We all know that protein is an integral component of our diet if we want to build muscles. But there is way too much confusion about questions around protein like the quality, amount, meal timings etc. As a result, people often take random advice they find on Youtube/Google without doing much due diligence and compromise their efforts.
So let's learn about these components of protein which will optimize your efforts to build muscle. So without covering the why aspect, let's talk about the how.
I will cover six vital FAQs on protein use for muscle building. For your further reference, I will include a few scientific references so know it's not coming from my biased opinion.
1. How much per day?
2. How much can we absorb?
3. How much can we use per meal?
4. What are the best sources?
5. When should you eat?
6. How much is safe?
Let's take it up one by one.
1. How much per day?
WHO recommends we eat 0.8 g per kg of body weight daily. That would mean that an 80 kg person would need around 65 g of protein per day, which is very easy to achieve. You may include eggs, chicken, paneer, or even soya chunks. Easy enough, right?
Well, there's a catch: this number does not account for weight training.
Many experts have called for an increase in this number due to research stating that this amount of protein is not enough to support, much less maximize muscle growth. For that purpose, we definitely need more protein.
How much protein you need depends on if you are bulking, cutting or doing a recomposition phase. It applies to both men and women.
For Bulking, 1.6-2.2 g per kg bodyweight.
For Cutting, 1.8-2.7 g per kg bodyweight.
For Body recomposition, it's almost the same as bulking.
There is also interesting research that suggests that if you are overweight/obese, you can aim for 1 g of protein per cm in height.
2. How much can we absorb?
The answer - All of it!
Absorption simply refers to the passage of nutrients from your small intestines into your bloodstream. Just because protein is absorbed, doesn’t mean it's being used to build muscle.
Absorption is not the key, but the usage of protein is!
3. How much can we use per meal?
It's not exactly clear as we have conflicting studies. Earliest research suggests only 20-25 g of protein in a meal is all you need to max out the anabolic response and going beyond that didn’t do anything extra for muscle growth. However, the Intermittent Fasting community shows different results. Research suggests it is much higher than what we used to think.
However, protein intake per meal is less important than daily protein intake.
Also, distributing protein between 3-5 meals is the sweet spot for digestion and muscle protein synthesis.
4. What are the best sources?
It is partly based on the amount of amino acid Leucine. It is important as it is the trigger for mTOR which then triggers new muscle growth.
Normally, 3 g of Leucine intake is considered a good amount.
We can see that Whey Protein, Chicken and Whole Eggs are the best options on a per-calorie basis.
Other Essential Amino acids are also important but the quality of protein is not that critical as long as you are hitting daily protein intake. We can get enough Leucine and enough EAAs by simply getting enough daily protein.
5. When should you eat?
There are two times that we should consider.
a. Post-workout protein timing -
The pre-workout and post-workout meals should be within 4-6 hours of each other. That is how you will be maximizing the anabolic response to training. The exception is fasting, then you should consume protein as soon as you can after a workout.
b. Pre-bed protein timing -
This is a more important but less discussed parameter. You can consume at least 40g of protein before an overnight fast. Timing factors are not that critical if the total protein intake is good.
6. How much is safe?
There are no legitimate safety concerns around a high-protein diet in a healthy, exercising individual. There is no scientific evidence for the same. It is not only safe, but it also has health benefits. Even going way above recommendations like 4.4 g/kg has consistently reported no harmful effects.
To sum it all up, around 90% of your results will come from taking care of only two parameters: Total daily protein intake and Protein distribution throughout the day.
Data:
Daily Protein Intake:
How Much Protein Can You Absorb in a Single Meal?
How Much Protein Can You Use in a Single Meal?
Protein Quality:
Pre-Workout Protein:
Pre-Sleep Protein:
Protein Safety:
Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
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