Starting Strength is designed for beginners to increase their strength, it is not a muscle building program. Starting Strength is meant to be followed for a few weeks or months to gain some basic strength and then you need to change to something else or else you will plateau and your gains will go backwards. If building muscle is your goal you will need to drop the weight and increase total volume and increase the amount of reps you do per set. Starting Strength is just too low on volume to produce any meaningful muscle gains.

Any extra protein which gets unused for muscle synthesis is going to be converted to fat which will end up accumulating around your belly and some will end up in your toilet. Human body can only process a certain amount of protein in a day. The rest of it goes to waste. Another thing that happens is extra strain on your digestive system and kidneys.

My goal is strength, building muscle would be a great second goal

Seems like protein is the new rage among the you tube trainers/bloggers.

My feed is loaded up with new videos/shorts of the trainers I watch preaching two new buzz words - protein and durability. Seems like a report or blog comes out and they all jump on the bandwagon.

Only one of them, and I forget which one, keyed in on the major point - 1.5-2 grams of protein per kg of LEAN body mass. We are, or should be, feeding our muscles - not our fat stores, water and dead weight.

If you gear up your intake based off total body weight - then you are simply feeding the fat!!

Gotta keep up with the all latest and greatest rages and buzz words while "doing my research" on personal health and nutrition.

Not necessarily just because you up your protein intake doesn't mean you are upping your daily calorie intake, when I decided to change my diet to get at least 1 gram per pound daily I weighed 185lbs and went all the way down to 164, at 6'1" that is more than I wanted to loose. Had to add to my daily calorie intake I'm 168 now and want to get back up to 172-175, the weight I'm putting back on is all lean muscle, this fall I turn 65 and I'm is as lean as I want to get. For the first time in years I'm visibly putting back on defined muscle and getting stronger, just had a physical Doc says my bloodwork looks good, BP is good and whatever I'm doing keep it up. I will say increasing your protein intake if needed isn't a magic bullet you have to put in the work, personally speaking it is working for me YMMV.

And like all rages, to many will think that if a little is good a lot will be better. It only took a very little to get me back up to the recommended amount.

I probably resemble what they call an "inactive" person far more than a "master athlete." The advice from this review article, at least implicitly, is to get off my arse and move.

It maybe ‘a new rage” but there is plenty of valid documentation out there about senior athletes on the subject. However, if you do not consider yourself an athlete, but a casual rider, just ignore it. Whether it is placebo or not, after hard rides (intensity or distance) I seem to be recovering more quickly and am not gaining weight.

The day before yesterday I did one of my more challenging hill climb routes and had my second best power output for 8 minutes at 260 Watts. I didn’t bag any personal records on the climb, but that wasn’t what I was after - just climbing 780’ in 2.3 miles. Yesterday I did a time trial ride and managed 18.3 MPH ave over 22 miles with 450’ of climbing with a considerable amount of time early in the ride, doing 14-16 MPH going through the city streets and doing a small hill climb. My average on the flats, for 18 miles was 20 MPH. I had second best times through 8 segments, some as long as 6 miles. Thought I would feel trashed this morning after such a hard effort, but feel relatively good. I know I am a sample size of 1, and consider myself a bit more athletic than my counterparts at 70, but I work hard, watch my diet, and consistently score in the top 5% in my age group 70-75. But what works for me, may not work for you or even being interested in being slightly competitive. All I know after upping my intake of protein is that recovery is better so I can go out and do it again without feeling the need for as many rest days. And isn’t that what it’s about? Getting out there? Not to mention delaying sarcopenia. You are entitled to be skeptical, which is fine since it doesn’t impact me in the least. Just go out there and enjoy yourselves.

Edit: Longest ride this year was 87 miles at 16 MPH average with 3,300’ climbing.

Protein trend is nothing new. Obsession with protein started way back in the 80's with bodybuilding and hardcore gym goers. The difference today is people who don't even lift weights and who aren"t bodybuilders are obsessed with protein. Just look around a local grocery store. And see regular foods like cerals, bread, dairy candy bars and all kinds of other foods loaded with extra protein. Another over hyped and over marketed thing is creatine. Nothing but marketing bs.

