One thing you may not know about me is that, as well as being a personal trainer, I am the Nutritionist for DeMontford University Sports Scholars.

Within that role I lead a couple of workshops each year and provide 1-2-1 support.
Recently, I was asked a question by one of the delegates:
What do I need to do to improve my vertical jump? (she was a basketball player)
A great question as it is very specific, and it got me thinking.  Do people really know the link between nutrition and exercise? 

It is clear from social media that we are becoming more aware about the food and drink we consume and also the exercise we do, however some of it can be wrong, misleading and maybe more often than not can leave us with more questions than when we started.

As a coach I like to educate my clients around exercise and nutrition and its effect upon the body.  Nutrition and exercise alone alone will contribute to some incredible benefits however one without the other can lead to suboptimal results.

So I would like to help you see the link between the two as I believe education leads to longer term success.
Protein is probably the most famous of all of the macronutrients, and its role within the body is to support the immune system, and enable growth and repair of the soft tissue. 

There are however a couple of slight misconceptions to protein, or half-truths.

1. Protein does not directly make you stronger.  In fact it provides the building blocks for you to become stronger if a training stimulus is provided.

2. Protein doesn’t directly make you more toned.  It actually is incredibly satiating which as a result contributes you to eating fewer calories creating a greater loss of fat mass.

So essentially protein is just a macronutrient that supports your body to potentially be stronger.
To achieve such results the dosage is really important too.  I would say 100% of clients I start working with consume too little.  If you do consume too little you will not directly see a positive change between today and tomorrow, but adherence to the correct dosage overtime and years particularly will see you in much better shape when you are older.

That dosage is dependant on the demands of the individual, but ideally you should be consuming somewhere between 1.2g/kg – 2g/kg.

So going back to this lady’s case, nutrition or protein alone won’t make her jump higher.  Her nutrition needs to support her training as her jump height is primarily dependant on the training she does. 

The key with her training is to strengthen the major muscles involved in the jump through a principle called progressive overload.  Meaning that over time you keep adding extra resistance to your exercises so you become stronger.  This is a process that does take people slightly out of their comfort zone but is something we should all be trying to adhere to regardless of age and ability. 

The second is to practice jumping so you can improve the efficiency of the movement and the reactivity of the tendons.

So where does her protein and importantly her nutrition come in??
Her nutrition will enable her to recover quicker, repair damaged muscle tissue and ensure  excessive muscle breakdown does not occur.  As a result over time she will become stronger.
Her nutrition will consist of sufficient calories and the optimal dosage of protein for that individual.
Protein consumption without the training stimulus will not give the desired outcome the basketballer is looking for as the potential strength improvements would be impaired.

So if I had two tips to impact your health positively now and for the future and this is for regular joes or athletes.

1. Aim to lift a little more each time you exercise or move.  i.e more weight, or more sets and reps or run or move further or faster. 
2. Understand the key role of calories and macronutrients and the correct portion sizes you should be having.

Applying and understanding those two principles is key to your health at any stage of your life.  There isn’t a single point in your lifetime where both wouldn’t be apparent. 

If you have any questions or want to engage with a Personal Trainer near you get in touch.