How much protein does a person need in their diet? If you are the average Joe couch potato, then the RDA of 55 or so grams will probably cut it. But if you are involved in any type of athletics, specifically strength and muscle building activities, that number jumps dramatically. Let’s start by talking about how much protein a bodybuilder should consume in a day and then the reasons why.
The rule of thumb in most bodybuilding circles in to consume 1-2 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day. I tend to think 1-1.5 grams per pound of body weight is plenty. For your average 200 pounder, that means 200-300 grams of protein in a day. That’s a lot. Eating that much protein on a regular basis becomes a challenge in and of itself. But it is a crucial element of any strength training or muscle building program; you gotta eat big to get big. So how can you eat your weight in protein everyday? Following a few simple steps and you’ll be bulking up in no time. The best thing you can do is divide your feasting into 5 or 6 small meals a day. Doing this will not only increase the amount of protein you absorb in each session, but it will minimize the feeling of being full and bloated and create more manageable meal sizes. This also creates a more constant stream of nutrients for the body and will minimize the storage of excess calories as body fat (If your body is constantly being fed, it has no reason to store food for later in the form of fat). The second godsend to bodybuilders everywhere is protein supplements. Ask any bodybuilder what the staple of his nutritional supplementing is and he or she will tell you some kind of protein powder. Without these supplements it would be nearly impossible to consume the ridiculous amounts of protein your body needs to become monstrous. We’ve compiled a list of the top protein supplements on the market and rated them in several categories. If you need help picking out which protein supplement is right for you then be sure to check it out (Protein Supplement Rankings). So why, exactly, do you have to shovel so much protein into your body to get big? The answer is actually a lot simpler than you might expect.
The substance we call protein is actually a broad category of 20 amino acids. These amino acids can be found independently or linked together in many protein rich foods. Your body is capable of producing 10 of the 20 amino acids from other components of the food you eat. These are known as non-essential amino acids. But, don’t let the name misguide you, they are just as necessary to build serious muscle. The 10 amino acids your body cannot produce are known as essential amino acids and are found largely in animal products. Most every structure in your body is made of combinations of these 20 amino acids, including muscles. By giving your body more building blocks than it needs, it will be much easier for your body to synthesize muscle. This is the most neglected and crucial part of bodybuilding neglected by most newbies, they simply don’t eat enough. If you had to build a house you would want more bricks than you needed to ease the process. You wouldn’t build a very big structure if you had to scrounge around for every brick or wait 6 hours in between shipments! It’s the same principle. You aren’t building muscle in the gym, your building muscles after your workout when you rest, and the more steady a stream of protein you can provide your body, the better your results will be.
