Building Strength: The Power of Lean Proteins and Exercise for Tactical Athletes

By, Kelli Reese – O2X Nutrition Specialist

For firefighters, first responders, and law enforcement officers, maintaining peak physical condition is not just a personal goal—it’s a professional necessity. The demands of the job require strength, endurance, and resilience thus making a balanced diet and regular exercise regimen essential components of your daily routine. Among the myriad of dietary choices, lean proteins stand out as essential elements in building and maintaining the lean muscle mass that supports these demanding roles. Not only do they play a crucial role in muscle growth and repair, they also aid in weight management, boost metabolism, and enhance overall well-being. Whether you’re responding to emergencies, engaging in physically demanding activities, or ensuring public safety, incorporating lean proteins into your diet is an important step in optimizing performance and health. This article will dive into the benefits of lean proteins, how they contribute to building lean muscle, and practical tips for including them in your daily meals, specifically geared towards the unique needs of first responders.

The USDA defines lean meats and poultry as those that contain less than 10g of total fat, 4.5 g or less of saturated fat and less than 95 mg of cholesterol per 100g1. Examples of lean protein include:

• Boneless skinless chicken and turkey breast
• Loin cut meats such as pork loin, sirloin and tenderloin
• 93% (or higher) ground beef
• Pork chops
• Sliced smoked or roasted ham
• Lamb
• Ground chicken and turkey breast
• Game meats such as bison and venison
• Tuna
• Tofu, soy beans
• Lentils
• Beans

Incorporating lean proteins into your diet offers several health benefits, especially for those in physically demanding professions. For adults who regularly strength train about 60 minutes/day, it’s recommended to consume 1.6-1.8 g of protein/kg body weight/day2. Amounts of 2.0 g/kg body weight/day or higher can be advantageous for those who strength train more frequently or are competitive athletes. However, simply eating any high protein food shouldn’t necessarily be the goal as high fat proteins (bacon, sausage, high fat burgers, hot dogs, etc.) can increase overall body weight, fat mass and increase your risk for heart disease3.

How lean proteins aid in lean muscle building has to do with their building blocks, also known as amino acids. There are 20 amino acids in total, nine of which are essential. Essential amino acids must be consumed through the diet since our bodies can’t produce them on their own. Leucine is one of these nine essential amino acids, and it plays a particularly important role in building lean muscle mass. Known as the ‘king amino acid’ leucine is thought to be particularly important in muscle protein synthesis as it aids in transporting other amino acids into the muscle where they can further be used to build muscle4. Foods particularly high in leucine include: tuna, salmon, eggs and chicken. It’s recommended to consume 2-3 g of leucine in a post-training meal for strength athletes looking to increase lean muscle mass5. This can look like 1 cup of low fat cottage cheese, 1 can of tuna, 4 eggs, 1 ½ cups Greek yogurt, 3 ½ – 4 ½ oz of lean poultry, beef or pork.

To maximize the benefits of lean proteins and strength training, timing is key. Before your workout be sure to fuel with adequate amounts of carbohydrates. Yes, that’s right, carbohydrates! Carbs are our bodies preferred fuel source, it’s what gives us the energy we need to lift heavy weights (or really any weight) and get the job done. Aim for ~35g of carbs and 15g protein (or about a half a tuna fish sandwich) before your workout6. Afterwards is where protein becomes most vital. It’s recommended to consume roughly 20g of protein within 3 hours post-workout to aid in muscle protein synthesis, plus ~50-75g carbs to help refuel glycogen stores7,8; this can be found in the same foods and amounts as noted about for leucine plus a ½-1 bagel, 2-3 cups cooked rice or noodles or perhaps 2 medium pieces of fruit.

Adding lean proteins to your diet doesn’t have to be complicated. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help get you started:

1. Starting at the grocery store (since most dietary change starts here), section off your cart into food groups or categories. Therefore, lean proteins, produce, carbs, snacks, beverages and ancillary items like condiments take up their own section in your cart. This way you stay organized and can conceptualize different meals as you go along.

2. Meal prep. This is a great way to stay organized and on task to help increase your lean protein intake. While it can require a fair amount of up front work and time it can certainly pay off in the long run if you have a busy week ahead.

