Published Sun March 4th, 2024

Up the Protein Intake for Enhanced Bodybuilders!

“Yeah you know, I am sauced up, so I need 400g protein per day.”

“All the biggest guys ate massive amounts of protein, that’s evidence enough for me.”

I have heard it all and done it all coming up through the pro ranks. Personally, I have done the massive protein intake of 400+g and I have gone low as 1g per lb of body weight. As bodybuilders we are not ones to ever do too little of something. Whether it is more protein, more training, or even more PEDs. But there is usually a sweet spot for most things, so we don’t under do it and lack progress nor over do it and impede our health.

I really wanted to know do you actually need more protein if you are enhanced?

Unfortunately, that study of comparing varying protein intakes amongst PED users does not exist. I think the modern day research ethics board is not going to approve. So, we have to make do with the research we have available.

Digging through some old studies on supra-physiological doses of testosterone and rate of muscle gain in relation to protein intake. Bhasin 1996, took 40 subjects and divided them into 4 groups 600mg testosterone with resistance training and without, or control group with resistance training or without.

The protein intake was set at 1.5g/kg/BW. This is low for bodybuilding standards.

So these 80kg were consuming 128g of protein on average and in a calorie surplus (36kcal/kg). The only group to have a significant increase in fat free mass was the testosterone and resistance training group, they gained ~13lbs of muscle in 10 weeks.

Over 1lb of muscle per week on suboptimal protein and IMO suboptimal training as well.

Next Bhasin in 2001, then looked at the dose response of testosterone in 61 men, separating them by 25, 50, 125, 300, and 600mg dose for 20 weeks.

No weight training was conducted, protein intake set at 1.2 g/kg/BW. The 125, 300, and 600mg increased fat free mass by 7,11, and 18lbs respectively.

Again 600mg of testosterone adding nearly 1lb of muscle per week on suboptimal protein and NO weight training!

So, what are you saying? Less protein goes farther with supraphysiological doses?

Yes!

What we see is an increase in protein synthetic efficiency (Church, 2019). Testosterone can increase protein synthesis rates and pull amino acids from protein breakdown to be incorporated into tissue. So, we see an improved ratio of protein synthesis to protein breakdown i.e. your same protein dose becomes more effective.

Think about who would really requires the most protein?

It would be a guy growing at the fastest muscle gain rate possible right. Like the guys in the study gaining 18 lbs of muscle in 20 weeks! So, a IFBB Pro that is only adding on 5lbs of muscle in an entire year needs more protein? That doesn’t make sense, he simply is not adding near the amount of protein at the same rate. Now, keep in context as body weight increases protein intake will scale up as well.

The question to make is if the guys in the study above had another group that doubled the protein intake would they have grown more? Great question to ask. I can only speak anecdotally that even those consuming excessive protein intakes we still aren’t seeing anyone repeatedly gain 20lbs of muscle per year.

Now, I am by no means a minimalist and want to make sure we all are covered for protein needs. Current science based recommendations range from 0.8-1.4g/lb of body weight per day (Helms, 2014). Then also speaking from in the trench coaching experience many bodybuilders fall within this range and are some of the largest guys in the sport. For myself, this current 2023 offseason I have gone from 220 in the pic on the left to 254lbs, while using 1.3g per lb of protein. This is also counting protein from all macros not just meat sources.

So, natty or enhanced, I can’t justify changing the protein recommendations as 1-1.5g/lb of body weight will cover most needs. This is highly likely going to fully cover all needs whether you are a newbie, natty or enhanced bodybuilder.

If you want evidence based and experience driven coaching education. J3 University is the place to up your coaching game. Join one of our courses for more deep dives into Nutrition, Training, and all things Physique Enhancement.

John Jewett

J3U Founder & Educator

MS, RD, J3U-PC

References

Bhasin et al. The Effects of Supraphysiologic Doses of Testosterone on Muscle Size and Strength in Normal Men. N Engl J Med. 1996 July; 335:1-7.

Bhasin et al. Testosterone dose-response relationships in healthy young men Am J Physiol Endocrine Metab. 2001 Dec; 281 (6):E1172-81.

