WHAT I TAKE & WHY #2

Why I Take Essential Amino Acids Every Day at 55

I used to focus almost entirely on how much protein I ate. Today, I pay much more attention to the essential amino acids that protein provides.

For most of my life, eating a lot of protein was simply part of training. I would regularly try to consume around 300 grams of protein every day.

But that's a lot of food.

Tuna, chicken, beef, eggs, protein shakes — meal after meal, day after day.

At 55, my priorities have changed. I still want to maintain the muscle I've spent decades building, but I don't necessarily want all the food and calories that used to come with it.

Over the past few years, I've experimented with eating less total protein while making Essential Amino Acids — EAAs — a much bigger part of my daily routine.

For me, the results have been good enough that EAAs have become one of the supplements I use most consistently.

What Exactly Are EAAs?

Let's keep this simple.

Protein is made from amino acids.

When you eat chicken, beef, eggs, fish or whey protein, your digestive system breaks those proteins down into amino acids that your body can use.

Nine of those amino acids are considered essential because your body cannot make enough of them on its own. You need to get them through your diet.

Those are your Essential Amino Acids — EAAs.

And importantly for anyone interested in maintaining or building muscle, all nine essential amino acids are needed to support muscle protein synthesis.

That's what first got me thinking differently about my protein intake.

I Used to Chase a Protein Number

For years, my thinking was pretty straightforward:

More protein = better.

So I tried to get around 300 grams every day.

The problem is that eventually you're eating food simply because you're trying to hit a number.

As I've gotten older, I don't want to eat that way anymore.

Staying lean has become more important to me, and consuming a huge number of calories only to turn around and try to burn them off with more cardio doesn't make much sense for what I'm trying to accomplish today.

So I changed my approach.

What I Do Differently Today

Instead of forcing myself to reach 300 grams of protein every day, I'm often closer to 150–200 grams from protein foods and shakes, while also using EAAs throughout my day.

I commonly use around three servings of EAAs per day.

But here's an important distinction:

I'm not saying three servings of EAAs replace another 100 grams of protein.

They don't.

Whole proteins provide all of the amino acids and other nutritional benefits that an EAA supplement doesn't provide.

What I've changed is my obsession with hitting an extremely high protein number.

I eat plenty of quality protein and then supplement my diet with the nine essential amino acids.

For me, that approach has worked extremely well.

Why Not Just Eat More Protein?

I could.

I did it for years.

But there's another part of this equation that has become increasingly important to me:

Calories.

Eating more food means consuming more calories.

Protein is certainly important, but if I'm already consuming plenty of high-quality protein, I don't necessarily want to add another large meal simply because I'm chasing a number.

EAAs allow me to supplement the essential amino acids I'm interested in without requiring another chicken breast, another can of tuna or another protein shake.

That makes my overall diet much easier to manage.

My Goal Has Changed: Maintain What I've Built

This may be the biggest difference between how I thought at 25 and how I think at 55.

I'm not trying to get as big as possible anymore.

I've spent decades building muscle. Now I want to keep it.

Essential amino acids play an important role in stimulating muscle protein synthesis, with leucine being particularly important in the signaling process. Maintaining an adequate intake of quality protein and essential amino acids also becomes increasingly relevant as we age.

That's one of the reasons EAAs make sense to me today.

I'm interested in giving my body what it needs to maintain muscle while keeping my overall nutrition manageable.

I Still Eat Plenty of Protein

I don't want anyone reading this and thinking I've stopped eating protein.

Far from it.

I still eat meat, fish, eggs and other protein-rich foods.

I still use whey protein.

The difference is that I don't feel compelled to eat another meal or drink another shake just because I haven't reached an arbitrary number yet.

My approach today is much simpler:

Eat plenty of high-quality protein. Supplement with EAAs. Keep my calories under control. Train consistently.

Then I watch what actually happens to my body.

Staying Leaner Has Been an Added Benefit

This has become increasingly important as I've gotten older.

I personally find it much easier to stay lean when I'm not consuming enormous amounts of food every day.

That's not because EAAs are a fat burner.

They're not.

I'm simply consuming fewer calories.

Rather than overeating and then trying to compensate with more cardio, I'd rather control my calorie intake in the first place while making sure I'm still consuming adequate protein and essential amino acids.

For me, that's proven to be a much more sustainable approach.

Why I Take EAAs Every Day

I don't look at EAAs strictly as a workout supplement.

Sometimes I'll drink them around my workout.

Other times I'll use them between meals.

For me, they're simply an easy way to supplement my diet with all nine essential amino acids without continually adding more food.

And that's why they've become one of the supplements I use most frequently.

Would I Tell Everyone to Do What I Do?

No.

And that's an important part of this series.

What I Take & Why isn't about telling you to copy my routine.

I'm showing you what I personally do, why I do it and what I've learned from decades of training and experimenting with sports nutrition.

Years ago, I was obsessed with one question:

“How many grams of protein did I eat today?”

Today I ask better questions:

Am I eating enough quality protein?

Am I getting all nine essential amino acids?

Am I maintaining my muscle?

Am I controlling my calories?

Am I still performing well when I train?

If the answers are yes, I'm much less concerned about whether I hit a particular protein number.

Why EAAs Have Earned a Permanent Place in My Routine

The older I get, the less interested I am in taking supplements simply because they're popular.

I don't want more supplements. I want the ones that actually serve a purpose for me.

EAAs do.

They allow me to supplement all nine essential amino acids while eating a more manageable amount of food and keeping my overall calories under better control.

I'm still eating plenty of protein.

I'm still training hard.

I'm finding it easier to stay lean.

And most importantly...

I'm maintaining the muscle I've spent a lifetime building.

That's why EAAs have earned a permanent place in what I take every day.

WHAT I TAKE & WHY

A look inside the supplement routine of FitShop's owner.

This series isn't about telling you to copy my supplement routine. It's about sharing what I personally take, what I've learned after decades around sports nutrition, and why certain supplements have earned a permanent place in my life.

Some have stayed. Some I've stopped using. I'll tell you why.