Everything You Need to Know About Protein Intake for Muscle Building - Part 1

 

Everyone knows that protein intake is required to maintain or build muscle mass and lean tissue.  The tricky part is:

How Much Protein?

What Type/s of Protein?

How Often?

When?

Read on to find out the answers to these questions!

How Much Protein is Required to Optimize Muscle Gain?

It is important to understand that your body cycles between building muscle and breaking it down – anabolic and catabolic phases.       The key to increasing muscle mass is to build more muscle mass then you breakdown.

A big part of preventing loss of muscle or building muscle is consuming enough protein each day.  The optimal amount is affected by:

Age - you need more protein per pound of bodyweight as you age because you absorb and deliver less protein to your cells as you age.

Your Size – the larger you are the more protein you need to consume.

Your activity level – the higher your activity level the more protein you need to consume because of increased protein breakdown (catabolism).

Protein Digestion/Absorption/Utilization – all proteins are not equal when it comes to maintaining and building lean mass and muscle.    Some are much more effective per gram consumed than other forms.     

While recommendations on daily protein intake vary – there IS a relationship between increased protein intake and muscle gain.

The scientific consensus is pretty consistent that a good figure to shoot for to maximize muscle gain is 1 gram per pound of bodyweight – ideally of a highly bioavailable protein that has a high rate of utilization (see below).

Consuming more than 1 gram per pound of bodyweight is NOT likely to assist with muscle gain and just adds calories that can make you get fatter!

What are the Best Types of Protein to Consume to Maximize Muscle Gain?

As mentioned previously the quality of a protein source matters a lot and varies quite considerably depending on protein source consumed.

Plant protein sources are the least efficient while Egg Protein and Meat, Fish and Chicken Proteins are the most efficient protein sources for muscle gain.   They have a much higher level of protein utilization meaning a much higher percentage of the protein you eat from these sources gets used to build lean tissue and muscle so you do not have to eat nearly as much to optimize muscle gains and prevent muscle loss.

As the chart above shows a significant portion of protein consumed is converted to sugar or fat based on the source so there is a wide range of protein utilization which is the key measure of quality.

Stay Tuned for Part 2 next week!