Aug. 19, 2011 — Eating or drinking protein after exercise can help muscle recovery and growth, experts agree. What’s still debated is which proteins work best.

Whey protein appears to be better than casein protein, according to new research that looked at exercisers doing resistance training. “A whey protein shake would probably be better than a casein protein shake,” says researcher Daniel W.D. West, a PhD student at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

And a separate study shows that protein that includes a higher concentration of the amino acid leucine works better than protein with lower concentrations. It looked exercisers who did aerobic workouts. “It appears more leucine is beneficial in the context of muscle recovery,” says researcher Stefan M. Pasiakos, PhD, a research physiologist with the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine. Both studies are published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Why Protein After Exercise?

As you exercise, muscles undergo a cycle of breakdown during the workout followed by remodeling and growth afterward. Recently, high-protein drinks have become more popular. They are used during and after exercise to get the best muscle growth and recovery. Researchers have been studying which combination of proteins is most helpful.

Protein After Resistance Exercise

West and his colleagues wanted to see if one large dose of whey protein taken right after a workout would be better than several smaller doses, spaced out over time.The smaller doses of whey taken over a longer time period made the protein behave more like another protein, casein, he says. Both whey are casein are found in milk.”Casein is digested slowly,” West tells WebMD, “whereas whey is digested very rapidly.”They used the smaller doses of whey to mimic the casein. So the one-time dose of whey was compared to several doses of whey.

The researchers gave both the one-time dose and the repeated doses to eight men, average age 22, during two different workouts. The men took the protein after doing eight sets of eight to 10 repetitions on a leg extension machine.

”What we did in this study is compare whey — 25 grams — like [what is in] a typical protein shake — and compare it to 25 grams of whey, but ingested in little 2.5 gram shots.”Taking the large dose right after the workout worked better. The amino acid concentrations in the blood were higher after one big dose.

West speculates as to why. “Whey is high in leucine and the fact that it is rapidly digested means there is a rapid appearance of essential amino acids, including leucine,” he says. Those amino acids, he says, act as a signal to elevate muscle protein synthesis — crucial for ongoing growth, repair, and maintenance of muscles.

In the second study, Pasiakos and his team also looked at seven men and one woman. All were active duty military. The average age was 24 On two occasions, they rode an exercise bike for an hour at moderate intensity. During both workouts, they drank a high-protein beverage with 10 grams of protein. The concentration of the amino acid leucine in the drink was different for the two sessions. “One drink had about 19% leucine, the other 35%.” The muscle response to the higher concentration was 33% better, he says.

Protein After Exercise: Advice for Exercisers

The findings should be repeated in other research, says Felicia Stoler, RD, a nutritionist and exercise physiologist. She reviewed the study findings for WebMD but was not involved in either study.

The findings, she says, are not a reason to overdo protein after exercise. “Some protein for repair is good but not excess. I always have to caution about protein. People think they need way more than they do.”

According to a position paper issued in 2009 by the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Dietetic Association, daily protein for endurance and strength-trained athletes ranges from 0.5 to 0.8 grams per pound of body weight. A 120-pound person would need about 60 grams or more. A 150-pound person would need 75 grams or more. A serving of whey protein powder has about 23 grams of protein.

The pool workout has been developed as an alternative program. The main benefit of this program is the ability to do a cardiovascular or aerobic workout without putting undue stress on the joints. The water’s continuous resistance forces you to engage more muscle fibers through a larger range of motion. Listed below is a list of exercises:

Lower Body

Sprints : Sprint in waist deep water across the pool using proper running technique.

Hi-Knee’s : Sprint across the pool performing “hi-knee’s”

Shuffle : In an athletic position, shuffle across the pool as fast as possible.

Back Pedal : Stand in an athletic position, reach back as far as possible with every stride.

Sprint/Swim/Jog : Sprint across, swim back (any stroke) and jog across.

Jumps : In chest deep water, go under into a squat position and explode up through the water trying to get as much height as possible. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps.

Abduction/Adduction : Hold onto the edge of the pool in face down position. Force legs apart in a lateral motion as far as possible. Pull legs to the mid-line of the body letting them cross in a scissor fashion. Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions

Hip Flexion/Extension : Holding onto the edge stand on one leg. Without bending at the hip, flex and extend the knee as fast as possible. Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Flipper Kicks : The kicks can be done in a variety of ways. Go to the deep end of the pool and kick in place for 1:00 minute. You can also hold onto the edge with arms extended, legs straight back. Flipper kick continously for 1:00 minute.

Upper Body-Neck Deep Water

Arm Sprints : Same action as running mechanics. With elbows in, pump arms up and down as fast as possible. Perform 3 sets of 15 repetions.

Arm Raises : Keeping elbows straight. raise arms to the surface of the water to the front and then the side of the body. Drive the arms to the surface simulating shoulder front and side raises. Perform 3 sets of 15 repetions.

Chest & Back : extend arms at 90 degrees keeping the elbows straight. Force arms together so that the hands meet in a clapping fashion. Pull back towards the starting positionas fast as possible. Perform 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

Push & Pull : Hold hands in front of chest with fingers pointing up. Push out and pull back in a quick, explosive manner. Perform 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

Sports Science Exchange Roundtable 46
SUPPLEMENT VOLUME 12 NUMBER 4

Training sessions and competitions can make you feel totally exhausted. If you don’t recover properly, you will not be ready to perform well during the next training period or competition. A failure to recover adequately can eventually lead to overtraining and staleness. What is optimal recovery? All of your body systems should be returned to the state they were in before exercise. You want to rid your muscles of lactic acid and other waste products, replenish all the energy sources you used to fuel your exercise, fill up your body fluid reservoirs, minimize any muscle or joint damage resulting from exercise, and re-energize your brain cells. Here are some recovery tips that will help you feel more energetic and ready to take on the world.

