Protein - the key to recovery?

[Peter_k]

I'm noticing that whenever I travel, which is frequently, I seem to have a tough time at the gym. Part of it could be different equipment, etc., but it mostly has to do with diet, particularly consumption of adequate protein.

Usually I'll get anywhere 130-200 grams a day, which is adequate for my bodyweight (190). But if I'm traveling on the road for a few days, grabbing a couple sandwiches here and there, when I finally get to the gym I have a crap workout.

I usually get enough rest, and if anything I overeat when I'm not home, so I'm thinking it's the protein. Is it that important that a few days of say, only 50% of what you need will hamper recovery significantly?

I know these questions usually get referred to Lyle, but I really don't need a complex answer. In short, is having a crap, low-protein diet for a few days enough to prevent an increase in strength when it's usually due?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Sure. That, plus the disruption in routine, strange equipment, and travel is enough to produce a shit workout or two. If you're sufficiently curious about the effects of the protein variable, reproduce the situation at home with a low-protein diet for a couple of days and see what happens.

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

I would like to chime in on this.....having been deployed to Iraq twice for a total of 14 months, I discovered that all those years of making sure I counted every gram of protein to get to 1.5x my bodyweight was for naught. During my first deployment I had some of the most incredible lifting gains of my life living off of MRE's which are loaded with carbs and fat and a little low on protein. I also had a lot of inadequate sleep, stress, etc but I did make great gains in the gym. My calories were high but my protein was much lower than normal. I continued the lowered protein thing when I got home and the gains kept coming.

I am by no means a diet expert but I think the ultra-high protein thing is a little overblown when it comes to pure strength training (this does not hold true for making major changes in body composition) as long as the calories are there.

I do however think that having a good protein drink and some simple carbs directly after the workout greatly impacts recovery and is key to long term progress.