3. Leftovers. On the flip side ‘cooking intentionally for leftovers’ is another way of ‘meal prepping’ that requires far less up front time and work. This is where you cook ‘a little extra’ at any given meal so that way you have leftovers for the next 1-3 meals. So, instead of cooking 1-2 chicken breasts you make 2-3, or instead of making 1 cup of rice you make 2. This is particularly helpful if you’re short on time and/or suffer from the meal burn out of traditional meal prepping as your leftover lean proteins can be incorporated in a variety of different dishes.

Achieving and maintaining peak physical condition is crucial in meeting the job demands of firefighters, emergency medical personnel, and law enforcement officers. By incorporating lean proteins into your diet, combed with a structured exercise regimen, you can significantly enhance your muscle growth, recovery, and overall health. In addition to supporting muscle growth, replacing high fat proteins with lean proteins can help control weight, and strengthen your heart health- all things that are imperative to living a healthy life beyond the call of duty.

Remember to plan your meals thoughtfully, change grocery shopping habits if necessary and adopt a cooking strategy that best suits your lifestyle. Time and portion out appropriate servings of lean protein so that they are consistent and complement a consistent workout routine. Keep in mind that consistent input (meals and training) equals consistent output.

By making these dietary and exercise adjustments, you can ensure that you’ll be physically prepared to meet the challenges of your job, while also promoting long-term health and well-being. Embrace the power of lean proteins and exercise to stay strong, resilient, and ready for whatever comes your way.

References:

1. Food Buying Guide for Children Nutrition Programs Section 1 Meats/Meat Alternatives. USDA. https://foodbuyingguide.fns.usda.gov/Content/TablesFBG/USDA_FBG_Section1_MeatsAndMeatAlternates.pdf. Last updated February 28, 2020. Accessed July 7, 2024.
2. Bohe J, Low A, Wolf RR, Rennie MJ. Human muscle protein synthesis is modulated by extracellular not intramuscular amino acid availability: a dose-response study. J Physiol. 2003;552(pt 1):315-324.
3. Guasch-Ferre M, Babio N, Martinez-Gonzalez M, et al. Dietary fat intake and risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in a population at high risk of cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015;102(6):1563-1573.
4. Hagenfeldt L, Eriksson S, Wahren J. Influence of leucine on arterial concentrations and regional exchange of amino acids in healthy subjects. Clin Sci. 1980;59(3):173-181.
5. Moore DR, Robinson MJ, Fry JL, et al. Ingested protein dose response of muscle and albumin protein synthesis after resistance exercise in young men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;89(1):161-168.
6. Tipton KD, Rasmussen BB, Miller SL, et al. Timing of amino acid-carbohydrate ingestion alters anabolic responses of muscles to resistance exercise. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2001;281(2):e197-e206.
7. Burd NA, West DW, Moore DR et al. Enhanced amnio acid sensitivity of myofibrillar protein synthesis persists for up to 24 hr after resistance exercise in young men. J Nutr. 2011;141(4):568-573.
8. Beelen M, Burke LM, Gibala MJ, van Loon L JC. Nutritional strategies to promote postexercise recovery. Int J Sports Nutr Exerc Metab. 2010;20(6):515-532.

About O2X Instructor Kelli Reese:

Kelli Reese is a Registered Dietitian, Board Certified Specialist in Sports Nutrition and O2X Nutrition Specialist. She completed her undergraduate degree at Ohio University, her dietetic internship at The University of Akron and her master’s degree in nutrition from Arizona State University. Kelli has been a dietitian since 2010 and has worked in numerous areas of nutrition and healthcare including hospitals, long term care facilities, gyms and a halfway house for drug and alcohol recovery, but her real passion lies in sports nutrition. In the past few years Kelli has worked with an array of athletes including competitive powerlifters, military tactical athletes, high school and adult athletes, runners and triathletes.

About O2X Human Performance:

O2X Human Performance provides comprehensive, science-backed programs to hundreds of public safety departments, federal agencies, and the military. O2X works with clients to elevate culture, improve mental and physical wellbeing, support healthy lifestyles, and reduce healthcare costs associated with injuries and illnesses. Driven by results and cutting edge research, O2X programs are designed and delivered by a team of Special Operations veterans, high level athletes, and hundreds of leading experts in their respective fields of human performance.