20:20 RULE

20:20 Rule:  Consuming 20g of Protein within 20 minutes of exercise optimises your recovery!

Think of all the effort you put into your fitness. You are making an investment. If maximising the return you get on that investment of time and effort is important to you then the quality of your recovery must match the quality of your training. We all have our “reasons for doing it”, personal fitness goals to attain, teams to make, races to win, honours to compete for or mountains to climb (some of us literally!). Many people undervalue the power of recovery. The best training is driven by the best recovery. Optimising recovery helps our bodies to maximise the gains in strength and fitness from the previous session and enables us to attain the necessary intensity levels in the next training session or competitive event. Poor recovery protocols lead to plateaus and eventually burn-out.

Two fundamentals of recovery are rest and nutrition. Adequate rest is crucial to allow the body to take on the benefits of the previous session and to get it ready for the next one. Proper nutrition begins in the 20 minute window immediately post exercise. The 20:20 rule is a simple formula that ensures your recovery gets off to the best start possible. It recommends the consumption of 20g of protein within 20 minutes of exercising. The body is most receptive to amino acids in this period and can optimally utilise them to repair muscle tissue that has been damaged during exercise and maximally stimulate protein synthesis (muscle building).

FitFuel Perform has 20g of protein per serving and is appetising and easy to eat immediately after exercise. All the focus on rules and discipline in the life of an athlete can be grinding but FitFuel Perform Protein Ice Cream means that the 20:20 Rule is one you will love to obey!

30: 30: 30

Recent research is revealing some very interesting perspectives on the importance of protein dosages and timing. Studies have shown that it is not just the total quantity of protein consumed in a day that determines how much protein synthesis (muscle building) occurs. The timing and individual meal totals for protein are very significant. The following scenario illustrates this point.

90g of protein is consumed in a single day in the following manner (this pattern of protein consumption is commonplace where the biggest portion of protein is consumed as meat in the evening meal):

• Breakfast = 10g
• Lunch = 15g
• Dinner = 65g
  Total consumed = 90g
  Total amount of protein which contributes to building muscle = 55g

“A skewed daily protein distribution fails to maximise the potential for muscle growth” (Paddon-Jones and Rasmussen 2009)

Studies have shown that the maximum amount of protein that the body is able to utilise for protein synthesis is 30g at a time, therefore in the above scenario the maximum amount of protein which can be use for protein synthesis is 55g. 35g of the protein consumed in the evening meal cannot contribute to muscle building.

However, in the example below, the exact same quantity of total daily protein is consumed but the amount of protein which contributes to building muscle is maximised.

• Breakfast = 30g
• Lunch = 30g
• Dinner = 30g
  Total consumed = 90g
  Total amount of protein which contributes to building muscle = 90g

Personalised Protein Intake

Daily protein requirements vary from person to person based on body weight and type of training/sport the person is engaged in. A 70kg cyclist will have very different daily protein requirements than a 100kg rugby player.

Daily recommended quantities of protein for different activity classes are outlined below:

• Normal sedentary individuals 0.75-0.9g/kg body weight
• Endurance athletes 1.2 – 1.4g/kg body weight
• Strength and speed 1.4 – 1.8g/kg body weight

For example the 70kg cyclist should consume a minimum of 84g of protein every day (70 x 1.2 = 84) whereas a 100kg team player should eat a minimum of 140g protein every day (100 x 1.4 = 140g).

Why Whey Protein?

Whey protein is thought to help with muscle growth. It has a ‘muscle sparing’ effect and so minimises muscle breakdown during high intensity exercise. Therefore it is suitable as a source of protein before sport. It also produces a relatively rapid increase in blood levels of amino acids and so may be the best type of protein to have after training. For those who are training to gain strength and speed a good dietary protein intake on a meal to meal basis and snack to snack basis is important for overall positive protein balance.

Dietary protein is intimately linked with recovery. Although protein as part of recovery nutrition can enhance muscle growth, proteins also stimulate and participate in glucose metabolism. Protein in the post exercise meal enhances carbohydrate uptake into muscle. Therefore protein is relevant to all sport and is not just for body builders or strength athletes.

Research shows that for some hours immediately after exercise there is an increase in blood flow to the exercised muscle and enhanced amino acid uptake and protein synthesis that makes the tissue most responsive to nutrient supplementation during that time.

 

Reference Material

Moore DR, Robinson MJ, Fry JL, Tang JE, Glover EI, Wilkinson SB, Prior T, Tarnopolsky MA, Phillips SM. Ingested protein dose response of muscle and albumin protein synthesis after resistance exercise in young men. Am Journal Clinical Nutrrition. 2009 Jan;89(1):161-8. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2008.26401. Epub 2008 Dec 3.

T. BROCK SYMONS, PhD; MELINDA SHEFFIELD-MOORE, PhD; ROBERT R. WOLFE, PhD; DOUGLAS PADDON-JONES, PhD A Moderate Serving of High-Quality Protein Maximally Stimulates Skeletal Muscle Protein Synthesis in Young and Elderly Subjects. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009;109:1582-1586

DS Willoughby, JR Stout, CD Wilborn. Effects of resistance training and protein plus amino acid supplementation on muscle anabolism, mass, and strength

– Amino acids, 2007 32: 467-477

Phillips SM & Van Loon LJC (2011). Dietary protein for athletes: From requirements to optimum adaptation. Journal of Sports Science, 29 (S1), S29 – S38

Douglas Paddon-Jones and Blake B. Rasmussen Dietary protein recommendations and the prevention of sarcopenia Protein, amino acid metabolism and therapy. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2009 January; 12(1): 86–90.

Burd NA, Tang JE, Moore DR, Phillips SM (2009). Exercise training and protein metabolism: influences of contraction, protein intake, and sex-based differences. J Appl Physiol 2009 May; 106(5):1692-701

American College of Sports Medicine, American Dietetic Association, and Dietitians of Canada . Joint Position Statement: nutrition and athletic performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2000 Dec;32(12):2130-45.