Getting enough protein and recovery times?

[Vintovka]

Two quick questions:

First:
How do you guys get enough protein each day? I've been eating lean beef, eggs and cheese plus I bought some whey protein (23g per scoop, usually double this per glass, two glasses a day and maybe a scoop in my oatmeal). I know I should be getting 1.5-2g a day based on lean body weight, I'm 6'3" and scale reads 265 lbs, I've been aiming for around 400g a day but usually only getting to half that by my estimate. I'm already eating a half dozen eggs a day and don't think I can stomach much more than that

A normal day's diet breaks down like this:

1. oatmeal (maybe +whey protein) 8am
2. shake, double scoop whey 12pm
3. top round/sirloin tip/shoulder steak 12pm
4. garlic chicken and brocolli stir fry with steamed rice (I know I have to let this go, hard to do, heh) 5pm
5. shake, double scoop 8pm
6. half dozen scrambled eggs 10pm

And secondly:

I worked my chest and triceps for basically the first time ever on Thursday. 3 sets of 10 dumbbell flys, 3 sets of 12,9,8 respectively incline press and 3 sets of 8 skull crushers. I was sore Thursday as expected, a little more on Friday then on Saturday I couldn't raise my arms past 90 degrees. It's better today but not gone, I did go out drinking Friday night and only managed about 6 hours sleep, so I figure that played into it.

I haven't lifted anything since Thurs, not wanting to worsen the condition, is this unusual given the circumstances?

Thanks much

 

[Throttle]

How do you guys get enough protein each day? I've been eating lean beef, eggs and cheese plus I bought some whey protein (23g per scoop, usually double this per glass, two glasses a day and maybe a scoop in my oatmeal).

My advice is to run with this for a little while, see how it goes for you, stick to it, and add protein at the margins.

It's better today but not gone, I did go out drinking Friday night and only managed about 6 hours sleep, so I figure that played into it.

I haven't lifted anything since Thurs, not wanting to worsen the condition, is this unusual given the circumstances?

Doesn't sound particularly unusual -- you're asking your body to do something it's never done before. However, to minimize future soreness:

- keep well hydrated, esp. when eating that much protein. a true friday night bender obviously sets you back there. as does my typical daily caffeine intake

- learn to stretch. this is much more important after your workout than before or during.

- learn to warm up slowly & deliberately, starting with ridiculously low weights (or none at all). this is explained well in other threads, but it's difficult to warm up too much--most of us rush this part.

- keep eating enough protein & getting post workout carbs. especially if you miss that post-workout window, your body will miss its golden opportunity to start rebuilding right away.

- don't do a chest/tri day until they're completely recovered -- but a 3 day split means that's 7 days later, and I hope they're recovered by then (we're talking seek a doctor's advice if they aren't!) Meanwhile, waiting an extra day for back or leg work isn't a terrible idea. But your future goal will be to get in all 3 days of your split per week, so the above tips are more important.

I know that in my bad old days of heavy upper-body work, i often had trouble lifting my arms (sore shoulders or tris) or straightening my arms (tight biceps) 2 days after a brutal workout. Focus on growing with bench, deadlifts, and squats, and you're less likely to overtrain your tris & bis, and get real growth with the 90% of your muscle mass that really counts (your tris and bis will keep up)!

 

[Warboss Alex]

If you're getting half your protein needs, you're doubling your recovery time.. simple as that.

At 2g protein per lb I recovered well and didn't get sore very much. At 2.5g protein per lb I didn't get sore at all and my strength gains were ridiculous. Only problem is, that much protein is expensive.. :/ and the hydration required is equally impractical. Talk about pregnant.

 

[RedPill]

How do you get enough protein?

You do what I did yesterday... COOK!

My line of work prevents me from having much time to prepare food daily, and I'm tired of missing my protein goals all the time, so yesterday I decided it's time to up the ante. I bought 13 lbs of chicken and 12 lbs of beef and spent all day yesterday cooking various stews with the meat. These stews are badass. It's almost all meat (with some fibrous veggies), very little liquid. The meat is very tender. I froze the stews in a bunch of containers that yield portions with 60g of protein. There's no way in hell I can't get enough to eat now. 4 meals a day (out of 6-7) is as simple as pull 4 containers (different flavors) out of the fridge when I leave the house.

When I move next spring, I will be buying a chest freezer and will keep cooking mass quantities, constantly building my supply of frozen meals. The bottom line though is you get enough to eat by wanting it bad enough that you will break through any barrier in your way to get the job done.

 

[Throttle]

redpill's advice here is money. learning to cool a handful of different styles of lean protein is the easiest way to eat lots of protein in interesting ways, b/c you can always change the spices for variety. You're scrambling eggs, so that's a start. Now you need to try your own stir-frying (skip the rice) or grilling your own chicken. Stews are ridiculously easy, and though you need to commit a basic chunk of time, it scales up really easily, as redpill suggests.

 

[Vintovka]

Thanks

Thanks for the advice, feeling much better today. I realized I definately need to warm-up more.