Joe Friel

Should You Use Protein After a Workout?

It’s common for athletes to take in some carbohydrate after a workout. The desire for sugar is typically high at that time. This is beneficial in that it is known to increase the glycogen stores in the muscles which have been depleted by exercise. Decades of research has shown this to be effective for hastening recovery. And the sooner you recover the sooner you can do another quality workout thus shortening the time to achieve a high level of fitness.

There has been much less research done on protein after exercise, but there is a growing body of work which shows surprising levels of improvement by taking in some protein immediately afterwards. Here are some studies from the last few years all of which support this notion. There is a bit of latitude in how much protein you should take in along with your carb as you can see from study summaries below. The range in these studies was about 26 to 400 calories from protein after a workout. That’s a huge difference. But as you will see, these studies did not examine the same benefits, although there is overlap. More research is needed to narrow this down somewhat. In the mean time you are on your own to decide how much.

There’s little doubt that taking in protein along with carbohydrate immediately following a session, especially a hard workout, is beneficial. I suggest to the athletes I coach that they do this in the first 30 minutes after a hard workout. I leave how much carb and protein up to how they are feeling and what seems appropriate as it’s unlikely that what is needed will always be the same regardless of the many variables (workout duration and intensity, pre-workout and during-workout intakes, weather conditions, and more). The sensations of appetite and thirst should be the driving factors. (Click on the citation to read the abstract.)

Berardi, J. M., Price, T. B., Noreen, E. E., and Lemon, P. W. “Postexercise muscle glycogen recovery enhanced with a carbohydrate-protein supplement. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2006; 38(6):1106-13.

Six cyclists had a 29% greater glycogen resynthesis using a carb+protein recovery drink following exercise vs. a carb recovery drink only. The carb-protein ratio was 2:1 with 4.8 calories per kilogram of body weight. The carb was maltodextrin and the protein was whey.

Breen, L., Philip, A., Witard, O.C., et al. “The influence of carbohydrate-protein co-ingestion following endurance exercise on myofibillar and mitochondrial protein synthesis.” Journal of Physiology, 2011; 589(16):4011-25.

10 trained cyclists rode for 90 minutes at 77% of their VO2max on 2 occasions. Immediately after exercise and 30 minutes after they drank either carb (25g/100 cal) or carb+protein (25g + 10g/140 cal total). Muscle protein synthesis was 35% greater with carb+protein.

Cockburn, E., Stevenson, E., Hayes, P. R., et al. “Effect of a milk-based carbohydrate-protein supplement timing on the attenuation of exercise-induced muscle damage.” Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, 2010; 35(3):270-77.

4 matched groups of 8 men each did a muscle-damaging workout. They drank a carb+protein drink (milk) before exercise, immediately after, or 24 hours after. Delayed onset of muscle soreness, power and strength measure 24, 48 and 72 hours after exercise found that the best times to consume the carb+protein drink were immediately after and 24 hours after.

Etheridge, T., Philip, A., Watt, P. W., et al. “A single protein meal increases recovery of muscle function following an acute eccentric exercise bout.” Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, 2008; 33(3):483-88.

9 active men ran down a -10 degree slope for 30 minutes at 75% of max heart rate on 2 occasions. Immediately afterwards they took in 100g (400 cal) of protein or a placebo drink. By 48 hours after exercise delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS) was high and quad strength was decreased by 10% in the when using a placebo drink. There was no DOMS or reduction in quad strength with the protein drink as compared with a pre-run test.

Ferguson-Stegall, L., McCleave, E. L., Ding, Z., et al. “Postexercise carbohydrate-protein supplementation improves subsequent exercise performance and intracellular signaling for protein synthesis.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2011; 25(5):1210-24.

10 cyclists each did 3 trials of 1.5 hours at 70% of VO2max followed immediately by 10 minutes of intervals. They then rested for 4 hours and did a 40km time trial. During the rest break they drank either chocolate milk (carb+protein), a carb drink (carb) or a placebo (pla) immediately after exercise stopped and 2 hours later. Time trials were faster with carb+protein (8% faster than carb and 9% faster than pla).

