The Body Building Diet and Proper Protein Intake

Contrary to what the fitness experts would have you believe a body building diet does not need to contain crazy amounts of protein. The most common suggestion is to have one gram of protein per pound of body weight. That is roughly 200 grams per day, for a 200 pound man. If you compare this to the recommendation shown in the body building magazines, it’s a really low number.

The Recommended Daily Allowance for Protein consumed by the average adult is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight.

This calculates to about 64 grams of protein intake a day for a 175 pound person. So why do these numbers vary so widely? Well, to start with the RDA’s suggested levels have been based on research done with college-aged men. The studies found that this was the proper amount of protein to keep a correct nitrogen balance in these young men. However, nitrogen balance has not proven 100% effective in predicting muscle loss or gain. So this probably wouldn’t be a good protein intake estimation for the body building diet.

The AMDR Recommends Between 10%-35% of Daily Calories to Be Protein

This would mean the amount of protein eaten is dependent on the number of calories you are consuming in a day. The AMDR stands for Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range and it was established by the Institute of Medicine in 2005. The issue with this recommendation is that it is a rather large range. This is something not taken into account by this recommendation or by the RDA. A person who is exercising actively needs to incorporate this factor into their body building diet plans.

So It Doesn’t Look Like the RDA or the AMDR are Useful in Coming up With a Body Building Diet

Some body building magazines suggest as high as 2 grams of protein per pound of body weight. That is 350 grams per day, for a 175 pound man! The problem with body building magazines are that they aren’t exactly unbiased. Selling ads to various advertisers is their main source of income. And the number one product advertised in body building magazines is protein supplements. No doubt that 2 grams of protein per pound of body weight is way more than necessary.

The More Protein You Are Eating, The More Protein You Will Be Able To Digest

Here’s a weird body fact; if you eat large amounts of protein at every meal, your body becomes used to it and has an easier time absorbing it. If your body is accustomed to eating smaller amounts of protein, then a high protein meal will make your stomach upset because your gastro-intestinal system won’t be able to digest it all. You would think that digesting more protein would mean building more muscle, but it isn’t that simple.

Ten Times More Protein Digested Does Not Equal Ten Times More Muscle

Research has shown that the more protein you eat, the more your body switches to using amino acids as fuel. Your body uses protein, fat, and carbs for fuel. It will simply adjust what it burns for energy depending upon what you eat. Based on that information it doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense to keep increasing the protein, but exactly what is enough?

For Exceptional Muscle Gains A Recent Study Recommends 70-120 Grams Of Protein Each Day

This topic has been covered in a book by Brad Pilon called “How Much Protein.” He compared several studies and found that between 0.55 to 0.7 grams of protein per pound of body weight would be enough for exceptional muscle gains. He also references several studies that have shown that going over 120 grams of protein each day will not help add to your muscle gain. So who’s advice would you rather follow; solid scientific research or the supplement companies? The choice, as always, is yours. My suggestion is to average roughly 100 grams of protein per day, which is easily doable without adding protein shakes to your body building diet.