Do you have to be shovelling down an exact amount of protein each meal and every day in order to make gains, or is the whole debate about how much protein you need to eat a little bit overrated?
I feel like there are 2 camps. You either swear by incredibly high levels of 2-2.5g of protein per pound of bodyweight or you reside down at the more realistic 1-1.5g of protein per pound of bodyweight.
No matter what camp you’re in, it's easy to agree on the benefits of protein (don’t worry, we will get to the ideal daily amount later on). Protein is used by the body to build and repair cells such as the organs, hair, skin and nails. Although you only care about its ability to repair and build muscle tissue, don’t you? So, let’s have a look at that.
As I’m sure you know protein has a very important role in building muscle. It triggers protein synthesis and is the number one factor in cellular repair and growth. When we train, we cause micro tears in our muscles and without a sufficient amount of protein, that damage can’t be repaired. Thankfully, us gym bro’s love protein and when enough is consumed, our muscle grows back bigger and stronger. As the years go by, this can equate to quite a bit of muscle tissue being added to our frames.
Protein doesn’t just help us build muscle though, it's quite handy when we are looking to burn fat. Due to its structure, it takes the body quite a while to break down protein, which results in you feeling fuller longer, helping fight off any additional cravings. Further to this, protein will help you maintain all the muscle you built on a bulk when you start cutting.
The recommended daily allowance is 0.8g per kg of bodyweight a day. Now that isn’t a lot, especially for people who train frequently. For example, I’m around 100kg in body weight, meaning I would only need to consume around 80 grams a day. I hit that around lunch time! It is important to note though that the recommended daily allowance is built around how much protein the average person needs to cover all basic bodily functions and to stay healthy, not to build as much muscle as possible or lose fat.
If you are an active athlete, a safe place to start is around 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight. That means a 200lb man would need to consume 200g of protein. There are however cases of going higher. A gram per pound of bodyweight has been found to be perfectly acceptable if you are in a maintenance phase or even bulking ( you can eat more, but it isn’t necessarily beneficial), but if you are in a deficit, you may need to bump up that protein intake to around 1.1-1.5g of protein per pound of bodyweight. This would mean that the same 200lb man would need to consume 300g of protein at the highest end of that spectrum.
There are a few other personal factors that come down to how much protein you need to consume, as the above is quite generic.
Age – older adults (40+) will need to consume more protein than someone younger than them in order to trigger protein synthesis.
Goals – slightly touched upon earlier, whether you are looking to build muscle or lose fat will determine how much protein you need to consume.
How you train – a bodybuilder and an endurance athlete will have different protein requirements, but both need optimal amounts to repair and recover damaged muscles.
So, the bottom line? Protein is important, make it your best friend. Know your goal, know your ideal daily amount, and reap the benefits as a reward.