Millard-Stafford, M., Warren, G. L., Thomas, L. M., et al. “Recovery from run training: Efficacy of a carbohydrate-protein beverage?” International Journal of Sport Nutrition, Exercise and Metabolism, 2005; 15(6):610-24.

8 runners drank an 8% carb + 2% protein drink and a 10% carb drink on 2 separate occasions between runs to failure followed by a 5km time trial. There was no difference in performances, but there was less soreness after the carb+protein drink.

Ohtani, M., Sugita, M., and Maruyama, K. “Amino acid mixture improves training efficiency in athletes.” Journal of Nutrition, 2006; 136(2):538S-43S.

Supplementation with 6.6g per day of protein immediately following exercise for 1 month increased blood oxygen-carrying capacity and decreased levels of muscle damage.

 Pennings, B., Koopman, R., Beelen, M., et al. “Exercising before protein intake allows for greater use of protein-derived amino acids for de novo muscle protein synthesis in both young and elderly me.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2011; 93(2):322-31.

20g (80 cal) of protein ingested immediately after exercise improved muscle protein synthesis (muscle repair) better than taking it in when not preceded by exercise. This worked equally well in both young and elderly men.

 

My Favorite Books from 2011

Someone asked me a while back what books I had read recently that I particularly liked. I read a few in 2011. Some were sport-related and the others were just for fun. Here are the three from the sport category that stood out for me and which I’d highly recommend.

Iron War by Matt Fitzgerald. This is the best endurance-sport book I’ve read since Born to Run and Duel in the Sun. Fitzgerald takes you through the details of what happened on October 14, 1989 in Kailua-Kona. I was there as a spectator that day and was unaware of all that was going on (I looked for myself in the book’s pictures—but not there). Now I’ve found out some of the details of that day some 22 years later. He also offers insight into two of the best endurance athletes of the 20^th century—Dave Scott and Mark Allen. Research for the book was incredible.

Tapering and Peaking for Optimal Performance by Inigo Mujika.  Although this book has been out since 2009 I didn’t get around to it until 2011. Mujika has done considerable research on tapering and peaking and is considered one of the leading authorities on the topic. I use several of his concepts in the way I peak athletes for competition.

The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf.  It’s no secret that I’m an advocate of eating a modified Paleo diet, which is based on the biological concept of evolution. “Modified,” in this case, means adjusted for the unique challenges of high-workload endurance training (see The Paleo Diet for Athletes). Wolf takes a complex concept and makes it not only easily understood, but also funny. I chuckled my way through it rather quickly.

Select Athlete Workshop

On February 4 the FASTER* cycling center and I will present a workshop in Scottsdale, Ariz., for about a dozen athletes I handpick to attend. The purpose of the selection is to have a small group of participants who have a great deal in common, such as their sport, experience, level of competition, goals and limiters. That allows me to design a workshop which more closely matches the athletes’ specific needs. The idea is to help you get off to a good start on your 2012 season. It’s a workshop—not a lecture. So we’ll layout your training for the year with options included. I don’t often get an opportunity to do this as my seminar attendees are usually quite diverse. Given that it’s such a small group, this will be very hands-on.

I don’t know yet if this workshop will be for road cyclists, triathletes, runners or some other endurance sport. The group could also be novices or highly competitive athletes. If you are selected I can guarantee that you will get a lot of individual attention due to the small number of attendees. If there are more who could be selected to attend I’ll organize a second such session for another weekend. Since this is a first-time event I don’t know what to expect.

I will hold it at the new FASTER* cycling center in Scottsdale, Ariz. (16414 N. 91st Street, Suite 103, Scottsdale, AZ 85260) from 1-5 p.m. on February 4. That’s a Saturday and I’m scheduling it in the afternoon so everyone can get a workout done in the morning (including me).

