#28 - Dr. Robert Santana, Pt. 1: How Much Protein Do You Really Need, Nutrient Timing, Pre-Workouts, and More

This week we're flipping things around and inviting Dr. Robert Santana, Starting Strength Coach and PhD Nutrition, onto the show to talk about all things nutrition, diet, and macros as they relate to training for strength and physique. In addition to his extensive academic training, Dr. Santana has spent over twenty years in the weight room and over a decade as a strength coach.  Thousands of hours of practical experience getting people strong, muscular, and lean have given him a unique perspective on the things that actually work for average, natural (no steroids or other PEDs) lifters as well as the limitations of scientific research.   This interview is broken into two parts. In Part One, Dr. Santana answers the age old question: how much protein do we really need? He breaks down the thinking behind the standard one gram per pound of bodyweight protein recommendation, and discusses whether protein timing is important for optimizing muscle mass. He also discusses the role of carbohydrates in fueling performance and building muscle.   You can follow Dr. Santana and the Weights & Plates Podcast here:   Weights & Plates Podcast Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/weights-and-plates-podcast/id1557830248 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ChDOVS5Hmm9Uu0hOiEp3i?si=350bb32050e443b4   Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana     Join the Baker Barbell Club Online for just $27/mo: https://www.andybaker.com/landing-page/   Andy Baker Blog: www.AndyBaker.com IG: @bakerbarbell Owner of Kingwood Strength & Conditioning