Church DD, Pasiakos SM, Wolfe RR, Ferrando AA. Acute testosterone administration does not affect muscle anabolism. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2019 Aug 22;16:56. doi: 10.1186/s12986-019-0385-0. PMID: 31440303; PMCID: PMC6704643.

Helms ER, Aragon AA, Fitschen PJ. Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2014 May 12;11:20. doi: 10.1186/1550-2783-11-20. PMID: 24864135; PMCID: PMC4033492.

Published Tue February 6th, 2024

Episode 112: Nutrition to Retain Muscle During Fat Loss

In the third installation of this series, John and Luke dive into cardio and how to approach and maximize your cardio strategies to retain muscle.

Timestamps

Adherence 03:05

Rate of Loss Issues 06:57

Lower Output vs. Higher Food Days 14:10

Refeeds for Higher Performance 19:13

Closing Discussion 24:33

John Jewett

J3U Founder & Educator

MS, RD, J3U-PC

Published Wed November 22th, 2023

Episode 101: Getting Huge on Thanksgiving

In this episode, John and Luke talk about about how to jacked on Thanksgiving! Legs, desserts, naps, and much more are covered in today’s podcast.

John Jewett

J3U Founder & Educator

MS, RD, J3U-PC

In this episode of the J3U Podcast, John and Luke are joined by Astrid Naranjo, also known as @antidiet_dietitian on Instagram to discuss sustainable dieting in bodybuilding.

Timestamps:

Intro 00:00

The Spectrum of Athletes 05:43

Objectivity in Competing 17:51

Creating Emotional Stability 27:14

Must-Do’s Between Coach & Athlete 44:26

Closing Discussion 51:20

In this episode of the J3U Podcast, John and Luke discuss protein intake and its relativity to growth. How much do you actually need? How much is too much? Tune in to find out.

Timestamps:

Intro 00:00

Protein’s Role in Recovery Capacity 08:26

PED’s and Protein 19:51

Protein ‘Periodization’ 29:31

Safety Around High Protein Intakes 39:51

In this episode of the J3U Podcast, John and Luke discuss carb cycling, its necessity, and its application, alongside how you can use it for your own athlete or client journey.

Timestamps:

Intro 00:00

Psychological Benefits 08:31

Nutrient Timing 14:02

Changes in Performance 21:45

Nutrient Partitioning 29:41

Closing Discussion 35:18

In this episode of the J3U podcast, John & Luke discuss everything you need to know for how to make weight for a show. It’s crunch time, check-ins are approaching, and you need to make weight. What do you do? Listen in to find out.

Time Stamps:

Intro 00:00

Timeline Considerations 03:41

Ideal Circumstances 08:14

Water Manipulation 20:33

Post Weigh-In Strategies 28:51

Closing Discussion 35:46

In this episode of the J3U podcast, John & Luke discuss the nuances and troubles associated with post-show binging. We dive into post-show management, how to recover from a binge, and how you can set yourself up for success long before the post-show phase even starts.

Time Stamps:

Intro 00:00

Planning in Advance 08:27

Post Show Eating 12:17

Creating Autonomy 17:20

Responding to the Binge 26:28

Fluid Management 32:50

Outro 38:22

In this episode of the J3U podcast, Joe Jeffery from the Physique Collective joins us to discuss carb loading during peak week, his methodology, and how we can better approach carb loading for athletes across the board.

Time Stamps:

Intro 00:00

Joe’s Peak Week Assessment 05:23

Testing Glycogen Load 19:42

What if it Doesn’t Work? 31:00

Carb Sources 44:17

Fat Loading 54:27

Outro 1:03:29

In this episode, Calum Raistrick of Procoach joins Luke & John to discuss water manipulation, the role it can play for athletes, how it may ruin your peak week, and what you should consider when making choices around it.

Time Stamps:

Intro 00:00

Water Manipulation 03:28

PED Considerations 19:44

Timing 29:48

Show Day Considerations 40:15

Combining Theory & Practice 48:44

Outro 58:30