The cost is $153 if selected.

I expect primarily local athletes to attend but it’s not limited to them. Anyone may participate regardless of location. Out-of-town athletes will need to make their own arrangements for housing and transportation. I can give suggestions for close-by hotels if anyone from out of the area is selected. If you fly in it will be through Phoenix Sky Harbor airport. That’s about 25 miles from FASTER.

To apply go this website and complete the application following the instructions you find there. All applications are due by January 14. By January 21 I will select and notify the athletes. If I find there are a dozen or so who match-up before January 21 then I will establish the group earlier than planned. So the timing of your application may be critical to selection. Payment is due by January 28 (instructions on the website).

Please let me know if you have a question by posting it here as a comment or by emailing me (see CONTACT JOE above).

*FASTER combines a cycling specific wind tunnel, advanced 2D and 3D Fitting, retail store, service department, compression and hot/cold recovery suite, athlete performance testing and locker rooms.

 

The Fat-Burning Myth

It’s that time of year when athletes have gained a couple of excess pounds of flab and are starting to think about taking it off. The traditional method for doing this is by doing lots of long, slow miles. The slower you go, the better, according to this age-old way of exercising to reduce body weight. Zone 1 is perfect, right? But is that the most effective way?

In a classic study (Tremblay 1994) on this topic researchers at Laval University in Quebec, Canada had one group of subjects exercise at a low intensity (low heart rate zone 1) for 20 weeks. Another group did high-intensity intervals (15-90-second sprints at 60-70% of max power) for 15 weeks. The low-intensity group burned 28,757 Calories while the high-intensity group burned 13,829.

Guess what happened. The high-intensity group had much greater reductions in skin-fold measurements when expressed in relation to energy expended. This was the result of increased fat metabolism during periods of rest between training sessions. The high-intensity group also had significant increases in the enzymes that burn fat for fuel. The low-intensity group had no changes in these enzymes.

Note that the intensity of these two groups was extremely different. Low heart rate zone 1 is so easy you’d wonder if you were doing anything of value for your fitness. The high intensity was very high. It would be a mental challenge to do this workout several times a week for 15 weeks.

Realize that I’m not suggesting how you should train at this time of year. There’s a big difference between exercising for fat loss and for race performance. I typically see any extra weight my athletes have gained over the holidays gradually come off in the following weeks as training intensity increases gradually without going to extremes in training.

My Most-Read Posts of 2011

In case you missed something, here are lists of my most-read blogs since I started posting in January, 2007 along with my most-read blogs of 2011.

Most Read of All Time

It’s remarkable how little change there is to this list from year to year. #1, #2 and #4 have been on the list every year. And #3 and #4 have made this list each year since they appeared.

1. Road Bike Posture (September, 2007) 

This is a post from 4 years ago. I’ve never figured out why it turned out to be so popular. Having been #2 for the last couple of years, it’s now jumped to #1. It discusses hip position in a seated position on a road bike and shows examples of two riders, one with a position I like and another that’s not quite as nice.

2. Cleat position (January, 2007)  

This was the first blog post I ever wrote and it continues to be one of the most read of all time but slipped from #1 to #2 in 2011. Here I discuss a midsole alternative to the traditional forefoot cleat position for cycling shoes. There have been numerous comments posted to this blog by readers, many of which describe their experience after moving their cleats. There have also been follow-up posts to this blog which you can find by doing a search on “cleat position” on the home page www.joefrielsblog.com

3. A Quick Guide to Setting Zones (November, 2009) 

As suggested in the title, this post takes you through the step-by-step process of setting up your training zones (heart rate, power, pace) for cycling, running and swimming. It’s one I send readers to who have questions along these lines.

4. Foot Strike in Running (March, 2007) 

This is another perennially popular post making the top five for the fifth consecutive year. It provides pictures of two runners at Ironman Hawaii in 2006—one with a relatively flat-foot strike and the other with a heel strike. It briefly discusses the advantages of minimizing an initial heel-first foot strike.

