Protein Power – What amount is ideal to maximize muscle growth?

Protein Power – What amount is ideal to maximize muscle growth?

How much protein do I need each day to see results? How much protein is too much? And how many grams of protein can my body absorb at each meal?

"The only way to build muscle is to eat enough complete protein every day. Just consuming calories isn't enough. If you don't eat a high-protein meal within 60 to 90 minutes of your workout, you're essentially wasting the time you spent straining your muscles in the gym. Personally, I try to get at least 350-400 grams of protein per day in the off-season, with a body weight of around 235 pounds." – Jason Arntz, IFBB professional bodybuilder.

"You need to stick to a high-protein, moderately low-carb, low-fat diet. A good rule of thumb would be to get about 50% of calories from protein, 40% from carbohydrates, and 10% from fat. You can build quality muscle while remaining fairly lean. - Chad Nicholls, a professional sports nutritionist.

This is just a template; The genetic make-up and metabolism of every person are different. You will need to adjust these percentages to your specific needs. For example, if you gain fat easily, you may need to lower your carbohydrate intake; If you stay very lean, you may need to increase your carbohydrate intake.

"The guidelines we generally use are 0.67 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day. This amount does not guarantee results; it guarantees that you are meeting your protein needs. Results are based on your genetics and your training program." – Kritin Reimers, Ph.D., RD, is director of nutrition and health at Conagra Brands.

More than just the amount of protein, the quality of the protein in your foods is an important consideration. The higher quality protein is found in animal sources such as eggs, beef and milk. This recommendation above assumes that two thirds come from a high quality protein. If you get a lot of protein from bread and pasta, you probably need more than 1 gram per pound each day.

To answer the second question, some believe that high protein intake puts strain on the kidneys, causes the body to lose calcium and dehydrates you. Let's address each of these concerns. First, kidney stress applies to people with a history of kidney disease; For healthy people it's probably not a problem. Second, increased protein intake increases urinary calcium excretion, but the body adapts by increasing the absorption of calcium in your diet. Third, there is obligatory urine loss, but most healthy athletes will stay hydrated.

Remember that focusing on just one nutrient in a diet is not healthy. If you're eating an almost exclusively protein diet, you can bet you're missing out on important nutrients. If you maintain a balance between carbohydrates, protein and fat and do not eat too much in terms of total calories, your protein intake will not be excessive.

To address the third question, I don't accept the idea that your body can only assimilate a certain amount of protein per meal, be it 30 or whatever. This idea assumes that it doesn't matter if I weigh 300 pounds or 120 pounds, and it doesn't matter if I just got up from watching TV. There is no sacrificial basis for these limits.

What happens is this: your body has a supply of amino acids that it is constantly replenishing; As the proteins you consume break down, some go into this pool, while others may be used for energy. When you eat enough protein, the body absorbs as much as possible and burns the rest for energy or stores it as fat. Of course, it makes sense not to consume all of the protein at once; Instead, divide it into 3-4 meals per day. This should normally happen unless you take extreme measures to prevent it.

Inspired by Andy G