Nutrition to complement a steady state cycle

[gymrob]

Hi all,

I have recently made a few little accomplishments such as muscle up etc and now I want to start my first 8-12 week steady state cycle. I want to also have good solid nutrition to complement the steady state cycle. I will mainly focus on a good diet and keep supplementation fairly simple since I'm not advanced. Probably: Multi vit, Whey protein and fruit juice (glycogen replenishment) all post workout.

Now what I was thinking is that would the quantity of (particularly) whey protein be reduced as the steady state cycle progresses and the body adapts and eventually very little stress is placed upon it (underload stage)?

Surely the needs aren't as great as in the overload stage so would it be simply wise to reduce quantity of supplements as the steady state progresses? Does this only go for certain supplements or all? (Obviously there is a minimum quantity to function optimally).

Thanks. Any thoughts appreciated.

[Timeline]

Whey is a great post-workout supplement, but overall your daily protein intake is what is going to matter. Make sure you are getting enough to satisfy your body's needs to help repair and stay healthy.

A good number for growth is 1g per pound of body weight or higher.

For maintenance .7-.8g per pound of body weight tends to work well.

These numbers will differ for each individual so play around with it. To help you see what you are really eating, a website like http://www.fitday.com can help you determine what your daily intake from macronutrient sources is.

[Gregor]

usualy is a recomended protein minimum for athletes in any sport, 2 grams per 1 kilogram of a body weight :wink:

[roman]

A good number for growth is 1g per pound of body weight or higher.

Actually I've read it's more like 1.25-1.5 grams per pound of bodyweight. Any more than that and you won't really get any extra benefits. But generally the more protein your body has available, the more your muscles will develop as a result. So as close as you can get to the 1.5g/pound the better. Of course this also depends on the amount of carbs/fats (macro-nutrients) overall you ingest during the day.

Bottom line, you need to eat 10-20% more calories than your BMR (Base metabolic rate) + Calories burned on daily activities each day to gain muscle mass. And also to make sure you get enough proteins in the 1.25-1.5g/pound range.

BMR: Your Basal Metabolic rate is the amount of energy that your body "burns" in a 24-hour period while doing absolutely nothing. If you were seated on your couch, watching TV for 24 hours, you would burn the equivalent of your BMR in calories. It's possible to estimate your BMR from a formula. Obviously, this wont be 100% accurate, but it gives you a pretty good idea of what your body needs to function. These formulas are:

MEN: BMR = 66 + (13.7 x weight in kg) + (5 x height in cm) — (6.8 x age)

WOMEN: BMR = 655 + (9.6 x weight in kg) + (1.7 x height in cm) — (4.7 x age)

Let's take, for example, a 29-year-old man, 5'9" (175 cm) and 207 pounds (94 kg):

BMR = 66 + (13.7 x 94) + (1.7 x 175) — (6.8 x 29)

BMR = 66 + 1287 + 297 — 197

BMR = 1453 calories

This man would burn 1453 calories in a 24-hour period, while doing absolutely nothing.

Depending on your daily activity, your actual Daily Energy Expenditure (DEE), or the amount of calories you burn in a day, will vary. You can estimate this amount by multiplying your BMR by an "activity" factor.

1.0 = sedentary (do nothing all day but eat potato chips and watch TV)

1.2 = very light activity (desk job, no training, some walking)

1.4 = light activity (no training, job might require some light physical labor)

1.6 = moderate activity (most of us: a physically undemanding job, but training on a regular basis)

1.8 = high activity (daily training plus a somewhat physically active job or lifestyle)

2.0 = very high activity (twice-a-day training, sports + training. or training + a very demanding job)

Taken from: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1715

[Gregor]

Actually I've read it's more like 1.25-1.5 grams per pound of bodyweight. Any more than that and you won't really get any extra benefits.

That's aprox. 3g per kilogram of bodyweight. 3g/kg per BW is MAX (for non steroid user of course)....But, if you are not on high protein diet, you won't need such big amount of proteins. It's enough if someone ingest 2g/kg per BW.

So if someone weights 70kg 70 X 2 = 140g of protein.

If you are on high protein, low carbohydrates diet: 70kg 70 x 3 = 210g of protein add 1 or 1,5g /kg per BW of good fat and regulate CH.

