Читать книгу The Renaissance Diet 2.0 - Mike Israetel, James Hoffmann - Страница 45

Optimal protein intakes for endurance athletes is likely around 0.5-1.0 g protein per pound of bodyweight per day, with the lower end approached only during special circumstances.

Although endurance sports such as marathon and triathlon do not require large muscle masses, the extremely high volume and heavy energy demands of these sports often exceeds immediate availability of carbohydrate and fat stores. Protein must be burned for some fraction of training energy, and these fractions can add up over time, requiring a larger protein intake to keep muscle mass in equilibrium. Because such voluminous training stresses muscle fibers often and for long duration, protein turnover rates are elevated, which means even more protein must be eaten to compensate. The CCH is a prominent player in protein intake determination for endurance athletes because they rely on relatively high intakes of carbohydrates to enhance their training and recovery.

The minimum protein intake for endurance athletes (around 0.5 g per pound of bodyweight per day) is probably best approached only for short periods of time (weeks) during very high-volume training phases when carbohydrate intakes are maxed out. Higher protein intake during other periods of lower training volume and lower carbohydrate intake is likely beneficial for muscle maintenance.

The CCH caps maximum protein intake for endurance athletes at around 1 g per pound of bodyweight per day to allow for adequate carbohydrate intake to support training. Our best recommendation for endurance athletes is to average around 0.7 g protein per pound of bodyweight per day, making occasional, temporary drops to 0.5 g per pound per day during periods of heavy training that require increased carbohydrate intake and occasional increases to 1.0 g during periods of lower training volume. This provides additional protein to deal with energy needs and wear and tear without taking too much of the daily caloric allotment away from critical carbohydrates.

Figure 3.3 A graph of the relative benefits of varying protein consumption rates (in grams per pound of bodyweight per day) is shown from point A (minimum protein needed for health) through point D (the point at which protein amounts force a reduction in other macronutrients to below recommended levels via the CCH).