Don’t Lie Down on the Job

After exhaustive exercise, don’t stop and rest immediately. You can speed up the removal of lactic acid from your muscles by continuing to exercise at a low intensity for 10-20 minutes. This cool-down exercise can help reduce the feelings of stiffness that you may experience after a workout and is especially important if your next round of competition is only a few hours away.

Stretch Mostly After Exercise, Not Before
Stretch your major muscle groups after your cool-down exercise to get the maximal benefits of stretching. If you stretch your muscles, tendons, and ligaments too aggressively before beginning your exercise, you risk damaging those tissues. Rather, wait until the tissues are warmed up by exercise, and you can perform better stretches that will minimize muscle soreness and may help prevent future muscle pulls and other injuries.

Fuel Up Fast

The muscles are primed for quick restoration of their carbohydrate fuel reserves (glycogen) immediately after exercise, so don’t wait to start eating foods and drinking beverages rich in carbohydrate. Pretzels, fresh fruits, energy bars, sports drinks, and even jellybeans all contain lots of carbohydrate.

Carbohydrate is Best, But Some Protein Can’t Hurt
During strenuous exercise, some proteins in the muscles are broken down. For faster buildup of muscle proteins during recovery, include a small amount of protein in your food intake. To combine both carbohydrate and protein, try a ham or tuna sandwich. Most energy bars contain ample carbohydrate and protein to get your muscles on the road to recovery. So do foods like milk, cheese, eggs, and nutrition shakes.

Fill Up Your Tank

Body fluids are lost in sweat, and quickly replacing that fluid is crucial. Fluids are needed to maintain your blood volume so you can deliver oxygen and fuel to your muscles. Moreover, without enough fluids, you can’t sweat to help keep your body temperature at safe levels. You should top off your body fluids by drinking an hour or so before exercise, try to replace as much sweat loss as you can during exercise, and replace any body weight lost during exercise by drinking while you are recovering.

Salt is Super

When you sweat, your body loses both water and electrolytes (mostly salt, sodium chloride and some potassium). If you drink only plain water during exercise and recovery, you will have difficulty replacing your body fluids rapidly because much of the water will pass through your kidneys to become urine. You must replace the salt along with the water to counteract dehydration. Especially if you will compete again in a few hours, consider using sports drinks during recovery for fast replacement of water, salt, and carbohydrate. Also, make sure you put some extra salt on your foods at mealtime, particularly if you are prone to cramping.

Healing Helpers

When your muscles and joints are aching after exercise, you may be experiencing the effects of inflammatory processes and swelling that follow minor damage to your tissues. To minimize this inflammation, try using massage, cold packs around your joints, alternating cold and hot whirlpool baths, and small doses of aspirin or other anti-inflammatory products. Don’t expect miracles; these techniques may not work for you, but many athletes find them useful.

Sleep Well

A good night’s sleep helps you get physically and mentally prepared for your next workout or competition. You can’t perform at your best when you are not alert and are unable to concentrate on your sport. Some athletes can get by for a day or two with inadequate sleep and still perform well, but poor sleep habits will eventually lead to poor performance. So try to get into a routine of at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night to ensure full recovery from your last training session or competition. 

When you get the quality sleep you need, your body is refreshed, your mind is clear, and you generally feel more optimistic about everything. When you are sleep-deprived, you become sluggish, less responsive and can even feel depressed. Lack of sleep is blamed for such ailments as depression, hypertension, irritability, slower reaction times, and tremors.

 REM (The Sleep Stage, Not the Band)

 REM stands for rapid eye movement and is a reference to the phase of deep sleep where the most restful zzz’s of the night occur. The brain and the body “refuel” during this crucial phase. You get to REM by cycling through four phases of sleep. Once in REM you generally spend an average of 15 minutes there. At the conclusion of this cycle, your brain is generally brought in reverse back to Phase 1, where you will once again slide back again towards another restful REM.

 Do Not Disturb

Sleep is most beneficial when undisturbed. If you’re startled and awoken from your sleep, you can’t pick up where you left off on the way to REM. You have to start all over again. That’s why it’s important to get as many full 90-minute cycles in as you can during the course of one night’s sleep. In fact, ironically, research has shown that if given the choice to either complete just two full cycles of deep sleep (three hours) or be woken up in the middle of your fourth cycle somewhere around five and a half hours of sleep…you would likely feel less groggy and more raring to go in the first scenario than the last.

 In the Cycle

Nine hours would represent six full sleep cycles and 90 minutes of REM. Cutting it shorter than that by even just an hour or staying in bed an extra hour would both lead to an interrupted cycle. Thinking of your sleeping pattern in terms of 90-minute cycles can simplify the formula. Need to sleep in on a rainy Sunday? Extend it to 7 full cycles, or 10 ½ hours. Got a night where you know you’re going to have to study

• Before exercise ? Hydration should begin at least two hours before exercise with 17 to 20 oz. of water or sports drink, followed by 7 to 10 oz. 10 to 20 minutes before exercise.
• During exercise ? Consume 7 to 10 oz. of water or sports drink every 15 to 20 minutes.
• After exercise ? Approximately 20 to 24 oz. of water or sports drink should be consumed per pound of body weight lost during the course, until two hours after exercise has finished.

– Bob Murray, Ph.D., FACSM, Director, Gatorade Sports Science Institute