The Archive vs Modern Science
How Well Did It Hold Up?
The original nutrition plan was built from library research in the mid-1990s — before the internet, before sports nutrition had become an industry. This page asks the obvious question: thirty years on, what does current research say about the same approach?
How, When to Eat
Seven eating occasions spread across the day, each with a specific nutritional purpose. This was the original framework — written before the phrase "nutrient timing" had entered mainstream fitness vocabulary. The logic was simple: an active body needs a consistent supply of fuel, not two or three large gaps in a day.
| Time | Occasion | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 AM | Breakfast | Foundation meal — protein, carbohydrates and fat to start the day in positive nitrogen balance |
| 10:00 AM | Mid-Morning Snack | Protein drink and whole food — keep protein synthesis elevated between meals |
| 12:00 PM | Lunch | Plus 2 amino acid tablets — the largest whole-food meal of the day |
| 2:00 PM | Mid-Afternoon Snack | Plus 2 amino acid tablets and protein drink — bridge to pre-training window |
| 3:30 PM | Pre-Training Snack | Plus 4 amino acid tablets — specifically high in carbohydrates to fuel the session |
| 7:00 PM | Dinner | Plus 5g creatine and 2 amino acid tablets — main protein and recovery meal post-training |
| 9:00 PM | Late Snack | Protein drink — slow the overnight fast, support overnight muscle protein synthesis |
The International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand on nutrient timing confirms that athletes consistently follow high-frequency eating patterns of five to ten occasions per day. Post-exercise protein ingestion within two hours consistently stimulates muscle protein synthesis. The pre-training carbohydrate emphasis is supported by substantial research on glycogen availability and performance.
Late-night protein — once dismissed by mainstream advice as unnecessary — is now validated by published research showing that pre-sleep protein ingestion significantly increases overnight muscle protein synthesis and metabolic rate. The reasoning in the archive preceded the published evidence by over a decade.
Calculating the Numbers — The Archive Method
The archive used a lean body weight method rather than gross bodyweight as the foundation for calorie calculation — accounting for body composition from the outset. This approach predates the widespread adoption of the Katch-McArdle equation, which formalises the same principle. The worked example below uses the original archive figures.
1.7 × BMR — for 7% to 10% body fat (used here)
1.8 × BMR — for under 7% body fat
Daily Targets from 2,822 Calories
The 30g protein per meal figure aligns almost exactly with current ISSN guidance, which recommends 20–40g of high-quality protein per eating occasion to maximise muscle protein synthesis. Written thirty years before that guidance was published.
The archive method uses body composition as its starting point — a more accurate approach for lean, active individuals than generic bodyweight formulas. For a modern step-by-step calorie calculation using the Harris-Benedict equation with three fully worked examples, see the dedicated page below.
Calculate Your Calories →What Still Holds Up
Nutrition science has moved on considerably in thirty years. Some things have been refined or reconsidered. But the core architecture of the approach — meal frequency, protein distribution, pre- and post-exercise nutrition, creatine dosing — was, in hindsight, well ahead of where the public conversation was at the time.
High meal frequency for athletes
Seven eating occasions per day was considered excessive by mainstream advice in the 1990s. The International Society of Sports Nutrition now confirms that athletes consistently follow five to ten daily eating occasions, and that this approach supports both appetite management and sustained amino acid availability for muscle protein synthesis.
30g protein per meal
The archive calculated 30g of protein per eating occasion across seven meals — through macro arithmetic rather than any published guideline. Current ISSN position stands recommend 20–40g of high-quality protein per meal to optimally stimulate muscle protein synthesis. The archive was within that window to the gram.
Pre-workout carbohydrates
The pre-training snack was specifically described as high in carbohydrates — fast-release fuel for the session. This is now standard sports nutrition practice, supported by substantial research on pre-exercise glycogen availability and its relationship to training capacity and output.
Post-workout fast carbohydrates and protein
Bananas and yogurt immediately after training — fast carbohydrates to begin glycogen replenishment, fast-digesting protein to initiate muscle protein synthesis. The post-exercise research base now strongly supports exactly this combination, consumed within two hours of training.
Creatine at 5g daily — no loading phase
Five grams of creatine daily with dinner, with no loading protocol. This is consistent with current research showing that a loading phase produces no additional creatine saturation at the 30-day mark compared to a consistent daily maintenance dose. The simplest approach was also the correct one.
Late-night protein
A protein drink before bed included specifically to slow the overnight fast. Research published in 2012 and subsequently replicated confirmed that pre-sleep protein ingestion — particularly casein — significantly increases overnight muscle protein synthesis and metabolic rate. The archive pre-empted this finding by roughly fifteen years.
Structured flexibility — pizza, chocolate, real food
The plan includes a 2pm slot for chocolates and lists pizza as a dinner option alongside steak and fish. This is not a concession to weakness — it is structured flexibility. Total daily intake determines outcomes. Rigid exclusion of entire food categories is not sustained long-term. The archive understood this before the term "flexible dieting" existed.
Separate amino acid tablets
Amino acid tablets featured at multiple points throughout the day. This reflected early understanding of amino acid absorption and was reasonable given the protein supplement options available in the mid-1990s. The modern view is that high-quality whole protein sources and complete protein powders provide adequate essential amino acids without separate supplementation for most people with sufficient dietary protein. The reasoning was sound; the specific application has been superseded.
Related Pages
References
La Bounty PM, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: meal frequency. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2011; 8: 4.
Confirms that athletes consistently follow high meal frequencies and that this approach is associated with favourable body composition outcomes.
Kerksick CM, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: nutrient timing. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2017; 14: 33.
Post-exercise ingestion of high-quality protein stimulates robust increases in muscle protein synthesis. Ingesting 20–40g per dose every three to four hours is associated with improved body composition and performance.
Res PT, et al. Protein ingestion before sleep improves postexercise overnight recovery. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2012; 44(8): 1560–1569.
Consuming approximately 40g of casein protein before sleep significantly increases overnight muscle protein synthesis rates and next-morning metabolic rate.
Katch FI, McArdle WD. Nutrition, Weight Control, and Exercise. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1977.
The lean body weight BMR approach in the archive reflects the same principle as the Katch-McArdle formula: BMR = 370 + (21.6 × lean mass in kg). The archive anticipated this approach independently from library research.
