N=1 Series Part 8 Increasing Protein intake

Introduction

This is part 8 of 10 of the N=1 series of becoming a stronger cyclist for less than a cup of coffee a day. In this series I am going to take you through my journey from my local Masters C to Masters A in the space of 18 months, at the age of 57.

If you are reading this series for the first time, you can go back and read the

Introduction

Part 1, where I start with a daily smoothie and Creatine.

Part 2, where I incorporated sprint training into a weekly Zone 2 ride

Part 3, where I introduced strength training

Part 4, where I started taking sodium bicarbonate before races and strong group rides

Part 5, where I adopted a periodised and masters training plan

Part 6, where I completed Lactate Threshold and VO2 Max Testing

Part 7, increased Carbohydrate intake in races to 130g/hr

I've never been a person who fusses over how much protein they are getting. Up until about 3 years ago, I ate mainly a plant based diet for about 5 years. I was the casual vegan whose favourite meat was lamb. Old habits die hard. I worked hard on getting protein from a variety of sources and maintained good health and fitness during that time.  

This next intervention happened out of necessity, rather than by design. As I resumed working fulltime in April, I knew that I no longer had the pantry to raid for a morning or afternoon snack, so I put together a container of mixed nuts as a source of additional protein to stave off the hunger cravings to get me through the day.

This is more a retrospective view of taking in additional protein and then seeing the difference it made 5 months later, when I went back for my second round of tests with Mets Performance Testing. With only a handful of strength training sessions leading up to mid May when I was hit by a car riding home one night and cycling being my only source of exercise and major source of transport for commuting.

According to the two journal artciles cited in this blog, 

Protein intake appears to provide modest benefits to athletes in improving their performance, particularly by enhancing endurance. Subgroup analysis suggests that protein intake improves muscle glycogen levels and that the co-ingestion of protein with CHO is more effective for endurance athletes than high protein intake alone. (Frontiers in Nutrition, Nov, 2024)

Dietary protein intake is suggested to be an important factor in (1) facilitating muscle glycogen resynthesis under conditions of suboptimal carbohydrate (CHO) intake, (2) stimulating muscle protein synthesis rates during recovery, (3) attenuating post-exercise protein breakdown in catabolic states such as energy restriction (e.g. fasted training) and (4) replenishing oxidative amino acid losses during exercise. (Sports Medicine Journal, Mar, 2025)

In my own case, having some extra muscle on my bones is welcome. When I think back to being hit by a car, sliding across the bonnet, landing on the ground and being able to walk away and race two days later, I was grateful for the strength of my bones and the muscle I had around them. Cycling is a sport that will involve the occasional crash, so being able to bounce back from falls is important. Then there is the benefit of muscles being an energy store.

🥩 Purpose

This is a retrospective analysis of how increasing daily protein impacted my recovery, body composition, muscle retention, and overall cycling performance. While endurance athletes traditionally emphasize carbohydrates, mounting evidence suggests that optimal protein intake—especially for masters athletes—can support muscle maintenance, mitochondrial adaptation, and hormonal health. 

👤 Individual Focus

I’m a competitive cyclist in the masters category who trains 6 days a week, mixing long rides, intervals and sprint work. Being in my late 50s, I am prone to the loss of skeletal muscle mass at the rate of 1-2% per year as I age. Prior to eating a 100g of nuts each workday, my protein intake hovered around 1.7 g/kg body weight, mostly from whole foods, meat and protein powder. I raised it to 1.9 - 2.0 g/kg body weight, spread over the snacking part of the day using mixed nuts. 

🎯 Control and Measurement

Unless you buy all your food pre-packaged or have a professional chef and a dietician assisting with the preparation of your meals, most of this is purely guess work.  I have taken the opportunity to gather information about foods I routinely eat, such as oats for breakfast.  Prior to April 2025, I  estimate that I was getting about 1.7g of protein per kilogram, while the recommendation for active males was in the range of 1.6 - 2.2g/kg.

Protein Analysis: Before and After

Adding the 100g of nuts and 20.5g of protein increased my protein intake by close to 16% to almost 2g/kg. 

Mixed Nuts: Nutritional Analysis

The great thing about nuts is the great variety of macronutrients (protein, fats & carbohydrate) in them, plus the added benefits of fibre and micronutrients from plant based sources. Another benefit of Walnuts, Pecans and Almonds is the potential for Urolithin A to be released in the gut as a byproduct of the digestive process. Research showed some improvement in mitochondrial activity and autophagy. It decreased inflammatory markers and increased muscle strength and endurance, however, it did not affect gut microbiota composition and physical function.

📊 Data Analysis

After 5 months I went back to Mets performance testing and had an Inbody Composition Analysis done.   A few key findings stood out:

- Muscle retention: Lean mass improved slightly  across my upper and lower body (+1.0 kg), with slight drop (-0.3kg) in fat mass

- Energy levels: Felt more consistent day-to-day, especially during multi-session training weeks

- Satiety and mood: Felt less prone to post-training hunger crashes; mood and focus more stable

⚠️ Limitations

There were several caveats:

- N=1 design: No control group or blinding, so results might be influenced by other training factors

- Measurement variability: Body composition tracking methods (like bioimpedance) can be inconsistent

- Training load fluctuation: Minor shifts in workout intensity and volume weren’t always perfectly controlled

- Generalizability: Results may differ for other cyclists depending on age, metabolism, training style, or protein tolerance

- Correlation is not causation: It's possible that the structure of my training plan additional activities such as commuting to and from work each day in addition to training was responsible for the gain in muscle mass.

The Results

Sprint power: Intervention period compared to previous 12M and record power

Record power numbers from 3-21 seconds by 100 to 160 watts since increasing protein uptake.

Endurance power: Intervention period compared to previous 12M and record power

Record power numbers from 40 - 120 seconds, increased by 15-18% and 56 - 113min compared to previous 12M. 

The Cost

$1.57 per day, when buying nuts in 1kg bulk bags

Conclusion

To be adding muscle mass without strength training was a huge revelation. Once I understood the nutritional analysis of adding nuts to my daily food requirements, I could see that it was possibly filling a hole that in the past was too easily replaced by sweets and biscuits. The nuts taste great and I am now expanding the range of nuts I eat to get even more variety in my diet.

Journal Articles

The effect of protein intake on athletic performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Protein Nutrition for Endurance Athletes: A Metabolic Focus on Promoting Recovery and Training Adaptation

Pharmacological Effects of Urolithin A and Its Role in Muscle Health and Performance: Current Knowledge and Prospects