FriGAINZZZ (and Open Thread Until the ONT)

My own GAINZZZ are... eh. I took a couple of weeks off and lost a lot more strength than I expected. I'm getting it back now, but man, I did not expect two weeks to result in losing 45-50 pounds off my squat.

The only thing I've learned is that I was getting way too little protein. I did not know how much protein I needed, and I had no idea how much protein was in common foods like a hamburger. I thought a cheeseburger would have like 100 grams of protein. Not even close! More like 58 grams for a Dave's Triple at Wendy's. And that's a Triple.

Meanwhile, I also thought that 100 grams of protein should be fine for me, when it turns out I need more than twice that much.

I have been drinking a lot of protein shakes this week, and yesterday, I had the best workout I've had in... well, the best one I can remember. Ever.

Then again, I also had some carbs the two days before. I know, I know: It's probably the carbs. But I'm going to stick with a much higher protein intake and low carbs and see if my next workout is strong.

So what I learned is: A man needs 0.8 - 1.0 grams of protein per pound of weight, even if you're not working out. (Not sure what a woman needs.) If you're trying to build muscle, you need maybe 1.0 to 1.3 grams/pound of weight. If you're dieting, you need more than that, because some of the protein you eat will be burned for fuel and thus won't be available for normal protein needs. And if you're trying to build muscle, you need more, and if you're older, you need even more, because older people don't utilize protein efficiently.

I'm trying to get about 1.4 or 1.5 grams per pound. Hopefully, tomorrow's workout will be be as strong as yesterday's. If not... well, I might cross the Carb Rubicon and try to eat maybe 50 g of carbs before a workout.

So: What are your GAINZZZ??!!

posted by Ace of Spades at 07:33 PM

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