5. Simplified Base Bicycle Training (December, 2008) 

This is the first time in the top 10 for this post. It's basic advice for the road cyclist in the winter months. Here I discuss Christmas Star riders, training patiently and the 3 abilities I have riders work on at this time in the season.

Most Read of 2011

Here are the posts that were read most often from my 2011 blogs.

1. An Update on Compression Clothing (February)

I've been writing about compression clothing since shortly after it bagen to appear at races. This post examines the latest research on the topic and summarizes what I see happening.

2. Training for Advanced Athletes, Part 5 (June) 

This blog post describes a type of periodization I’ve been using with some athletes for just over a year now. It’s relatively new in the world of sport science but has a lot of advantages for the athlete who races at a high level.

3. Determining your LTHR (April) 

This is a bit of grumpy description of what seems to me to be a very simple concept which, for some reason that evades me, is complex for many athletes.

4. Indoor vs. Outdoor Bike Performance (January) 

This is my answer to a question asked by a coach which is a common one: Why is it that indoor training performance seems to differ from similar workouts and tests done outdoors?

5. Becoming a Better Fat Burner (January) 

One marker of an aerobically fit endurance athlete is a propensity to use fat for fuel while sparing glycogen. This post discusses why and describes how this physiological attribute can be improved.

Thanks for following my blog in 2011. It was viewed 870,263 times and grew by 27% over 2010. I look forward to seeing what’s ahead in 2012. I still have a long list of topics that interest me waiting in the wings. What’s holding me back is time. Just as I’m sure you find, there are never enough hours in the day to do everything I want to do. But regardless, if you have a topic you’d like me to write about please feel free to post it as a suggestion in the comments section below. I can’t guarantee I’ll write about it, but I may.

Also, thanks for your comments in 2011. There were some great questions and discussions. One of the reasons I have a blog is to hear what real-world athletes are experiencing and wondering about. It keeps me in touch with sport in a way that writing books and reading research can’t do. I look forward to seeing your reactions to my posts in 2012.

Inconsistency

Perhaps the greatest thing about the training technology we have now is the ability to track how training and performance are progressing. Before the digital age this was done largely by guesswork and rough estimations. Now it’s fairly precise if you have a heart rate monitor, power meter and speed-distance device.

For example, I’m in a training block right with the focus on aerobic endurance training. The objectives are to improve fat metabolism, create a bigger capillary bed in the primary-mover muscles, increase the aerobic enzymes, cause type 2x muscles to take on the characteristics of type 2a muscles, boost movement efficiency, and more. Now I can’t measure all of these in field tests but I can get one metric which tells me how the “black box” is doing. This is the output-input ratio which TrainingPeaks now calls the “Efficiency Factor.” (EF).

I’ve talked about EF before, only not with that name. All this represents is the ratio of output (power or pace) to input (heart rate). It’s found by simply dividing the normalized power (or speed for running) by average heart rate. For the information to be dependable the variables in the workouts to be compared should be quite similar.

Below is a table that shows my workouts since November 27 when I started doing aerobic threshold (AeT) in this block of training. The AeT sessions are very similar. The warm-ups were about 20 minutes on the same stretch of road at the same power range. The AeT portions of the workouts were done on the same course with the same equipment for 90 minutes each. The heart rate for each AeT portion was kept in the range of 120-125 bpm (lower half of zone 2). They were done at about the same time of day and at about the same time relative to breakfast. The breakfasts were quite similar. The cool down was about 10 minutes. (Sound boring yet?)

Below is the table that summarizes these workouts. The ones labeled “AeT” are the ones we’re focused on here. The EF ratio is shown for each of these. A rising EF is a good indication that aerobic endurance is improving. There were other workouts also. And you’ll notice a large number of days off. These were due to business travel. There were also 2 days of relentless, hard-driving rain during this period (December 12-13) when workouts were shortened and modified.

