Protein is a crucial part of a healthy diet, as it is made of the primary building blocks called “amino acids”, and it is mainly used to repair and maintain body tissues including muscle. Our body is known to use over 20 amino acids that consolidate multiple ways and ratios to create at least 10,000 different proteins. Moreover, out of the 20 amino acids that our body uses, 9 of them are only viewed as essential and primary and should be acquired through a well-balanced diet to help you regulate your metabolism, create a balance of fluid levels, form hormones, carry nutrients, repair and grow muscles. The 9 necessary and crucial amino acids are: Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, and Valine.
If your main goal is to build muscle, then it is important to consider consuming the exact amount of protein needed as well as the right amounts of other micronutrients, carbohydrates, and fats. You might be wondering: what type of protein is the best? How much should I consume? Do my protein requirements differ from others? The minimum Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of protein for each 1 kg of body weight is 0.8 grams in order to meet your body’s needs and prevent protein deficiency. That being said, is that amount enough to build muscle? Keep reading to discover how much protein you should take per day to start building muscles and also burn fat and lose weight all along.
As it has been mentioned, protein is pivotal for numerous functions within the body and thus it is a misconception that more protein is better, especially when it comes to muscle growth. However, based on advanced research, it has been concluded that there is a limit to the amount of protein our bodies can use per meal, and it is called the “muscle full effect”, which amounts to 20-30 g of protein per meal in order to instantly stimulate protein synthesis, i.e., the process that takes place naturally and in which protein is formed to repair muscle damage due to extensive workouts or protein breakdown. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends around 1.2 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight for athletes and bodybuilders. In addition to that, it has been mentioned that muscle protein synthesis is significantly increased in young adults at a dose of approximately 20-25 grams of high-quality protein.
What is the best way to build muscles?
Exercise is very important for muscle building and thus there are 3 focal mechanisms integrated into exercise geared toward muscle growth. Let us discover them together!
First and foremost, mechanical tension through lifting a dumbbell or doing a bicep curl to power the force, load, or stress that stretches muscles against contraction.
Second, muscle damage takes place when you do a new movement or exercise for the first time or in a new way, or double the intensity of a certain exercise. The major amount of mechanical tension usually occurs in the eccentric (lengthening/stretching) phase of an exercise. The muscle damage is most often described as micro-damage or micro-tears and is mainly reflected through post-workout muscle soreness.
Third, metabolic stress is the build-up of metabolites in your muscle due to fatigue and it is mainly reflected through a burn or bump feeling after repeating exercise.
reps with little or no rest. This in turn signals the body to release anabolic hormones such as testosterone and growth hormone that assist in strengthening muscle protein synthesis and lowering muscle breakdown.
Our recommended meal and shake ideas for your protein needs.
Whether you’re looking for foods or other sources of protein to include in your diet and strengthen your protein intake, below are some of our favorite dietary proteins: Eggs, Greek yogurt, nuts like almonds and pistachios, seeds like pumpkin seeds, cottage cheese, milk, salmon, chicken, tuna, lean meats like lean beef, quinoa, oats, lentils, high protein veggies like broccoli and Brussels sprouts. One way to have your protein is through a smoothie or protein shake. We recommend you to create your drink by using a protein powder made from fast- absorbing proteins like whey or pea protein.
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