Ever feel like you're swimming in a sea of conflicting fitness advice? Join me, Rob Maxwell, and special guest Dr. Buchanan as we cut through the noise and zoom in on the truth about protein and lean body mass. In this eye-opening discussion, we challenge the common misconception that all body mass requires equal nutrition. Uncover why it's paramount to tailor your protein intake to your lean body mass, not just your total body weight, and how this can revolutionize your muscle-building and fitness journey.
This episode is a treasure trove for anyone eager to fuel their body optimally while sculpting lean muscle. We dissect the science behind the recommended 1.4 to 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of lean body mass, sharing practical examples to help you adjust your own intake. Moving beyond mere fitness trends, we provide a concrete, scientific framework for your nutrition plan. So, for those ready to make informed decisions and elevate their health, it's time to recalibrate your diet with precision—your lean body mass will thank you!
Ever feel like you're swimming in a sea of conflicting fitness advice? Join me, Rob Maxwell, and special guest Dr. Buchanan as we cut through the noise and zoom in on the truth about protein and lean body mass. In this eye-opening discussion, we challenge the common misconception that all body mass requires equal nutrition. Uncover why it's paramount to tailor your protein intake to your lean body mass, not just your total body weight, and how this can revolutionize your muscle-building and fitness journey.
This episode is a treasure trove for anyone eager to fuel their body optimally while sculpting lean muscle. We dissect the science behind the recommended 1.4 to 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of lean body mass, sharing practical examples to help you adjust your own intake. Moving beyond mere fitness trends, we provide a concrete, scientific framework for your nutrition plan. So, for those ready to make informed decisions and elevate their health, it's time to recalibrate your diet with precision—your lean body mass will thank you!
Speaker 1:
Welcome to.
Speaker 1:
There is a Method to the Madness. My name is Rob Maxwell, I'm an exercise physiologist and personal trainer. I'm the owner of Maxwell's Fitness Programs and I've been in business since 1994. Writing programs, administering programs, following programs it's all about the programs. People, we want to follow a plan and the purpose of the plan today is to educate you on what science really says so you can make better decisions.
Speaker 1:
I'm going to do a follow-up on protein today because a great question came from one of our clients, dr Buchanan, and after talking to her I said you know what? That is very, very true. I got to clarify that with people and I'm leaving you hanging and I will get into what that clarification is in one second. Because first we need to thank our very first and most loyal sponsors, jonathan and Lynn Gildan of the Gildan Group at Realty Pros. And look, they are simply committed to providing the highest level of customer service in home selling. And you know what? They have the sales and they have the reviews to back it up and they have the reviews to back it up. If you need help, give them a shout 386-451-2412.
Speaker 1:
All right, so let's talk a little bit more about this protein thing. So the other day I gave you the clarification on just how much protein you need if you are training, if you are trying to become more physically fit. As hopefully we all know by now, protein is a repair macronutrient, meaning we need it to help our muscles grow, we need it for our cells to grow. So protein is our repair macronutrient and we need just enough. And if you remember from the last podcast and if you haven't listened, go back and check that one out first, because you'll see more of what I'm talking about here in this podcast. But we remember that we need 1.4 to 1.8 grams per kilogram of body weight to really determine what our protein needs are. So 1.4 on the lower end if you're physically active and 1.8 on the higher end if you're really, really physically active and really putting a lot of time and energy into trying to gain muscle. You probably want to be closer to the higher end.
Speaker 1:
But here's the key. So Dr B brought up and really we were having just a good conversation about it, because she was talking about how she doesn't feel like she's getting enough protein based on those recommendations and, as we kicked the know, kick the can down the road a little bit, we're talking about what she was eating. You know, I came to the conclusion. It's like, well, you know, we have to base this off of our lean body mass, and you know not to really, you know, just kind of pat myself on the back with these podcasts, but that's why this podcast, I think, is very important, because it's questions like that, because there is a method to the madness. So, when the nutritional scientists are coming up with protein recommendations or free fatty acid recommendations or carb recommendations or calorie recommendations, or free fatty acid recommendations or carb recommendations or calorie recommendations or micronutrient recommendations, whatever, like, they're coming up with the research that they have and they're basing it off of numbers that they're currently using.
Speaker 1:
Now, what we forget, though, is that, when they're giving weight requirements, the weight needs to be in lean body mass, because we don't really need to feed our fat mass. So take, for example, somebody who is 170 pounds ish and they're roughly 10% body fat, so that puts their lean mass closer to around 150 pounds. So that is the lean mass that we need to feed. That's the lean mass that is metabolic. Like fat mass isn't metabolic.
