Too Much Protein Makes You Fat: Leucine Makes You Jacked...

   

Saturday...

More Saturday...

“Acting is a question of absorbing other people's personalities and adding some of your own experience.”

Sacrilege. Heresy. Rabble, Rabble, Rabble, Rabble. The ever typical reaction when you disparage protein in any way. Thankfully good things come to those who wait....or those who supplement. And there is too much of a good thing....at least when protein is involved.

You need not be ultimately aware of every action this little Macro-nutrient has within the body. A simple rudimentary explanation will do. Interesting this comes as a surprise to some. And tested gospel to a select few.

As you may recall from here, Protein is just amino acids strung together. Some are complete, meaning they have all they are capable of having, some are incomplete proteins like Soy and Nuts, meaning they are a portion of the whole. Obviously best to get the whole to call it protein. 

Having more muscle is a very fun and usually attractive way to be less fat. Having more muscle usually lends itself well to contractile potential meaning performance gets better. And having more muscle doesn't mean we are necessary bigger. It can simply mean better. All this can be achieved with those little wonderful Amino's. But like everything else, it's dose dependent.

WODing breaks down muscle. Eating protein introduces Amino Acids into the pool so the body then can use them repair said muscle. If twenty grams was good, thirty may have been better, and fifty may have been a touch too much. To much protein, unlike fat will glycate. Meaning it will turn to glucose through gluconeogenisis. As you know, glucose calls on insulin, insulin stores....yup fat. Therefore a dab will do ya, too much will screw ya.

What to do, what to do? Interestingly there is about 22 standard Amino's we contend with. Nine are essential, meaning we gotta eat to get em. Eleven are non-essentially meaning we will make em. The other two happen by way of internal mechanizing I will save for another post. The reason the excessive protein can be converted to glucose is because a whooping 18 out of the 20 amino's are glycogenic. Meaning they have the potential to become sugar, if they aren't needed elsewhere.

To ensure we remain in the green with our protein consumption allowing all of it to head towards rebuilding, not fattening may be as simple as one particular amino, timing, and cycling.

First start at no more than a gram of protein per pound of body-weight daily if your lean. If your not so lean go to one pound of lean body-weight. After you have your starting dose like everything else map your progress with BF measurements, the scale, the mirror, and WODs. After that, apply step two.

Leucine:

If you remember from above there are 18 glycogenic aminos. The other two, are ketogenic. Meaning they will be burned of as ketones...or fat. Leucine, and Lysine are the only two strictly ketogenic amino's, and Leucine in particular seems to make the whole lot of the amino's work a little better, Meaning we can take less, and earn more without the potential fat gain.

Leucine increases muscle protein synthesis up to ten times as much as other amino acids, with no chance of the possible glycation, making it very friendly to those looking to continue oodles of fat burning in our beloved ketogenic state.

Leucine seems to activate mTOR. An not to get to geeky on you, but if mTOR isn't activated, protein absorption, as muscle isn't very easy. However, with enough Leucine mTOR wakes up dedicating even the smallest amount of protien for the greater good. Making Leucine a sort of anabolic primer. 

So whats a good WODer to do? Try supplementing with 5 grams of the stuff pre-and post WOD. Hell take 5 grams with a meal or two. Wait. Then check the books. Did you get better, feel better, look better, have more energy? If that's a yes, keep Leucine as part of your arsenal. At the very least if you were living on 400 grams of protein a day, and just couldn't figure out why you can't see your abs...now you know.

Strength:

Deadlift

3,3,3,3,3

Chin-up

3,3,3,3,3

For Time:

15-Burpees

10-Deadlifts 185/275

3 Rounds

 Post time to comments.

Comments

[Mo]

155 dl
42lb chin up
3:27 (m)
Deadlift + Snatch = GOAT!

[jb]

thanks 6am for braving the ice

[vicki]

DL 165PR
CU SS
5:23m

[holly]

245 x 3 dl PR
30 x 3 cu
4:41
good job Vicki on that DL

[k]

wow. check out the CF Journal vid today. the chick on this team has a 700+lb squat...and look at her size. and what great lookin quads. yikes...ive never felt punier.

vicki...how cool on that DL PR. glad to see your WOD wound didnt hold ya back.

[STACY]

THANK YOU PRACTICE FRIENDS FOR SUPPORTING THE PIQUA CATHOLIC SCHOOL GRANT, WE TOOK THE PEPSI REFRESH CHALLENGE AND WON $50,000 FOR OUR SCHOOL! WE COULD NOT HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT YOU, YOU ALL ROCK!!!! THANKS FOR VOTING AND PROMOTING, I WILL NOT BOTHER YOU AGAIN FOR A WHILE! NOTICE I DIDNT SAY NEVER!

[jen w]

175 DL/ 12 CU/ 6:16 M

[#10]

395 dl
3:54
Thanks for the push and the pointers Chas. Ryan great work this morning. I think today was the first time i got to workout with ya. 9AM class always fun!!
Good Times!!

[Mindy]

Congrats Piqua Catholic!!!! Your school is lucky to have you to work so hard to promote them Stacy! Nice Work!

[heather mc]

195 DL x 3
12 x 3 CU's
6:56+ (wore 12lb weight vest)

[ABell]

do you have any recommendations for a leucine supplement?

Thanks

[jb]

ABell

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/special_reports/special_report_unleash_the_full_anabolic_potential_of_food

try that in your browser

[keena]

Looks fun.....but in my bed with flu even better:(

[NP]

Apparently Miami county is under a level 3 weather emergency.. guess today is a rest day now huh?

[vicki]

Thanks Holly and Kara!
So happy for Piqua Catholic. One of my alma maters. Way to go Stacy!!!

[joey franchise]

345 dlx3
4:43 I think
Good job Stacy thx for supporting my alma mater as well

[Chuck T]

295 deadlift x 3
45 chin up
4:54 (M) on wod

[B:)]

B :) 295DL, 3:43 WOD
Cody 455 DL, 90 CU, 4:42 WOD

[betsy]

225 dl
12 cu

[JN]

235 lbs dl
6:30(m)

[Prov2121]

255dl pr
90
5.18 m (225dl)

[chas]

265 pr deadlift

[shakeeiweiss]

Protein shake provides a healthy meal replacement or in addition, to help maintain a balanced diet and get all the essential minerals, vitamins, amino acids and nutrients to the body. However, there is a high possibility that some of these protein shakes can be fattening.