Protein for Bigger, Better Muscles
Anyone looking to increase their muscle mass knows that protein is necessary for this process. Whether you’re a bodybuilder or someone who just wants to bulk up a bit, you’ll need to increase your protein intake.
Protein consists of various amino acids, which the body uses to build new muscle and to repair damaged ones. Since protein is made of oxygen, hydrogen, carbon and nitrogen, it works by putting you into an anabolic state when you have enough protein to create a positive balance of protein. In this state, you’ll build muscle faster than usual.
Without sufficient protein intake, your body will actually use muscle mass for energy, so it’s best to avoid falling into a negative nitrogen balance or catabolic state.
How Much Protein Do I Need?
Wondering how much protein you should be adding to your meals? In general you want to aim for around one gram per pound of body weight per day. So, if you weigh 180 pounds, you’ll want to aim for roughly that amount of protein.
The amount of protein that your body can process at one time is limited. For women, 20 grams per meal is the most efficient amount and for men, it’s 30 grams. Eating smaller, high protein meals several times a day maintains the anabolic state without side effects.
Ideally, you’ll provide your body with protein throughout the day, but there are certain points when it is even more essential than usual. Eating immediately after a workout allows your body to create more muscle and to repair the damage done during the workout. However, you should also aim to eat some protein around 20 minutes before you begin your workout, too.
What to Eat
This book is packed with delicious recipes to set you on the path to eating right. However, you can come up with your own recipes, as well. It’s essential that you are aware of the top sources of protein if you want to do this.
- Beef
- Chicken
- Eggs
- Pork
- Fish
- Soy
These are some of the more popular and highest quantities of protein, but you can also add things like chia seeds, hard cheeses and broccoli or leafy greens to your meals to up the protein in it.
Just remember that eating more than the recommended amount of protein probably won’t give you bigger or better results, so stick to the recommendations and eat more often.