[Ortprod]

Gymrob,

Simple answer is to eat meat and vegetables on a normal basis for every meal other than post workout, get your fish oil, and stay away from GLUTEN. I have never found extreme amounts of protein to be beneficial, so I agree with staying in between 1g/kilo and 1g/lb lean body mass... but there is no real need to calculate other than for post workout if you are not a competing athlete.

Other than that, it really depends on what you are trying to do: maintain, lean out or gain mass?

[Ortprod]

BMR...

1.0 = sedentary (do nothing all day but eat potato chips and watch TV)

1.2 = very light activity (desk job, no training, some walking)

1.4 = light activity (no training, job might require some light physical labor)

1.6 = moderate activity (most of us: a physically undemanding job, but training on a regular basis)

1.8 = high activity (daily training plus a somewhat physically active job or lifestyle)

2.0 = very high activity (twice-a-day training, sports + training. or training + a very demanding job)

Taken from: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1715

Those numbers for the activity factor seem off... I could be wrong but isn't .5 for sitting around all day eating potato chips?

link:

http://board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=9804

[roman]

BMR...

1.0 = sedentary (do nothing all day but eat potato chips and watch TV)

1.2 = very light activity (desk job, no training, some walking)

1.4 = light activity (no training, job might require some light physical labor)

1.6 = moderate activity (most of us: a physically undemanding job, but training on a regular basis)

1.8 = high activity (daily training plus a somewhat physically active job or lifestyle)

2.0 = very high activity (twice-a-day training, sports + training. or training + a very demanding job)

Taken from: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1715

Those numbers for the activity factor seem off... I could be wrong but isn't .5 for sitting around all day eating potato chips?

link:

http://board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=9804

I've double checked it with other websites, and they all pretty much say the same... 0.5 actually makes no sense if you think of it because that will result in 50% of your BMR lol

By the way, you said about eating meat and veggies most of the time, other than post workout, I'm curious since you seem to have pretty good results in terms of strength and body composition, what's your daily caloric intake on workout vs. non workout days? And what are your stats in terms of LBM, Height, Weight, Age etc. ?

[Ortprod]

BMR...

1.0 = sedentary (do nothing all day but eat potato chips and watch TV)

1.2 = very light activity (desk job, no training, some walking)

1.4 = light activity (no training, job might require some light physical labor)

1.6 = moderate activity (most of us: a physically undemanding job, but training on a regular basis)

1.8 = high activity (daily training plus a somewhat physically active job or lifestyle)

2.0 = very high activity (twice-a-day training, sports + training. or training + a very demanding job)

Taken from: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1715

Those numbers for the activity factor seem off... I could be wrong but isn't .5 for sitting around all day eating potato chips?

link:

http://board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=9804

I've double checked it with other websites, and they all pretty much say the same... 0.5 actually makes no sense if you think of it because that will result in 50% of your BMR lol

By the way, you said about eating meat and veggies most of the time, other than post workout, I'm curious since you seem to have pretty good results in terms of strength and body composition, what's your daily caloric intake on workout vs. non workout days? And what are your stats in terms of LBM, Height, Weight, Age etc. ?

I just got back a couple days ago from Robb Wolf's seminar and we used .75 to calculate the activity factor for Crossfitters. Could have been a different formula?

I did the zone for a few months with mostly paleo foods. Right now I am doing a strict gluten free, dairy free, paleo diet without calculations (cept post workout). But I have a pretty good eye for the minimum amount of protein my body needs. I am trying to lean out obviously. I am 5'5", 178-180lb, 9-10% bf (I think), 23 y/o and my daily caloric intake is far below what anyone would normally think is healthy, but I don't have exact numbers. It's still around 16blocks of food (in Zone terms) with half my carbs cut out.

[Blairbob]

Cf'ers workout lasts an hour at most, 5 days per week plus maybe some sports and general activity. That's easily a day for an optional men's gymnast and possibly Gregor's day.

Most of my workouts are 2-3 hours from warmup to stretching and everything else. I'm supposed to get off my ass and do split workouts per day but just haven't gotten to it yet. That means probably 2-3 hours of skill work+strength/conditioning for another hour-90m.

Btw, zone multiplier is higher dependent on activity.

[Ortprod]

Thanks for clearing that up Blairbob