Nov 27  AeT EF=1.41

Nov 28  Day off

Nov 29  AeT EF=1.43

Nov 30  2h “force” workout

Dec 1    AeT EF=1.50

Dec 2    Day off  (travel)

Dec 3    Day off (travel)

Dec 4    Day off (travel)

Dec 5    AeT EF=1.44

Dec 6    AeT EF=1.42

Dec 7    AeT EF=1.46

Dec 8    2h recovery ride

Dec 9    Day off (travel)

Dec 10  Day off (travel)

Dec 11  1h hill reps z3 (late on day of return from trip before sunset)

Dec 12  1h hill reps z3 (rain)

Dec 13  1h AeT EF=1.29 (indoor trainer, rain)

Dec 14  AeT EF=1.37

Dec 15  AeT EF=1.42

Dec 16  2h recovery ride

This is a good example of what inconsistent training does to fitness. There are 3 segments here in which AeT rises: Nov 27-30, Dec 5-7 and Dec 13-15. Each of these segments generally shows EF improvement. But after each of the first 2 there was time off from training due to travel. That resulted in EF dropping back down again.

That’s what inconsistent training does to us. Hard-won gains are lost by days without training. If you don’t use it you lose it.

Now, while this sounds all very scientific it is by no means “science.” There are many variables which were controllable (weather, for example) and there was only 1 subject—me. And I certainly wasn’t blind to the outcomes which introduces the possibility of placebo.

The lesson here, however, is simply that if you frequently miss workouts you are relinquishing, to some degree, your gains made in training. This is not meant to be an indictment of anyone. Missing workouts is common for everyone, including pros, at this time of year, especially. But you need to understand what it means to your fitness and plan your training accordingly. In my case, it means that when things begin to settle down for me (less travel) I will need to keep plugging away at AeT workouts to get my aerobic endurance to a point at which it stabilizes. Then I know it’s time to move on to the next block of training.

Why Don’t My Power and Heart Rate Zones Agree?

I was asked this question 3 times in the last 3 days, so it must be a common concern. Let’s take a quick look at it.

If you have a power meter and set up your zones based on your FTP using Coggan’s zones and a heart rate monitor which you set up based on your LTHR and my zones you’ve undoubtedly found out that they don’t always agree. (You can find instructions for setting both sets of zones here.) In fact, they may never agree. This is not an issue regarding your heart, legs or devices. It’s just the way it is. Here’s why.

Heart rate zones change very little, if at all, throughout the year. On the other hand, power zones (and also pace zones for running) change significantly. As you get in better shape your FTP rises. This means all of your power zones rise also. When fitness decreases your FTP also decreases and down come your power zones. But all the while heart rate zones remain constant. So there may well be large and small overlaps over the course of a season—or no overlaps at all at some times in the year.

For some reason, this seems to concern many athletes. Look at it this way. If your power zones didn’t change you’d never get any faster at given heart rates. They must change otherwise you will never race any faster.

I hope this makes sense but I suspect there will still be questions so feel free to ask. (If you are concerned about a “high” or “low” heart rate please read this before asking me about it.) 

When Things Don’t Go Right

Someone recently reminded me of the following which appeared in my blog on November 3, 2009. The subject came up because an athlete asked how he should adjust his training when injured. These sorts of things unfortunately happen to each of us. It doesn’t have to be an injury, however. It could just be the crush of holiday activities this time of year or any number of other interruptions. Here are some thoughts that may help you get back on track.

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Following a training plan does not mean doing so rigidly. There will be times when you shouldn’t follow the plan because you are not recovered from a previous workout, or feel a cold coming on, or for whatever reason you sense that it is just not right to challenge your body. At times like these it is always best to do less—to go short and easy or even take the day off. To do otherwise is to risk illness, injury, burnout and possibly overtraining. Missing one scheduled workout is preferable to missing one week, or more, of training. When you come to race day, having missed one workout has no impact on performance.

