How Much Protein To Gain Muscle
Building muscles is a major fitness goal for many people for several reasons.
For example, adding muscle mass can help with functional strength and athletic performance. It can also build your confidence and feel better.
If muscle gain is your goal, one of the essential requirements is to eat more protein. Proteins are the foundation of muscle gain and the building blocks of your muscles.
They are vital for muscle tissue repair thanks to the amino acids: the building blocks of strength.
Proteins and muscle building go hand-in-hand. While it has special functions all over the body, including fluid balance, hormonal regulation, and sustaining good health, its major function is to help in muscle building.
This article will tell you how much protein you need in your diet to build muscles. We explain how to calculate protein intake and the foods you can add to your diet to increase your protein numbers.
Why is Protein Important For Muscle Gain?
Proteins are extremely important in building muscles because amino acids help repair and maintain muscle tissues. They are the main building blocks of your muscles and play an important role in all body tissues.
Protein increases muscle synthesis when used as a post-workout shake to replenish the muscles. It repairs and maintains your body tissues, including the muscles.
Despite the negative effects of fat and carbs, almost everyone agrees proteins are important. If you want to build muscles, getting the right amount of protein and other macros such as carbs and fats is important.
Eating adequate proteins helps you maintain your muscle mass and promotes muscle growth when you do strength training. The body requires adequate proteins in the diet to have the building blocks needed to build up muscle mass.
If you’re physically active or trying to gain muscles, make sure you’re getting enough proteins in your body.
How Does Protein Build Muscles?
Proteins are important parts of a diet and crucial to building and maintaining muscles. They contain amino acids, the building blocks used for muscle growth.
Studies have shown that consuming protein helps the body start muscle protein synthesis that strengthens and builds your muscles.
The process adds new muscle fibers in response to external stress you experience during resistance training.
Your body needs to synthesize more muscle protein than it breaks down to build muscles. Anyone looking to build muscles must ensure they get enough protein.
The protein intake can promote additional gains in lean body mass resistance beyond those observed with resistance exercise alone.
Protein powders are one of the most popular muscle-building supplements. They help promote your body’s muscle growth, aid in metabolism, and help reach Peak physical performance.
How Much Protein Do I Need to Gain Muscles?
You need proteins to build muscles, but how much is enough? The amount of protein you need depends on your weight and daily caloric intake.
When calculating the minimum protein requirement, the general rule is 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight.
A person who lifts weights regularly or training for a running or cycling event should eat a range of 1.2 to 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. It translates to 0.5 to 0.8 grams per pound of body weight.
The ideal daily protein intake for increasing muscle size is 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Anything beyond that number doesn’t contribute to building more mass and strength.
If you are trying to gain muscles or want to hold on to your muscle while dropping fat, you need 2.2 g of protein per kilogram of lean body mass.
While you can eat more than that, it will not make much difference in how fast you gain muscles.
If you weigh 135 pounds, you need to consume 98 grams of protein daily for the best muscle-building results. Heavyweight lifters need total protein during the day and might need the protein serving soon after lifting.
They consume more protein for muscle growth and repair after heavy lifting.
Does The Type of Protein Matter?
The type of protein you take matters when using protein supplements. There are different proteins with different purposes.
For example, Whey and Casein have different amino acid profiles and digestion rates, which means they have different metabolic effects on the body.
Whey concentrate is one of the basic forms of protein and a significant starting point for beginners looking to add protein to their diet. Use the pre and post-workout or as a snack between the meals.
Whey has the highest branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) contents at 23 to 25%.
It is also digested the fastest at 8-10g per hour. This means it’s better for muscle building because of its high BCAA and fast absorption. Consume Whey 30 minutes before weight training.
Casey has 18% branched-chain amino acid but with more glutamine. It is slow to digest. It is better at preventing muscle breakdown because of its lower rate of digestion.
You can use this protein during the day to stay full and keep a constant supply of protein in your body. Casey has a high glutamine content that helps boost the immune system and speed up recovery.
Can You Get All Protein You Need From Food?
When consuming proteins, it’s not just the total amount you take that matters. Getting enough proteins at each meal is also important.
Some researchers recommend consuming a minimum of 20 to 30 grams of protein at each meal. This amount promotes fullness and preserves muscle mass better than small amounts.
When you think of proteins, the first food that comes to mind is meat and eggs. However, you can always get protein from plants instead of animal sources. A diet rich in vegetables, whole grain, beans, soy foods, and nuts provides enough protein.
There is a variety of healthy protein sources for all diets. They include meat, poultry, fish, eggs, legumes, and soy products. For example, lentils, beans, and nut butter are nutritious sources from the plant side.
