Working to build muscle...help

missjoci

I've never quite understood the need for protein shakes. I was taking soy shakes when I wasn't eating much meat to get the additional protein, a few months back, but I worry about then having too much and it then turning to fat instead. Do I need to worry about taking protein supplements to build muscle? My goal is to really tone up, especially in the abs and back. Also, would love any other suggestions on muscle growth. Thanks!

miss_p90x

Your body can only handle 35g at a time, so if you take more than 35 at a time, that will stored. Otherwise, you should be good.

Soccer_Chick

What percent of your calories are coming from protein? About 15% maybe? You might want to play around with your macros and customize them a bit. If you want to build muscle you are going to have to eat a good bit of food and have maybe 25-20 % of those calories coming from protein.

SergeantSunshine_reused

Your body can only handle 35g at a time, so if you take more than 35 at a time, that will stored. Otherwise, you should be good.

uh no. myth

I aim to get 1g of protein for every lb i weigh. Eat plenty of protein to preserve muscle mass. You wont be building much, if any, in a calorie deficit.

Lift_hard_eat_big

Your body can only handle 35g at a time, so if you take more than 35 at a time, that will stored. Otherwise, you should be good.

So what happens to the other 25-35 grams of protein I eat during one feeding?

missjoci

I'm not sure what my percentage is, I've been trying to up my protein intake and I'm usually about 20-40 over in my diary.

kikkipoo

Even when I had just had the gastric bypass and was only eating 500-1000 calories a day I was required to get a minimum 65 grams of protein just so I didn't lose hair and get sickly. Now at a normal weight 8 years later I stick to a 1200 calorie diet and eat at minimum 100 grams of protein a day. My macros have been personalized to get 40% of my calories from protein, (which my trainer was thrilled about), the other 40 from whole grains, fruits and veggie carbs, and then 20% or less from fat (mind you my fats come from olive oils and nuts). People really have to realize the harm they can do in not getting a truly balanced healthy diet, all of their vitaimins, and eating processed frozen meals and packaged foods that have more sodium than one should have in a whole day. I have an excel chart that I use just to keep close eye on my spread. It's pointless to stay at a calorie deficit with no concern that 90% of your calories come from unhealthy choices, and I guarantee you when I hear people say they are at a plateau, I can usually spot why in their diary from a mile away. That being said, if you want to GAIN muscle you will need to eat a considerable amount of protein. It's necessary for the muscle repair. You will not gain because of it. GNC makes some amazing protein shakes and I also add unflavored Unjury whey protein to things like my morning coffee, greek yogurt, etc. There's lots of ways to sneak it in.

PBJunky

I've never quite understood the need for protein shakes. I was taking soy shakes when I wasn't eating much meat to get the additional protein, a few months back, but I worry about then having too much and it then turning to fat instead. Do I need to worry about taking protein supplements to build muscle? My goal is to really tone up, especially in the abs and back. Also, would love any other suggestions on muscle growth. Thanks!

Here is the deal...if you really want to add mass then you should be in a calorie surplus with 1 gram of protein per lb of lean body mass and 0.45 - 0.6 grams of fat per lb of bodyweight. Train your *kitten* off like there is no tomorrow focusing on compound exercises, once you have gained a good amount of mass then cut back by going in a deficit but keeping your protein intake high as to preserve those precious muscles that you have worked so hard for.

Alternative is doing a recomp, having a surplus on a workout day and a deficit on a non workout day....this requires some trial and error and the progress is slow but you will stay leaner.

ninerbuff

What percent of your calories are coming from protein? About 15% maybe? You might want to play around with your macros and customize them a bit. If you want to build muscle you are going to have to eat a good bit of food and have maybe 25-20 % of those calories coming from protein.

That's still pretty low. Since muscle can ONLY be built from protein, then it should be approximately 40% of daily calories to encourage hypertrophy.








A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

drbaska

Protein is important to build muscle, but unless you are wanting to be a body builder, I don't think you need to worry about the amount of protein in a shake being too much. I drink Shakeology - and it has 18 g. protein, plus over 70 nutrients and vitamins, digestive enzymes and prebiotics. It's really amazing.

Also, a great workout program for building fat burning muscle is Chalean Extreme. I was amazed at how effective it was for me, with only have 5, 10 and 15 lbs at home.

Let me know if you need any more tips on these things.