Jake, a college junior, is 6 feet tall and weighs 175 pounds. He has been lifting weights since he was a college freshman. Although he has gotten significantly stronger over the last 2 years, he decided he wants to have more muscle definition. He read (mainly on the Internet) a lot about nutrition and resistance training, especially about the role of protein and muscle growth, and decided to take a protein supplement to get bigger muscles and more definition. He has been taking the supplement for about 3 weeks. It consists of a whey protein powder, which he mixes with either water or milk. It contains about 60 grams of protein per serving, and he has 2 protein drinks per day.
His breakfasts consist of a protein shake; for lunch, he has a sandwich with extra meat and a small salad with fat-free dressing. He consumes another shake around 4 p.m. and isn’t hungry again until about 7 p.m. Yesterday for dinner, he ate 2-8oz chicken breasts with ½ cup of rice, a small salad with fat-free dressing, and an iced tea.
Unfortunately, this past week he noticed that during his lifting he was tired and could not lift as much weight as the week before. Today while lifting, he started to feel fatigued 20 minutes into the training session. He is not sure why he can’t finish his workout and thinks maybe he should eat more protein.
What role does protein have in resistance exercise?
What is causing him to be so fatigued that he cannot finish his workout?
Should he consume more protein? Justify your answer.
https://www.nal.usda.gov/human-nutrition-and-food-safety/fitness-sports-nutrition
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/eating-disorders