For example, adding peanut butter to your diet can boost protein intake.
The plant proteins are incomplete because they don’t have all the essential amino acids.
From the animal side, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy contain all the essential amino acids that make them complete proteins.
However, choose leaner and slightly larger cuts of meat to boost the protein content of your meal. Your meal may also end up being lower in calories.
It is always best to choose organic animal and plant-based proteins. If you want to get enough protein every day, consider quality and quantity. For example, chicken breast gives you 33g of protein per 100g, which is the correct protein intake.
Are Protein Supplements Safe?
Protein supplements are safe. Industry experts and nutritionists have debated the overall safety of protein supplements and concluded on their general safety to use.
They make it easy to boost your health with proteins essential for building and maintaining muscles. Today, millions of people take protein supplements hoping for a range of health benefits.
However, you may experience side effects. For example, it may lead to reactions in some people through stomach upsets and allergies. The supplements may contain added sugars or toxic chemicals that may not suit everyone.
They are not regulated in the same way as foods and drugs and don’t have to prove they contain what they claim. So, it’s up to consumers to raise red flags about adverse effects.
Choose organic protein supplements with the fewest ingredients and tested by a third party. In most cases, the ingredients in protein supplements are lax. Buy supplements from a source that has verified the ingredients to be safe.
Always read the label, take the recommended serving size, and don’t take far more than necessary.
Having a protein shake for breakfast can help you start your day in the right direction. Protein powder on an occasional on-the-go might be fine, but using it multiple times a day might not be fine.
You may consume protein supplements throughout the day in coffee, smoothies, muffins, and even salad dressing. However, protein supplements are not ideal for children as there is no evidence of their long-term effects.
What Happens to Your Body If You Don’t Take Enough Proteins?
The lack of proteins can make you lose muscle mass, which cuts your strength, slows down your metabolism, and makes it hard to keep your balance.
It may also lead to anemia when your cells don’t get enough oxygen that makes you tired.
There are several signs you’re not getting enough proteins in your body.
#1 Weakness and fatigue
Just a week of not eating enough proteins can affect your posture and balance. Your muscle comprises mostly protein. Therefore, the lack of protein can make you lose muscle mass and cut your strength.
People who eat more proteins maintain their bone mass. You can also increase the risk of bone fractures since proteins help maintain the strength and density of your bones.
#2 Hunger
Proteins fuel you as one of the three sources of calories alongside carbs and fats. You need more proteins to feel full with less food. A sufficient protein intake will keep you satiated for longer, thus preventing cravings and hunger pangs.
This is because proteins reduce your level of the hunger hormone and help with appetite control and fullness. Lesser protein intake is the exact opposite as it leaves you hungrier and cravings for increased calorie intake.
#3 Slow healing injuries
If you are low on pertains, any cut or scrape takes a long time to heal. Protein deficiency takes a toll on your immunity system and affects your body from making enough collagen. Your body needs proteins to make blood clots.
Without it, you have an impaired immune system that may disable your body’s ability to fight infections.
#4 Getting and staying well
The amino acids in your blood help the immune system make antibodies that activate white blood cells to fight off viruses and bacteria. When you eat proteins, they help digest and absorb other nutrients to keep you healthy.
With protein deficiency, you will struggle to stay well due to a disrupted immune system.
Can You Take Too Much Protein?
Despite wanting to get enough protein in your diet, you can also have too much of a good thing. If you eat too much protein, you may do more harm than good.
Eating very high-protein diets causes a higher risk of kidney stones.
This is because high protein intake means ingesting excess calories and straining your kidneys. A high protein diet that contains lots of red meat and saturated fats can also cause a higher risk of heart disease and colon cancer.
When eating proteins, you must follow the standard rule of 0.8 g of protein per one kilogram of body weight.
The current daily reference protein intake is 50 grams, while the recommended dietary allowance suggests eating a modest 0.8 grams of protein daily kilogram of body weight.
This intake can be a little more if you are physically active to help muscle repair and gain.
However, don’t calculate how much protein you need based on total calories or weight. Instead, focus on your goals and what you want to achieve.
Like everything else, too much of something is not good. You can stress your kidney and cause dehydration if you eat too much protein in one sitting.
Conclusion
Adding more proteins to your diet can help you gain muscle mass. Ensure you time your protein hits to optimize your gains.
Your body will not process over 25 to 35 grams of protein per serving. This means eating six steaks at dinner is a waste.
Your total consumption of proteins in grams per day is also important for muscle building. You can also pair your protein with carbs to increase your muscle gain.
Your body produces adrenaline stress hormones that break down proteins, fats, and sugars.
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