Higher Protein For Older Lifters? But How Much More?

[Erich Weidner]

Several mentions in the books and articles/forum that older folks, starting somewhere in the 40's need more protein than a younger lifter.

If 1g/lb of target body weight is generally correct for a male in their 20's/30's. What about later decades? How much more should this be increased?

What happens to the excess? Is it that older bodies don't digest all of the protein so we need more? (Say 25% just exits the body unconverted into calories "in"?)
Or does it still get processed as calories 100%, but just isn't as effective for muscle development. With net effect that you have to cut calories further from the other macros to make equivalent muscle development progress?

[Robert Santana]

I think that baseline weight is the best predictor regardless of body weight. To answer your question though, as we become older, especially if we are untrained, we become more insulin resistant and also tend to store fat easier. We also produce less hydrochloric acid when we get to be in our 60s and 70s so we aren't digesting and absorbing protein as effectively. That said shitty leverages are still shitty if you are old and if that is the case weight gain will be necessary, just over a slower time course.

[Cromwell]

I think that baseline weight is the best predictor regardless of body weight. To answer your question though, as we become older, especially if we are untrained, we become more insulin resistant and also tend to store fat easier. We also produce less hydrochloric acid when we get to be in our 60s and 70s so we aren't digesting and absorbing protein as effectively. That said shitty leverages are still shitty if you are old and if that is the case weight gain will be necessary, just over a slower time course.

As an about-to-be-47-year-old trainee, protein intake is the primary concern of my diet. I'm 200 lbs at 5'10", with a little belly fat. I've been training for a while, with modest lifts (3x5: squat 250lb, press 135lb, bench 180lb, dead 305lb).

I've been trying to consume about 180g protein per day and total calories of between 2000-2300 depending on what else I eat. Typically, that is timed like this:

8:00-8:30 am: Breakfast: 30g (usually greek yogurt and oats)
10:30-11:00 am: Mid-morning snack: 20g (a protein bar)
12:00pm-1:00pm: Lunch: 50g (lean protein like chicken or turkey
3:00-4:00pm: Afternoon snack 30g (protein shake)
7:00pm: Dinner 50g (lean protein, skim milk)

For a middle aged trainee, is this breakdown adequate? I read conflicting things about timing of protein and the ability to absorb/process protein, but frankly it is a confusing and inconsistent morass of information. If I were to materially increase protein consumption (say another 20g per day), then is it okay to add another protein shake or bar in the mix?

I feel fine in terms of total energy, etc, and my weight fluctuates only a tiny bit (between 196-203).

[Robert Santana]

How long have you been training? "Just worrying about protein" is not going to cut it once this gets hard. At any age.

[Cromwell]

How long have you been training? "Just worrying about protein" is not going to cut it once this gets hard. At any age.

I did not mention other macronutrients in my post, primarily because I find them easier to manage than lean protein sources. Vegetables, oats, legumes, rice, potatoes (sweet and regular) are big piece of my diet, and I have been experimenting with level of carbs needed to fuel my training (I am currently running a short linear progression in the advanced novice form as I return from a month layoff due to personal reasons). Fat seems to find me easily between the protein sources and things like olive oil (in salad dressing) or an avocado.

It's the protein, and the timing of it, that I seem to have more difficulty understanding and finding lean, whole foods sources.

[Robert Santana]

Fats are easy to get without even thinking about it. Carbohydrates become hard when your demands exceed ~250 grams. I get more complaints about getting enough carbohydrates in than any other macronutrient once concrete targets are set.