Racer X Virtual Trainer

Hey guys! I was just wondering how much protein you would recommend taking daily? It seems like I have a tough time building and maintaining muscle. I'm 5'7" tall and weigh about 135 on average. I would like to gain 5-10 pounds of lean muscle, and then maintain that weight. Thanks for all your help, your website is great!

GoonBoy,
When it comes to building new muscle a couple of things to keep in mind:

First, your muscles have to be subjected to load to stimulate growth. The difficulty comes in when it comes to big muscle groups: legs, shoulders, back, etc. These are big muscle groups and require more load levels than say biceps to fatigue enough to create a stimulus. Keep all of your strength exercises moto specific and calculate the load levels according to your season (for example, you don't want to be lifting heavy or super-setting during your race season). If you have any questions or need examples of what exercises specific to your season, please email me directly at robb3@earthlink.net.

Second, clinical research has revealed that the most muscle that you can create on a daily basis in an controlled environment is one ounce per day - this calculates to 23 pounds in a YEAR. So the products that hype excessive muscle growth is nothing more than marketing hype - it is not scientifically backed up (or it is not being achieved in a natural and safe manner!). As a general rule of thumb, I start my clients with .77 grams per pound of body weight. So if my client weighs 150 pounds times .77 equals 116 grams of high quality protein daily. Please keep in mind that this is specific to motocross and supercross. For my off road riders I use .64 grams per pound of body weight due to the increased endurance necessary for 2 and 3 hour races.
[NOTE: THESE CALCULATIONS ARE WERE I BEGIN. ADJUSTMENTS ARE MADE AFTER FOOD LOGS AND PERFORMANCE DATA ARE EVALUATED]

Without boring you with a bunch of blood chemistry, the goal is to keep the body in a nitrogen positive environment. When the body is nitrogen positive, it has adequate amounts of protein to repair and build new muscle on a daily basis. If you are experiencing low energy, excessive residual soreness, delayed recovery time, feelings of weakness, you could be experiencing low protein intake (and/or quality).

If you have any questions or need anything clarified, please don't hesitate to post back here.
-Robb Beams/MotoE

Thanks Coach Robb! I do race desert, but I work a full-time job outdoors as well. I try to get 2-4 days at the gym per week at about 60-90 minutes each day. Man, trying to figure out the perfect diet and workouts is tough!

GoonBoy,
Email me directly at robb3@earthlink.net and I will set you up with a simple program and meal plan to help you get on top of all this for you. If you are willing to put in the work, I would be happy to help direct your efforts to maximize your productivity. Looking forward to speaking with you soon!
-Robb Beams/MotoE

I would love to try it out! I've been killing myself trying to get it figured out on my own! Haha thanks again!

Please keep me posted on how you are feeling and improving with the suggested scheudle and menus.
-Robb Beams/MotoE