40g per sitting! So should I be hitting this for each sitting and reduced the number of times I take protein throughout the day? As I have been fitting in a 20g protein drink between breakfast and lunch, maybe a cold boiled egg or two to snack on in the afternoon. I always use Rego Recovery after training session. Thanks again for making these great vlogs.

[@WillGirling]

Thank you so much Kevin! Not a bad way to go with your redundency at all! Amazing news on the protein increase aiding you already love to hear it's helping! I would say for you Kevin 4 intakes of 40g a day should cover you. This ensures you're stimulating that recovery pathway and will mean you're getting enough protein in with all the volume you're doing. ReGo is fine but I'm a big fan of whey protein, milk and then some frozen bananas or fruit to make a smoothie. Will do the same job, cheaper and more micronutrients. But just think Breakfast, lunch, Dinner and then a snack or pre-bed protein intake would be ideal

[@kr4ck3rj4ck3]

@@WillGirling Many thanks Will, every days a learning day :O)

[@livingwithfshd]

Thanks, will another informative video thanks. I do cycling and swimming during the wk, but I have a form of muscular dystrophy FSHD and Fibromyalgia. I have been on 2g/kg of protein per day. I think I might give this 3-4 g a go and see how much it helps with my recovery cause that is the main thing holding me back. Thanks again Will, keep it up.

[@WillGirling]

My pleasure Peter, glad you liked it! I do know of these. 3-4g is great in gaining lean muscle mass if you're in a calorie deficit. So considering you have a muscle reducing condition, theoretically it makes sense to run a calorie excess from protein to combat that. But I don't know the specifics of the condition and would be confirming with your consultant or dietician if you've been prescribed one.

[@RoryM07]

Thanks Will, I was hoping you would touch on protein while on long rides. I typically go out for 4-6 hour rides and until now just focused on fuelling on carbs and worrying about protein afterwards. I'll try to incorporate protein into my feeding whilst on the bike. Would you suggest bars for this type of feeding or maybe something more natural like nuts? Thanks for a great video once again, very well presented :)

[@WillGirling]

Hey Rory! Glad I touched on something you really wanted to know about! So SiS used to do a whey gel but you could put a whey shake in your second bidon, a protein bar would work too. Nuts are predominantly fat so I wouldn't bother with those. But definitely on long rides some protein at the point of 3-4 hours after your pre-ride protein intake would be ideal

[@Knud451]

Good info! I'll definitely try to increase my protein intake and see if that helps my recovery.

[@WillGirling]

Should defintely make a difference is the biggest factor I come across as well as too little calories/carbs or over training. Let me know how you get on

[@Knud451]

@@WillGirling thanks Will! My problem is definitely also eating enough calories/carbs. I sometimes wonder how pro cyclists do it. Getting in that many calories is not easy.

[@Knud451]

@@WillGirling on that note. Would be really interesting with a video on signs of undereating. You must have quite some experience from working with athletes in gauging if they "fuel for the work required" :)

[@MegaSixpac]

Great paintings in the background. Who is the artist?

[@WillGirling]

HAHA love this comment - My Mum is the artist actually, and I have to say I love the stuff she does.

[@TheKrrn]

Love your channel! If I can't make my protein goal one day, should I make up for it the following day or not worry to much if I'm generally meeting it? Trying to maintain lean muscle/strength while loosing a few kilo by cycling.

[@WillGirling]

Thanks so much Jez!! No don't worry about making it up the next day bud as will end up adding more calories to the day. I will be making a FB group for free advice on this stuff too if that's of interest for you?

[@TheKrrn]

@@WillGirling yeah definitely :)

[@nathanw.5367]

Thanks Will! After watching, I do have 1 question. Being a bigger dude myself, with weight to lose, should I calculate protein/kg off of lean mass or my actual current weight? Thanks for doing this! Very helpful....

[@WillGirling]

These numbers are all off overall body mass. Bigger guys fat or muscle will have more muscle in general too but if you feel you have a considerable amount of extra fat/weight then that number could be quite high. In which case possibly going for 1.8g/kg/bw might work. But I still stand by 2g as it will always be of benefit if you're dropping fat mass and exercising

[@thekingofleon7]

My confusion with this has always been what weight to base the numbers on - entire body weight, or LBM?

[@WillGirling]

These are on whole body mass buddy

[@ebigarella]

Awesome, thx for that. What would be the connection of this with the somatotypes, please? I'm an ectomorph and I've heard my doc say a long time ago that I catabolise during sleep, does this mean the protein consumption should be larger in this case? Or should an ectomorph provide more of carb or fat source of energy to avoid that? Does that apply to the endurance sport too? I wonder since an ectomorph has less muscles, there's less room for storing glycogen? thx!

[@WillGirling]

No real papers base recommendations off somatotypes but off body mass, type of exercise, trianing load and intensity and then body compostion goals.... tbh everything relates back to those items and dictates carbs protein and fat. What is it you're actually trying to do?

[@faonesti]

Hi Will, would be BCAA helpful during the day to help recovering? Is it more beneficial before or after exercise or maybe before going to sleep? Thanks for you help!

[@WillGirling]

I would just go for a complete protein source over bcaas. Is there any reason in particular you would want to opt for that?

