Protein intake/dieting

[CQC]

Recently at the dojo I noticed a lot of guys talking about working out, dieting, and what they find helps and what gets them the best results.

I've been weight training for roughly 5 years. For the first few years I always thought that more protein = more muscle. I also was told early on that I should be comsuming consuming a certain amount of protein per day, carbs, etc., yet I just took the powder and worked out.

So the other night I heard these kids at the dojo talking about taking 520+ grams of protein per day, and it really made me think what other things they were doing wrong, so I spoke to them about it. Then I thought others here may appreciate the same guidance if they're getting started in training, hence this post. So here we go!

The most important thing when working out hard or weight training (especially when doing both) is taking in enough energy or calories. If you're working out you're likely trying to bulk up. Tons and tons of studies have shown that by consuming an additional 2270-3630 calories per week (an average of an extra 500 calories a day), along with approriate training, will result in one pound of muscle gain.

Muscles rely on glycogen (the energy they use for fuel) to perform work. When weight trainers replace carbohydrates with protein in their diet, they have lower muscle stores of glycogen. For that reason, a high protein/low carbohydrate diet can't provide enough glycogen for our muscles, so they feel weak, tired, and fatigue quickly. (FYI, three grams of water are needed for each gram of glycogen we store in our muscles.)

In addition, our bodies need to convert any excess protein we eat in order to burn it as energy or to store it as fat. This process helps us to get rid of the nitrogen contained in amino acids (the building blocks of protein), which we then urinate out - however, this makes us dehydrated, causes muscle cramping, and stresses our liver and kidneys.

As a result, it's important for a weight lifter to take in enough carbohydrates. They are used to fuel the muscles that you need to help build lean body mass. Lots of extra protein by itself will not add muscular bulk - carbohydrates actually spare protein so that it can be used to repair muscle tissue, which is how we build muscular strength and size.

How much protein do bodybuilders need? First figure out how many calories you need. If you're not taking in enough calories, you can't build muscle tissue efficiently. That's because your body will be burning most of your calories, not using them to repair muscle tissue. For example, take a 180 pound guy - if he's moderately active, he probably needs about 2700 calories a day (plus or minus a few) to maintain his weight. Besides his moderate daily activity level, he could burn about 500 calories during an hour of heavy weightlifting. If he wants to add one pound of muscle weight per week, he needs approximately 500 extra calories per day plus about 500 more to make up for the energy deficit from intense weightlifting. This makes his grand total to be around 3700 calories a day.

So how can we translate this number to his protein needs? The RDA for protein has been established at 0.8 grams/kg of body weight for adults. This is not enough to build muscle mass for intense athletes. Although it's difficult to pinpoint a specific number because you have to take into account many variables, research has determined an acceptable range: even at the very high end, the top protein intake needs to be 1.5 - 2.0 g/kg of body weight. For our 180 lb. (divided by 2.2 = 82 kg) lifter, this would be 122 - 164 grams of protein per day. Since protein has 4 calories per gram, then this amount of protein would comprise 13 - 18 percent of his daily caloric intake of 3700 calories; the usual recommendation is about 12 - 15 percent. As you can see, a huge excess of protein is not needed.

It's easy to get enough protein from food - and quite easy for many people to overdo it. If too much high-fat protein is taken in, and not used, gains may be seen in fat tissue rather than in muscle tissue.

An example of good foods:

Protein-containing foods and protein (in grams)

5 oz. steak, cooked - 35g

5 oz. roasted chicken - 43g

5 oz. tuna - 43g

1 egg - 6g

1 c. milk - 8g

2 T. peanut butter - 9g

2 slices of cheese - 14g

2 slices of whole wheat bread - 5g

1 c. cooked broccoli - 5g

1 c. beans (legumes) - 15g

Also if you're looking to diet, be sure to visit Calorie King to find out any nutritional about nearly any type food.

Also, if you're looking to lose weight, and/or have any questions, then feel free to post here and I'll do my best to answer them or help you out.

[Jay]

i kno some of that and some i didnt i dont do weights endurance is better than having a lot of muscle although that article will be helpful to other ppeople that do weights i read itr incase i decide to do them lol

[McNerny]

Hey CQC,

I have a couple of questions for you since you seem knowledgeable on the subject. Do normal protein drinks/powder/shakes give you too much protein? I was thinking of buying some since I just started a weight training regime. Does protein actually make a big difference weight training? I read on the back of the bottle I was looking at (its called Muscle Milk) and it said that it helps heal muscles faster, which is a point you made in your post. It also said that it gives your muscles more energy so they will not be as fatigued during your next workout. Will drinking the "Muscle Milk" help me out? One last question. Have you ever heard of any of these protein drinks/shakes/powder being harmful?

Thanks a million

McNerny

[CQC]

Although protein is a vital nutrient, our bodies don't require quite as much as you may think (on average about 60-80g's for a 150-170lbs male per day). Dieters need larger amounts of protein, because some is burned for energy. Athletes require slightly more protein as well.

When exercising, particularly weight training, our bodies need plenty of protein to develop and maintain muscle. Protein is broken down into amino acids, then turned back into protein to produce and repair our muscles after our training session. Because amino acids can be burned by the body during exercise, especially aerobic exercise, it is important that we make the effort to supplement our muscles to help them repair faster and more efficiently.

As for protein powders, they help supplement your eating program with the necessary muscle nutrients that your body requires such as amino acids (mentioned above), vitamins and minerals. Protein powders are a convenient way of ensuring you receive an adequate protein intake. On average, 1-2 servings per day of protein powder are usually required unless you're on a high protein diet. There are so many protein powders available to us now, as well. You can choose from heaps of different flavors, different powders for different training needs and even easier to mix powders that can be mixed in shakers rather than blenders.

Also, make sure that you drink lots of water when increasing your protein intake to prevent dehydration and to help the digestion of your protein. And as long as you don't load up too heavily on protein and follow the information I've provided, you will not have any health problems related directly to the above.

Lastly, try and stay away from any "fancy brands" - I recommend something by ProLab. An example would be something like this. It mixes well and doesn't contain any aspartame, which is definately something to watch out for.

I hope this helped you out! You're welcome to ask any more questions as well.

[CagedWarrior]

520g of protein a day? Good lord....

[CQC]

Yeah, it was pretty bad.

They were on no more than 1000 calories per day as well. They wondered why they felt sick and lacked energy during class.

But hopefully things will work out for them now!

[CagedWarrior]

That's impossible. A protein g has 4 or 5 calories in it alone.