Well, I consider myself a bit of a wannabe athlete. I am genuinely interested in this issue. At age 62, I'm now below my high school weight, and am disappointed to feel weaker, fatigued, and far less capable than say 3 years ago, 25 lbs heavier. I think I lost a disproportionate amount of muscle, and I cannot discount the effects of aging. If I could turn this around simply by consuming more protein, I would, but I have trouble digesting protein supplements (protein drinks, whey powder) without unpleasant side-effects. Because I feel weaker, I have been riding less, and that review article made me realize that might be part of the problem. I genuinely appreciate your posts on the topic. I apologize if I gave an impression otherwise.

Many people, my wife included, have issues digesting many protein drinks. The only one that works for her is peanut butter protein powder. It even tastes fairly good. I use a whey based one in chocolate that ends up tasting like a milk shake.

I am losing muscle mass as well but certainly am not down to my high school or college weight which was 155. I weigh 165 now and don’t nearly have the muscle mass which means it is mostly fat, but at 6’1” it’s not a big issue. What I AM doing, starting 3 months ago, is going to the gym and lifting weights, doing leg press, leg lifts, squats and abdominal and upper body. Typically I am there for 45 mins, since it is not really my thing, but trying to preserve what muscle I have and maybe grow a little. The good thing about weights, besides its healthy for bone density, is that it also is very effective at burning calories. I lost 4 lbs just by hitting the gym and from what I read, it may not make you much stronger on the bike but it certainly helps with endurance. The best thing is that my insurance covers 100% of the fee at the Y. I was shocked.

Thanks. I am pretty sure we have that peanut butter powder around somewhere. I stopped the gym in 2020; I should head back.

I've just started with a cycling coach (online) who confirms that 2g/1kg of protein. I do notice a difference in recovery when Im able to digest that much. Its a new way to eat and recover for me, and eating 3-5 times a day is much, but Im working up to it. I also have a great chart of protein sources and the serving amount. I did not put this together, dont know who exactly did.

This is excellent and thanks for sharing your story.

I think there is something wrong with the Tofu entry (line 33). But it is a good (and digestible) form of protein (unless you suffer from a soy allergy).

i.e.,

Here is an unlikely place for a nutrition guide, USADA, but I found it mirrors to an extent what I am doing with my diet. Click on the pdf. It is quite good. https://www.usada.org/athletes/substances/nutrition/

That looks good. Thanks for posting.

Direct link to the PDF : https://www.usada.org/wp-content/upl...tion-Guide.pdf

Thanks for posting this Bob. There is a reason that the pro cycling peloton is at an all-time performance peak - the application of science in training and nutrition. People like Terry have understood this for a long time. These days I just need to exercise more. Some. Any.

The information is this publication and articles that have reference it point out one surprising bit of info - you may need to increase protein intake to help with recovery on days off.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40117058/

Thanks for providing the link.
Never would have considered upping protein on rest days - just maintaining a constant level. And for seniors, probably more important - but don’t want to go to extremes and tax the liver and kidneys.

I get a lot of my protein from non-meat sources, such as the plants I grow in my yard, such as Moringa leaves and many other "weedy" plants. I'm not a vegan/vegetarian, but I do love my greens.

When I do buy meat I like to source it from Regenerative sources, such as this guy's ranch -- zero X-icides/fertilizers used on his farm. He uses plants and animals to regenerate the soil, which is the foundation of all our health (plants and animals). https://whiteoakpastures.com/pages/o...mzc4Xwd77f4xAi

This is an interesting piece, both on the history and science of protein in our diet. It's an hour long, sorry for those of you who don't like long videos.

I've found a protein drink helps, but also snacking on nuts between meals really helps more. It's healthy, easily digestible protein and satisfying to eat between meals.

Marc

I do not dispute research findings when they are a product of rigorous analysis and compelling evidence, but when it comes to nutrition, there are all kinds of conflicting findings. But if one follows them and alters one's diet, I don't see any harm in it, especially if the diet is a positive step in the direction of one's goals. As I am not a professional athlete and not particularly concerned with "performance" I generally eat what I want and what I think is healthy. I feel pretty good on and off the bike, so I'm content.

Where does Chocolate fit into all this ? (especially 72% Dark ...)

Ride On
Yuri

Make mine 100% Cacao Organic Fair Trade in bar, flat, nibs, powder

Included when I prepare meals *Wildly Organic Fermented Cacao Nibs*