Speaker 1:
Now you could argue, a person that has a higher percentage of weight in totality, whether it be lean mass or fat mass, is going to burn more calories walking around. Well, yes, that's true, because they're simply carrying a heavier load everywhere that they go. I mean, that would be like saying, if you grab a couple 25 pound dumbbells and everywhere you walk that day, that you're not burning more calories. Well, of course you are. So the weight is basically external, because you could almost look at the fat weight as being external in many ways, because it is kind of like you know for lack of a better word dead tissue, like you're not feeding that tissue but you're still going to burn more calories with it walking around.
Speaker 1:
But when we're talking about ingestion of calories, we can't count that weight because that weight isn't feeding off of the energy that you're bringing in. So you have to count your lean body mass. So when you're doing your protein calculations at home, you're going to have to use your lean body mass, or a very good estimate of it to figure that out. Or you might be really over consuming protein because, look, let's just use the 170 versus 150 example and I'm using that because essentially that's my number. So I'm about 170 pounds and I'm about 10% body fat and that equates to somewhere around 150 pounds of lean mass give or take. So if I'm using that number divided by 2.2 times 1.8, because I stay to the higher end that's going to be a good 20 to 30 gram of protein difference between if I use the 170 pounds. So obviously, or hopefully obviously the 150 number is going to show a 20 to 30 decrease in the absolute grams of protein that I need, and that's a 10%, which is a pretty low number. So if your body fat is closer to 20% I mean, then we're talking a difference of, say, 35 or 40 pounds of body weight, like you could be. 140 pounds, have 20% body weight, body fat and really your lean mass is only around 95 to 100 pounds. That's far different than 140 when you're doing your calculations. By the way, I'm spending time on protein here, but this could be for any calculations that you're making.
Speaker 1:
So the question is going to come up how do I figure out my lean mass? And I do think it's important to figure it out at least to a very close standard deviation of accuracy If you're concerned with logging your food, counting your macronutrients, counting your micronutrients, because again, you want to base it off of your lean body mass. So Best thing to do is to have your body fat checked. I mean, I'm an exercise physiologist so I use skin fold calipers to check body fat and that's got a standard deviation of only 3.5, which is pretty darn accurate, actually, you know, 3.5 isn't bad. Now, if you're using your scales at home, like the ones you step on or whatever, keep in mind there's a standard deviation of 9 to 11 percent. That's pretty darn high. So that's not going to be accurate.
Speaker 1:
If you are lucky enough to have a DEXA scan available to you somewhere I know there's one in Orlando here my good friend give a shout out to old Harpreet in California has had it done out there. You know, if you can get DEXA done, then great. So DEXA or skinfold calipers are really, you know, the best to use. Dexa can be a little more expensive and you have to go to more of a medical lab to do it, but it's definitely accurate. I know we've had some issues with our California friend with maybe it not being overly accurate, but for the most part they tend to be pretty accurate. And again, skin full calipers are pretty darn accurate for how easy they are, but the scales are not accurate.
Speaker 1:
So we do want to get a good measurement of our body fat before we start using all of these numbers. Or else you know we're really kind of not adding up the correct number. So that would be step one to have that done. Get that checked by a true professional. Make sure they've got the ACSM credentials or NSCA credentials or NASM credentials to check that so they really know how to check your body fat. And or make sure you go to a lab and get a DEXA scan.
Speaker 1:
So that's step one. And then step two is taking that lean body mass number. Sometimes it's under LBM, so lean body mass or FFM fat-free mass might show up on the report. That's the number there. And then you would multiply that by whatever you're using for calories. Let's say you're using the 12. Some people multiply by 12. Some people multiply by 10. Again, that's an estimate. And again, getting back to protein, you would use that number to go back to the 1.4 to 1.8.
Speaker 1:
All right, so that's a great question and comment by Dr B and it got me thinking. You know, I really need to clarify that because that is a huge point and again, that's why you listen to the method, to the madness I mean. So if we just break this down. Think about it. Your lean body mass is active live tissue that needs to be fed. The fat isn't. So why are we using numbers that are feeding the fat, right? So I'm glad we clarified that. That's why we listened to the show.
Speaker 1:
I need you to share it. I need you to download it. We need to get people really more scientific in what they're doing, because then we just save a lot of time of making mistakes, right? Then we just like we're just not following people on Instagram or social media telling us what to do. You know we listen to it and go oh, that's why. And when you say that, I feel happy, because then I know I've done my job All right. Speaking of happy, I have never been happier with a garage door company than Overhead Door of Daytona Beach. They're phenomenal. They have the best garage doors. Hey look, man, they're so good. They just went into Costco Like Costco hired them. You know how big that is. I mean, that's a huge chain that hired Overhead Door to put in their doors. So that's pretty cool. If you need help, give them a shout at overheaddoordaytonacom.