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Do you really need 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight?
We’re told the body needs a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight daily. Guess what? Though fairly accurate, that number is an estimate. When calories drop, such as when you eat drastically less fat or reduce carbs to shed bodyfat, you’ll need more protein, upward of 1.5 grams per pound, to keep from burning muscle tissue for energy.
Training intensity, frequency and duration play a role, too. The harder you train and the more muscle damage you incur, the more protein you need to rebuild those damaged fibres. If you train six days a week, you’ll need more protein than if you trained just four times, and if your workouts are longer in duration, you might need to bump your protein above the 1-gram benchmark.
Source: Muscle & Fitness magazine
Ed. Note: A lot of people find that bumping their protein up a little really helps them to gain weight and build muscle faster. Many who complain of inferior muscle recovery might just need more protein – between 1.2 grams and 1.5 grams per pound of bodyweight daily. A quick and easy way to do it is to use a good whey protein shake first thing in the morning and at bedtime (with some milk), along with meals during the day containing fish, chicken or red meat. If you’re after a snack, why not use many of the good protein or meal replacement bars out there, such as Promax Meal bars by Maximuscle. Don’t be one of those wannabe gym users looking to build muscle, who only take 1 scoop of protein powder on training days, it just won’t make a difference. You’ll waste your money and make little, if any gains.
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after reading this my first thought was that i dont take protein on my day off from the gym or on my cv day. I train 6 days a week doing (biceps/chest on monday), (tue legs and CV = 30mins run+10mins bike+ 10mins stepper+ 6mins crosstrainer+ core), (wed triceps, Back, sides), (thru CV SAME AS ABOVE) (fri biceps/triceps chest) (sat shouders sides) (sun rest) I would like to know if i should take protein on these two days. At the monment i am taking Cyclone 1.5 scoops before and after the gym stright away with a banana iam i right as i want to get as big as i can (thank you)
I think protien suppliments should be taken everyday all year round, i always have protien straight after training, but i have protien drinks like in between meals, after all, your not going to only eat chicken or red meat on training days are you? Use protien shakes to suppliment your diet with extra protien.
Adding to what Stephen said, having a high-protein drink or bar (immediately) after you’ve been working out is essential - but carbs also help the uptake of vital aminos, so keep with the Cyclone after training, or, as I did - use Progain after training.
I managed to put on about 4kgs of lean mass in a month whilst using that after each gym session.
Equally, noticing your training regime - perhaps, unless you are already at an advanced stage - you may be overtraining yourself.
If you feel like you need a second biceps/triceps session a week - then you probably haven’t worked them hard enough.
For me, and I know others who do the same, I never train my biceps/triceps more than once a week - as often your arms get fatigued after doing exercises like: Bench Press, Deadlifts, Shoulder Press, etc.
So you may find that by taking out that extra session, and giving yourself a Two-on, one-off, split (rest: weds, sat and sun for example) will allow you to recover better - and then lift more weight more effectively for your other sessions, which will aid overall muscle-growth through increased protein synthesis.
Equally, you could drop the CV section from your legs session and go all-out on some core exercises like squats or deadlifts.
If performed correctly with strict form and with 60-80% of your maximum, you’ll find your cardio-vascular system working extremely hard, which will be as (if not more) effective than the CV section of your work out.
Remember - intense weightlifting sessions cause the body to burn calories for up to 48hours after your workout, as your body uses them to recover, repair and grow. CV only burns calories for just above 15 minutes after you finish, which is equivalent to 250mls of milk.