Wondering How Much Protein Should I Eat On Rest Days?
How much protein should I eat on rest days is a long standing question that has been debated in many gyms and on many fitness forums. As a guy that’s been a personal trainer in Austin for over 20 years, as well as a gym owner here for over a decade as well, you can be sure that I’ve heard that question many times myself.
How much protein should I eat on rest days is a question that cannot be overly simplified if you want a good answer that’s not some formulaic sweeping statement. If you’ve read any of my many blogs or essays on this website, or elsewhere, you’ll know that I’m not a proponent of formulaic approaches or sweeping statements. When pondering how much protein should I eat on rest days, you have to weigh in a multitude of variables if you want a good answer. The first thing I would consider, is your experience level and fitness, your goals, how good your nutrition and hydration are, how many days a week you train, Etc.
A rule of thumb that a lot of personal trainers follow, is to advise clients to consume 1 gram of protein per body pound. That’s reasonable enough, in a formulaic sort of way, but some people with their medical histories, etc, should not be having that much, while others, can have twice that. If you are a serious athlete, and one who eats to succeed at their sport, you will going to want to keep a steady level of protein in your bloodstream to help repair the muscle tissue that you break down in both your training, as well as when you are playing your sport. On the other hand, if you are a nonchalant and casual weightlifter, or even a cardiovascular exercise enthusiast, you are not going to have those same needs.
When people ask me how much protein should I eat on rest days, for the average person, I tell them to have a nice balanced diet which includes adequate hydration, good carbohydrates, good fats, and an adequate amount of protein. Usually, if we were to break this into a pie chart, it would work out to be that 40% of your calories in a day should come from protein, 10% of your daily caloric intake should come from good fats, and then 50% of your daily calories should come from good quality carbohydrates, including the fibrous variety such as we find in fruits and vegetables. This basic pie chart is usually a pretty good starting point for the average person who wants to live a healthy lifestyle, and one who is void of illnesses, and conditions which would mandate a very personalized approach. An example of such a case would be an insulin-dependent type 1 diabetic.
On the flip side, if a professional athlete who is well experienced in training and dieting ask me how much protein should I eat on rest days, the answer will be profoundly different. Obviously, with any human being, I would have to weigh in medical issues, family histories, Etc, but for the professional athlete we would have to ingest more protein so there pie chart would look a lot different than yours or mine. How exactly it would differ would depend not only fund the individual, but their physical needs and goals as a professional athlete. Suffice it to say, however, that it would be not just a little bit different, but radically so. Still wondering how much protein should I eat on rest days? Start with the basics and adjust from there accordingly.
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Andy
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