For some, this is exciting, for some it's a hard eye roll, and for some it's just terrifying.
So, what we're going to to is break it down, explain it in pieces, make it simple, and then provide a free self-populating macro template for knowing what your protein, carb, and fat levels should be, as an athlete, regardless of your goal!
For starters, this is for everyday athletes. What does that mean? Well, for these purposes we'll call an athlete someone who works out 4-6 days a week, utilizes active recovery days, and has a generally responsible caloric breakdown. The "everyday" part is that it is assuming someone who is not an athlete for a living.... your life doesn't literally revolve around fitness.
Protein:
Protein levels for everyday athletes can go between 1.2g/kgbw and 1.8g/kgbw (with no positive return above 1.8g/kgbw).
On the low end, you may see protein suggestions as low as .8g/kgbw (or even lower) but this is for sedentary individuals, not athletes.
On the other end of the spectrum you may hear from your broscience sources that you need up to 2 grams per pound of bodyweight.... no..... just... no. That number would be nearly impossible to hit no matter what means you employed and 100% impossible to hit while keeping your carbs and fats anywhere remotely close to where they should be. Furthermore, there has been no scientific demonstration of benefit beyond 1.8grams/kg of bodyweight in protein consumption.
Carbs:
Carbs are.... complicated.
But first things first, say it with me: "carbs are our friends"
Again, carbs are a tale of two extremes. On one hand, many will say that athletes need as much as 6 grams all the way up to 10 grams per kg of body weight.
Not only will most people be able to successfully perform at much lower levels (between 2.5g and 5g per kg of body weight), most will find these lower levels still provide enough glycogen stores for energy, performance, and recovery while maintaining current body weight on the scale.
On the other extreme (super popular right now...) is people suggesting sub-optimal carb levels in order to lose weight. These plans suggest 65g a day on a regular basis, many opting for as low as 35g per day, some plans even lower. Here's the thing.... most people can maintain a state of ketosis at 50g of carbs a day and almost everyone will be in a full state of ketosis at 35g per day.
With that in mind, regardless of body weight, 100g - 150g of carbs a day should be considered your bare minimum (this is your "floor") when not in an aggressive, short term cut phase (*note that a cut phase should be no longer then 12 weeks and shouldn't be entered into more often than every 6-9 months). Furthermore, most people can completely fill their usable carb fuel tank with ~6g-7g per kg of body weight (~500g) - this is your "store".
Fat:
Fat can actually be ignored, for the most part. As long as you are keeping your protein and carbs where they are supposed to be, your fat will typically fall in line.
That said, your fat intake will vary some, depending on your goals, but should always remain in the .5-1.5g/kgbw range.
For most athletes the sweet spot for fat intake during maintenance will be between 44g and 78g per day.
So, what now?
Everyone will need to play with the carbs and protein a bit to find their sweet spot and this will take a few weeks (you haven't "proven" yourself anything after one "bad" week.....).
Yes, you can check the scale, but remember what a poor overall representation of health weight really is.
You are an athlete.
Listen to your body.
How do you feel during the workout?
Did you have enough fuel in the tank to finish Strong?
Do you sleep well at night?
How is your DOMS the next day?
What about on day 2?
What is your mood like? Are you hangry?
Do you feel like you are depriving or thriving?
Here are some general starting points based on your specialization:
For endurance athletes: Your protein should be on the lower end of the spectrum (1.2g/kgbw)
and your carbs will be on the higher end (closer to your "store").
For Olympic lifters and power lifters: Your protein will be the top end (1.8g/kgbw)
and your carbs will be at the lower end of mid-range (2.5g/kgbw).
For Crossfitters and HIIT: Your protein will be nearer to the top end (1.8g/kgbw)
and your carbs will be fall somewhere in the midline (2.5g-5g/kgbw) depending on how many days a week you workout, how many wods you do per day, and at what level of intensity you operate.
For people wanting to actively Cut: Move protein towards 1.5-1.8g/kgbw
while moving carbs to 2g/kbbw and fat to .67g/kgbw.
If you plateau, you can adjust one step further while still maintaining these median ranges by taking carbs to your "floor" (100g a day) and fats down to .5g/kgbw.
The majority of athletes, regardless of your specialization, intensity, or frequency, can find a successful level of carbs between 2.5g and 4.5g per gram of body weight.
Example: Maintenance levels for providing excellent energy for 6 days a week of HIIT, while transitioning body comp (dropping body fat and building lean muscle) could look like
1.2g-1.8g/kgbw in protein, 2.5g-3.5g/kgbw in carbs, and .75g-1.3g/kgbw in fats.
Macro Levels:
Protein: 1.2, 1.5, or 1.8 grams per kilogram of body weight.
Carbs: 100 carbs per day, 2.0, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, 5, 6, grams per kilogram of body weight. As a general rule, male athletes will approach their "store" at about 6.25g/kgbw and female athletes at 7g/kgbw.
Fat: .5, .67, .75, 1.0, 1.3, 1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight.
Click HERE to get my self-populating template with full instructions (Excel).
All you have to do is click the 3rd tab at the bottom ("Macro Calculator") and enter your weight in Pounds and the spreadsheet will convert everything and give you all of your macros!
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