Also, don’t try to make up for omitted workouts by doubling up on the workouts later in the week. This will only lead to greater problems down the road. Let it go.

What happens if you are injured for, say, a month? In such an extreme case you are going to have to start over again with an earlier period (usually Base 3), re-evaluate your goals and get back on track. There may even be situations that cause you to greatly modify the periodization plan, say, for example, if you missed a couple of weeks of training and the national championship is in six weeks. There is no formula for such situations. This is where the art of self-coaching comes into play.

Generally, missing fewer than about seven consecutive days of training is treated as if nothing out of the ordinary happened. Press ahead. But if more days are missed it’s likely you will need to return to a previous week in your plan and start over again from that point. This will require an overhaul of the annual training plan.

Early Base & Zone 2 Intensity

I’ve commented here before that what I like to see for intensity in base 1 (block 2) for those athletes I coach is a lot of zone 2 time. The accompanying power distribution chart for an athlete shows this quite vividly. Here you can see that almost exactly half of his training is in block 2 (he’s an “advanced” athlete). That’s excellent. It means we are developing robust aerobic endurance.

While this is a power chart, for running a pace distribution chart would look like this also. If you only have a heart rate monitor then it would be the same sort of distribution. The problem with heart rate is you don’t know what you are accomplishing since you aren’t measure output. Unfortunately, all heart rate tells you is input, which is similar to effort. You don’t win races on based on effort (input). Everyone is trying hard. You win them on pace or power (output). Knowing both input and output makes training multi-dimensional.

Keeping a watchful eye on your intensity distribution, as with this chart, is very effective at this time in the season. It keeps you focused on what’s important. If you are in the early stages of your training season then now is not the time to be doing race-intensity workouts. There’s plenty of time for that later on in the build period. The most basic ability for an endurance athlete is aerobic endurance and now is when you should be developing it.

Power Certification Workshop

Along with PowerTap, I’m hosting a series power certification workshops for coaches this winter. Athletes are welcome also, but these technical sessions that may well be beyond novice and many intermediate athletes. Advanced athletes, especially those with power meters on their bikes, should do well. Both USAT and USAC are offering 4 CEUs for coach certification. It lasts about 5 hours, from 10 am to 3:00 pm. Lunch is provided.

This will be a fun time for me as I always enjoy talking with coaches and athletes about endurance training, and especially about power-based training and racing. I got my first power meter in 1994—an SRM. Then in 1998 I was involved in the design and launch of the PowerTap. I’ve had them on bikes ever since. In 1999 I wrote the first booklet on the topic—Training With Power.

While I’ve learned a lot since then, there is still much to be learned. Power-based training is rich with information and continues to progress at a rapid rate. I think you’ll come away with several new ideas for your coaching and training. As a coach it’s imperative that you understand power meter use. It will have a much greater impact on bicycle training than the heart rate monitor or any other device used by cyclists.

Last week I had a coach ask what will be covered in the workshop so she could make a decision about attending. Here is the general topic outline I’ll be following.

Part I The Basics of Power

1. What Is Power?
2. How Do Power Meters Work?
3. Why Train and Race With Power?
4. Common Power Meter Methodology
5. Power and Body Weight

Part II Training and Racing With Power

1. Functional Threshold Power
2. Establishing and Using Power Zones
3. Reading a Session Chart
4. Analyzing a Session

Part III Advanced Use of Power

1. Performance Management
2. Seasonal Planning with Power
3. Power-Based Session Prescription
4. High Performance Racing With Power

Part V Workshop Group Project

For more information and to register for the workshop go here. Click on "Seminars" (upper left corner) for the registration page. Register for the location you want to attend. I will do these workshops in Dallas-Ft Worth (February 11), San Diego (February 25) and Seattle (April 14). Watch here and follow me on Twitter for updates on these.