Individual Responses to Training and Protein Quality
The Stronger By Science Podcast
Is There a Mass Gainer?
At one point in his life, Michael Phelps struggled with putting on weight. He would mix himself up a massgain or shake where most of the protein just had to come from raw eggs. "It was far worse and just, like, more inherently dangerous than just buying a massgainer," he says.
It’s very common to assume that group-level findings from research will reliably predict how you (or your clients) will respond to a particular training strategy, but that’s not always the case. In today’s episode, Greg discusses the substantial amount of inter-individual variability observed in responses to training interventions, and how to navigate training decisions in light of these hard-to-predict differences among individuals. After that, Eric discusses protein quality: what it is, what affects it, and how much it does (or doesn’t) matter from a practical perspective. His segment summarizes the research directly comparing a wide range of protein sources, and provides practical strategies for protein source selection in vegan, vegetarian, and omnivorous diets.
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TIME STAMPS
Intro/Announcements (0:00)
Greg’s segment: Individual responses versus group responses in resistance training (10:25)
The importance of assessing individual-level responses (12:43)
Study: Different Load Intensity Transition Schemes to Avoid Plateau and No-Response in Lean Body Mass Gain in Postmenopausal Women. (17:40)
Broader discussion of individual-level responses and variation from person-to-person (24:19)
What has worked atypically well for Greg and Eric? (33:06)
Eric’s segment: protein quality (40:40)
When you think about consuming raw eggs, what comes to mind? (40:46)
Overview of protein quality (47:47)
Digestibility of raw versus cooked eggs (49:24)
Study: Raw Eggs to Support Post-Exercise Recovery in Healthy Young Men: Did Rocky Get It Right or Wrong? (50:42)
The “chain of assumptions” between protein quality, blood amino acid response, muscle protein synthesis response, and long-term hypertrophy (58:26)
Amino acid profiles of various protein sources (1:01:30)
Directly comparing high-quality versus low-quality protein sources (1:05:42)
- Protein Source and Quality for Skeletal Muscle Anabolism in Young and Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Animal Protein versus Plant Protein in Supporting Lean Mass and Muscle Strength: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
- Making Sense of Muscle Protein Synthesis: A Focus on Muscle Growth During Resistance Training
- A mycoprotein-based high-protein vegan diet supports equivalent daily myofibrillar protein synthesis rates compared with an isonitrogenous omnivorous diet in older adults: a randomised controlled trial
- High-Protein Plant-Based Diet Versus a Protein-Matched Omnivorous Diet to Support Resistance Training Adaptations: A Comparison Between Habitual Vegans and Omnivores
Flipping the “chain of assumptions” (1:14:03)
How much protein comes from plant-based sources in an omnivorous diet? (1:16:58)
Complementary proteins and practical applications related to selection of protein sources (1:20:43)
MORE FROM THE SBS TEAM
- Work with a Stronger By Science coach: Get personalized training and nutrition plans and ongoing support from one of our expert coaches.
- Join the Research Spotlight newsletter: Our newsletter is the easiest way to stay up to date with the latest exercise and nutrition science.
- Join the SBS Facebook group and Subreddit.
RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS
- Try MacroFactor for free: Use code SBS to get a 14-day free trial of our nutrition app MacroFactor. MacroFactor has the fastest food logger on the market and its smart nutrition coach adapts to your metabolism to keep you on track with your goals. Download it today on the App Store or Google Play.
- BulkSupplements: Next time you stock up on supplements, be sure to use the promo code “SBSPOD” (all caps) to get 5% off your entire order.
- MASS Research Review: Subscribe to the MASS Research Review to get concise and applicable breakdowns of the latest strength, physique, and nutrition research – delivered monthly.
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