How To Use Protein Timing for Maximum Muscle Growth
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<TABLE class=rightlist width="33%" align=right><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Proper protein timing is an important part of your health and fitness regime. If you fail to consume enough protein at the right times throughout the day then you may make smaller performance gains than expected. Also you risk overtraining as you may not be giving your body the fuel to repair, rebuild and replenish muscles after exercise.
Protein is essential for muscle growth and repair. Although fat and carbohydrates are also required for muscle function, it is the protein that builds muscle tissue. However, protein is not stored effectively in the human body, so if it is not used it is expelled as waste relatively quickly. This is why regular protein intake is required.
How Much Protein Do You Need?
The amount of protein you need to consume is something that is often debated in bodybuilding and athletics forums. Some people calculate the daily protein requirements based on your lean body weight, others on your total body weight. Some just suggest a very high amount, taking the approach that if your body does not use it, it will expel it anyway.
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Whether or not too much protein is harmful is also often debated. Many people speculate that it leads to kidney problems, whereas many bodybuilding coaches say that they have never seen or heard of such problems. Some dieticians do believe that many bodybuilders and athletes consume far more protein than they really need and do put themselves at greater risk of heart disease in later life.
The protein equation:
To estimate your body fat use this equation:
Example male: 35 years old, weighs 95kg, 175cm tall. Calculation is broken down into parts to make it easier to follow:
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Body fat % = (1.20 x 31) + (0.23 x 35) – 16.2
= 37.2 + 8.05 – 16.2
= 29.05% body fat
So the daily protein requirement is:
(95 – (0.2905 x 95)) x 2.75
= (95 – 27.5975) x 2.75
= 185.35
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So this adult male would need to consume 185 grams of protein per day as part of their muscle building diet. This protein can come from any source, so long as it is available when needed.
An Easier Protein Equation
Of course, you may not wish to do the above calculation. One popular way of calculating protein intake is to use this equation:
A more sensible equation using the metric system would be:
Some bodybuilding coaches recommend doubling this figure. However, too much protein will lead to increased body fat if you do not burn the excess calories off that come with the additional protein.
When is the best time to eat protein for maximum muscle growth?
Protein timing is as much an art as a science. However, the key rules are:
Ideally you should get as much of your protein as possible from healthy dietary sources. One of the pitfalls of attempting to get all your protein from your usual diet is that you start to consume food that is also high in saturated fat and salt. Processed and fried meats should be avoided, so do not eat more hot dogs and salami to get that protein. Here we list some good protein sources:
Possibly the most important thing to remember is to test and analyse results. If you start putting on too much weight or you hit a plateau with your training, then look at your diet again to check that you are not eating too much of the wrong type of food.
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<TABLE class=rightlist width="33%" align=right><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Proper protein timing is an important part of your health and fitness regime. If you fail to consume enough protein at the right times throughout the day then you may make smaller performance gains than expected. Also you risk overtraining as you may not be giving your body the fuel to repair, rebuild and replenish muscles after exercise.
Protein is essential for muscle growth and repair. Although fat and carbohydrates are also required for muscle function, it is the protein that builds muscle tissue. However, protein is not stored effectively in the human body, so if it is not used it is expelled as waste relatively quickly. This is why regular protein intake is required.
How Much Protein Do You Need?
The amount of protein you need to consume is something that is often debated in bodybuilding and athletics forums. Some people calculate the daily protein requirements based on your lean body weight, others on your total body weight. Some just suggest a very high amount, taking the approach that if your body does not use it, it will expel it anyway.
<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: QuickSense -->
Whether or not too much protein is harmful is also often debated. Many people speculate that it leads to kidney problems, whereas many bodybuilding coaches say that they have never seen or heard of such problems. Some dieticians do believe that many bodybuilders and athletes consume far more protein than they really need and do put themselves at greater risk of heart disease in later life.
The protein equation:
- Daily Protein Requirement = Lean Mass Weight x 2.75 / 1000
To estimate your body fat use this equation:
- For men, Body Fat% = (1.20 x BMI) + (0.23 x Age) – 16.2
- For women, Body Fat% = (1.20 x BMI) + (0.23 x Age) – 5.4
Example male: 35 years old, weighs 95kg, 175cm tall. Calculation is broken down into parts to make it easier to follow:
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= 37.2 + 8.05 – 16.2
= 29.05% body fat
So the daily protein requirement is:
(95 – (0.2905 x 95)) x 2.75
= (95 – 27.5975) x 2.75
= 185.35
<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: QuickSense -->
An Easier Protein Equation
Of course, you may not wish to do the above calculation. One popular way of calculating protein intake is to use this equation:
- Daily protein requirement (g) = Your body weight in pounds.
A more sensible equation using the metric system would be:
- Daily protein requirement (g) = Weight in kg x 2
Some bodybuilding coaches recommend doubling this figure. However, too much protein will lead to increased body fat if you do not burn the excess calories off that come with the additional protein.
When is the best time to eat protein for maximum muscle growth?
Protein timing is as much an art as a science. However, the key rules are:
- Start the day with protein. Your body is in a catabolic state when you wake up and therefore you are at risk of breaking down muscle tissue for energy. So a quick protein boost helps you to change your metabolism to burn fat instead. Whey protein is best in the morning.
- Eat more protein as snacks in between your meals. Casein protein is a good choice throughout the day because it is a slow release protein which means protein will remain in your blood longer to keep replenishing muscle supplies.
- Protein after your workout. Most people are in agreement that this is the most important time to consume protein. Research has shown that protein should be consumed within 30 minutes of exercise for maximum benefit. The best way to take this protein is as a shake. Whey protein is an excellent choice.
- More protein before bed. As you will ideally be sleeping for at least 8 hours to give your body every chance to recover and rebuild, you need to stock up on protein before you sleep. A late night shake is a good idea here.
Ideally you should get as much of your protein as possible from healthy dietary sources. One of the pitfalls of attempting to get all your protein from your usual diet is that you start to consume food that is also high in saturated fat and salt. Processed and fried meats should be avoided, so do not eat more hot dogs and salami to get that protein. Here we list some good protein sources:
- Whey and Casein protein shakes
Possibly the most important thing to remember is to test and analyse results. If you start putting on too much weight or you hit a plateau with your training, then look at your diet again to check that you are not eating too much of the wrong type of food.
