Protein
Hey everyone thanks for checking out my page. I want to take the time to explain how protein works and how much to take in order to build STRONGER MUSCLE.
How It Works
Protein is one of the main macro nutrients. Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fats. Protein is composed of building blocks called amino acids which performs a variety of functions in the body such as build and maintain healthy muscles when combined with diet and exercise.
When you workout, you are working and breaking down your muscles. When I say breaking down your muscles, you may think that is a bad thing, but in order for something to become bigger and stronger, you must reconstruct it.
Lets think of your body as a building. The building can be built in many ways, weak and cheap because there was little work put into it, or strong and expensive because it took longer to construct it. Either way there is going to be a building.
Now lets put it back into perspective of your body. Your body is built when you are born, your parents are giving you your structure and depending on their structure it will affect how yours will turn out.
You are now built and your everyday life will determine if your body needs some remodeling. Lets go back to thinking about buildings.
Once you have your building up and ready to go, then you are done, but what if you find part of you that it is not efficient for your needs? You remodel it. When you decide to make the building bigger or stronger you need to break down the old and put in new. The same way concrete and bricks build new parts of the building, protein does the same thing to your body.
If you want to remodel your body then you must break it down by working out and then using protein to build it back up and make it stronger and bigger.
How Much To Take
Ideally, the amount of protein you should take is up to the weight of your body, 0.5-0.7 grams of protein per pound of body weight. That is to maintain the size and weight you are now.
Lets put it back in perspective of buildings, you may have a building, lets say a house, you love it, but every house needs to be maintained or else nature does its thing and weathers it away. If your window breaks, put in a new one, if a brick crumbles, replace it.
Back to your body, your body is being weathered away everyday and it needs to be maintained, your muscles are used and get broken down everyday, they need the 0.5-0.7 grams of protein to stay at the size and strength they are now.
If you want to remodel and start breaking down your muscle to build it back up even stronger than before, then you need to add to the amount of protein you take in a day. You need to more bricks, to expand your house, you need more protein to make your muscles bigger and stronger.
So how much should you take in for bigger stronger muscles?
If you are working out quite hard then your muscles should be getting broken down faster and need to be built back up with 0.8 grams – 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight, depending on how hard you are working out.
Protein Products
The type of protein you decide to take is totally up to you. There are many products you can try from basic whey protein to red meat. There is protein in almost everything you take in a day, just look at the supplement label on the back of every food you buy. If you are looking to buy straight protein powders I recommend the ones below.
HOW I DRINK IT
Just in case you were wondering some tactics on how to take your protein. Here is my favorite way
Milkshake
I like to take my scoops in a delightful milkshake, depending on the flavor here is my recipe
- 1-2 scoops Chocolate Protein
- 1-3 spoon fulls of Peanut Butter (extra protein and flavor)
- 2-3 cups of milk
- 1-3 scoop vanilla ice cream
The variations of ingredients depend on if it is an after workout enjoyment drink or a meal replacement, larger serving if it is a meal replacement. Feel Free to give the recipe a shot.
I would like to thank you for visiting my site and feel free to leave any questions or comments below.
Get Big,
Kenny
I never knew protein has such an important role in our bodies, and today the information that I have reaped here at your site has enabled me to understand the whole concept specially that you gave a very simple example of building a house.
I still have a question to ask and I hope you will be able to clarify me because I’m in doubt. I’m a diabetic person for the past two years now, I need to know if we diabetes people can also take protein as per recommendation or should avoid it. Please kindly advise.
Waiting for your answer,
Regards,
Jose
Hey Thanks for the question. If you’re thinking about taking whey protein, talk with your doctor first, especially if you have any kidney or liver problems. Some whey protein supplements may contain lactose (obviously not good if you’re lactose intolerant), so if that’s an issue, you’d want to choose a whey protein isolate. I would love to give you the answer of “YEAH GO AHEAD” but everyone is different and I highly advise talking to your doctor about this! Hope I was able to help.
-Kenny
I’ve read a lot of sources on this very topic of protein amount relative to body weight. Some go way overboard in my opinion with 2 g per pound of body weight. I think taking #2’s would be difficult with that much protein.
On the other hand, some propose that 0.6ish g per kg of lean body mass is all that’s needed for maintenance. That would be hard to put on lots of muscle but then some have claimed great results with it.
Both ends of the spectrum have no shortage of proponents. You seem to be in the middle of the 2, which is probably the safe route to take.
Thanks for the comment Wing. Protein is a great supplement and how much your body needs and can actually handle is really up to your body. Everyone is different and can build muscle differently at different rates, so yes staying between 2 g per pound is a good start for everyone who is trying to build muscle, depending on your work ethic is what really matters on how much you take. Thanks for the comment