For those new to the gym, dieting, and training, it’s easy to find a workout and eating program that works for you. With so many options and a blank canvas to work with, you can start working on your fitness in any number of ways.
But what about those die-hard gym rats, fitness buffs, and professional athletes that have spent years training? There are fewer diet and workout programs that will yield visible results for higher-level athletes and the truly fit.
According to a new study from Skidmore College, there is a diet and exercise regimen that can work for even the fittest: the PRISE regimen. PRISE stands for protein pacing, resistance, interval, stretching, and endurance. These five elements could be the key to helping the truly fit get even fitter.
Protein pacing means eating moderate quantities of protein at regular intervals throughout the day. The regular protein intake will encourage better muscular development and ensure the muscles have all the ATP energy required for muscle-building and post-workout repair.
The multi-dimensional approach to working out—incorporating resistance training, interval training, stretching, and endurance training—will lead to better overall fitness. Not just more strength, but better muscular and cardiovascular endurance as well as increased joint mobility and flexibility.
To prove the PRISE regimen works, researchers at Skidmore College gathered 20 very fit men and 30 very fit women. All were between the ages of 30 and 65, regular exercisers (four days per week, 45 minutes per session), with experience in aerobic and resistance training with good body fat (26%). For 12 weeks, all 50 of the participants performed the same workouts. Half consumed a normal-protein diet with workout supplements, while the other half ate more protein at intervals throughout the day along with supplements rich in antioxidants.
After 12 weeks, all 50 participants had shown improvement in nearly every measure of fitness and health. However, those who followed the higher-protein and antioxidant diet showed the most visible improvements. Their strength, endurance, flexibility, core strength, and cardiovascular health increased significantly over the group who followed a normal-protein diet.
This study is just the latest to support the theory that protein pacing (eating moderate quantities of protein throughout the day, not just at meal times) is an efficient way to improve fitness: decreasing fat (total, visceral, and abdominal), increasing lean muscle mass, and decreasing blood cholesterol, insulin, and glucose.
Reference:
1. P. J. Arciero, D. Baur, S. Connelly, M. J. Ormsbee. “Timed-daily Ingestion of Whey Protein and Exercise Training Reduces Visceral Adipose Tissue Mass and Improves Insulin Resistance: The PRISE Study.” Journal of Applied Physiology, 2014.
2. Stephen J. Ives, Chelsea Norton, Vincent Miller, Olivia Minicucci, Jake Robinson, Gabe O’Brien, Daniela Escudero, Maia Paul, Caitlin Sheridan, Kathryn Curran, Kayla Rose, Nathaniel Robinson, Feng He, and Paul J. Arciero (Senior Corresponding Author). “Multi-modal Exercise Training and Protein-pacing Enhances Physical Performance Adaptations Independent of Growth Hormone and BDNF but may be Related to IGF-1 in Exercise- trained Men.” Growth Hormone and IGF-1 Research.