[@hotshot430]

Very interesting video Will. I am a 55 yr young cyclists and I am wanting to lose some weight , if I cut my carb intake will I lose energy or should I up my protein intake before and on a ride . I struggle with DOMS quite a bit , probably not enough rest in between rides etc . Any advice would be a great help 👍

[@WillGirling]

Hmm really hard question Bob. a lot of variables there. You will lose energy if you reduce your energy (carbs) so yes. But protein before and during a ride won't improve performance just overall day to day recovery. Does that make sense?

[@hotshot430]

Will Girling , cheers yes that does .

[@Knud451]

Thanks again. What are you recommendations for fat intake for endurance athletes? I still find that I struggle in general with recovery/well being. I think I'm doing pretty well on the carbs. I'm wondering if a too low fat intake might be the reason why.

[@WillGirling]

Great question Thomas. So typically I work withint the range of 0.6g/kw/bw-1g/kg/bw with the lower range on easier lower calories days and the higher on bigger longer duration days But there are expections to this and I do go lower and higher but that works a good general rule of thumb

[@Knud451]

@@WillGirling Thanks a lot! Much appreciated! Sometimes I also find that I'm craving the fat and that protein and carbs feel almost repulsive. That's partly why I was interested :)

[@faizelkhan4252]

Hi Will I'm not sure if you'd be able to give me some advice 🤔 as I am a road cyclist now for the past 2 years but whenever I reach 60 or 65km into the ride I start getting leg cramps mainly quads and hamstrings on flat rides or lots of climbing i increased my food and drink intake but doesn't seem to make any difference and this happens like clockwork no matter what 😄

[@WillGirling]

Hey Faizel, Apt timing on the cramping question I believe that will be going up in 2 weeks 🤔. Cramps can be caused by a lot of different reasons, muscle tightness, bike fit etc. But I would cover the base and ensure you're leaving for your ride hydrated getting in 500ml an hour for a couple of hours and if it's really hot where you are addinga little salt/electrolyte

[@marksmith-ks9jp]

thanks for the info, but what about someone who wants to loose muscle

[@WillGirling]

Not often needed? Why would you want to lose it?

[@marksmith-ks9jp]

@@WillGirling running , cycling or soccer etc benefits from having slim muscle... lighter and also more supple.. quicker reaction times . I hear that alenine in fruit is used to maintain muscle mass, so staying away from fruit means the body gets the alenine from the muscle as it is needed for other processes in the body thus loosing muscle size/weight

[@zzhughesd]

40g per serving in 40s. 4x40 160 is 2.2g At 71/2 kilo…..

[@WillGirling]

Heya thanks for the comment. I'm not sure what particular part youre commenting on. But nothing wrong with 2.2g/kg/bw. Depends on age too with 40g per serving definitely being more beneficial for older individuals. Or maybe how many feeds you can get 3 or 4. It's not a strict rule and need to apply to you, your goals, training volume and age

[@zzhughesd]

@@WillGirling Thanks Will !!!!! Remember reaching out to you a few years ago !!! I ride a solid 7 hours a week pretty much 51/52 weeks a year, intensity 3 to 4 very very very rarely a Heart rate level 2. Legs went to jelly out nowhere Jan 2020 returning Aussie age 43. Got bloods done now on statin for Cholesterol, still bad legs. Guessing it's age but I'm not so sure. I can still ride 75 mins around 35 kph ( generally more 32 kph ) but pleasure gone as legs between hard steely and painful and just dead-jelly legs. Kinda taken much of the fun out the sport ! I only go up hill well at 70 kilo. Around 3 years ago I dropped the 3 power meters. Went from a FTP of 260-270 straight to 190-200 same same training. I've obviously gone to try very very light 10 days zone 2.5 and had 5 days off bike but legs same same. Now on an Asthma puffer by Doctor check that against a 7 month cold. MUST Admit Asthma puffer is freeing up the legs, also waiting on a Lung Xray for this 7 month cold..... Doctor been ok. Given legs feel packed in and I'd be happy pay privately what reckon get a CT Scan entire body or a really really bad idea. At 4.5 years in I'd love have OK legs better than just 1 ride in every 15 of so. They're dead as hell but I am still a decent-ish cyclist

[@thecolinranger]

Hi Will. You mentioned protein at bedtime, is a vegan alternative still okey?

[@WillGirling]

Of course! Go with some Soya yogurt mixed with some vegan blend protein. Probably won't be as slow digesting but will still aid

[@tilly5652]

Ok, so is there any kind of snack/product while training for endurance sports that you could reccomend for person who is lactose intolerant? And is there any reccomended amount (grams per body weight ratio) of protein intake during training?

[@WillGirling]

There should be some vegan protein bars out there that should fit the bill and 0.3g/kg/bw would be ideal so at least 20g unless you're very petite. If that's super tough you can take Essential Amino Acids (EAAs) to the amount of at least 3g of Leucine in the content. It will still aid in recovery and prevent amino acid contribution on long rides

[@tilly5652]

Will Girling thank you! I’ve totally forgot about existence of protein bars 🤦🏼‍♀️ Allright, so 20g - in my case 0,3g/kg/bw = 14,4g 🙂. Again, thank you - these kind of informations are very useful. Even if I’m not racing, just riding for myself. Thanks to your’s previous video about how to carry on with carbs while cycling, now I have a lot more of power potential 🙂