An athlete is a person who through training and a good diet manages to acquire outstanding physical skills. Strength, agility and excellent endurance are some of the qualities that separate them from the average person. That is why they are able to perform physical and competitive activities with a high level of performance.
This type of activity leads an athlete to consume much more protein than normal to provide a good recovery to his body and organism after being subjected to an arduous day; However, it is necessary to know exactly how much protein an athlete should ingest so that it does not cause any negative effects that impair their performance.
Why should athletes take protein?
Proteins play a very important role in the diet of every athlete, especially in those seeking to increase muscle mass or have a more defined physique, as they help repair and strengthen muscle tissue, also contributing to performance enhancement.
A recent study carried out by the sports scientist at the Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences at the University of Stirling, in Scotland, established recent international guidelines on protein consumption in athletes of any class , which states that athletes, Due to the energy requirement, they need to ingest amounts of protein that guarantee the body the necessary recovery. It also highlights the potential benefits of incorporating protein into athletes’ diets to condition the body for tough workouts and improve performance.
Protein benefits for athletes
1. Increase muscle mass
Dr. Witard, from the Physiology, Exercise and Nutrition Research Group in Stirling, suggests that for the muscle protein regeneration process to be successful , athletes need to consume protein servings of around 1.6 grams per kilogram of protein. body mass per day, if you are looking to increase muscle mass. For an average athlete weighing 70 kilograms would be exactly 112 grams of protein per day.
2. Optimize physical performance
Protein consumption is also geared toward athletes who aim to improve their intensity of strength, power, or endurance to gain a performance advantage in their sport.
Athletes who expend a lot of energy, in order to avoid losing body mass , need to ingest a quantity of protein between 1.6 and 2.4 grams per kilogram of body weight per day, depending on the intensity of the training.
Conclution
Whether you are doing weight lifting, running, tennis, or swimming, your energy expenditure is much higher than that of the average person; This is why your body needs to compensate for all the nutrients through a good diet, and for this, proteins are your best ally.
Therefore, it is important to know the exact amount of protein you should consume to recover taking into account your body weight, the intensity of the training and the type of sport.
References
- Witard, O., Ina, G and Phillips, S. (2019). Dietary Protein for Training Adaptation and Body Composition Manipulation in Track and Field Athletes. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism . doi: 10.1123 / ijsnem.2018-0267.
