Eating protein and building muscle go together like protein powder and milk in a blender - you can’t have one without the other. That’s why it’s important to consider how much protein you need per day if you’re looking to build muscle.
Protein is quite literally the foundation of strength and muscle. It’s vital for tissue repair and is filled with amino acids – otherwise known as the ‘building blocks’ of protein. It’s widely understood that to build and increase your muscle mass, you need a high level of protein in your diet. But the wisdom on how much protein for muscle building varies wildly.
Official recommendations from the British Nutrition Foundation state that your daily protein intake should be 56g for men and 45g for women, but this doesn’t take into account your height, weight or energy output. We’ve done the maths for you so you’ll never need to wonder again how many protein shakes are too many.
What is protein and why do we even need it?
Protein is a macronutrient, which is a nutrient that humans need in large quantities to live. It’s built from amino acids, which your body needs to build everything from your glute muscles to the hair on your head to your fingernails.
To increase muscle mass, your body needs to be taking in more muscle protein than it breaks down. And this statement isn’t just coming from some gym bro who only eats chicken and rice - a study found that ‘protein intake was shown to promote additional gains in lean body mass beyond those observed with resistance exercise alone’. Protein can also help with weight loss by helping to increase your metabolism and reducing your appetite.
What are amino acids and why do I need them?
As we mentioned earlier, amino acids are essentially the ‘building blocks’ of protein. They come together in different combinations to serve different functions and protein cannot exist without them.
There are nine essential amino acids, which means we must obtain them through our diet as our bodies do not produce them naturally. These are:
- Phenylalanine
- Tryptophan
- Lysine
- Methionine
- Isoleucine
- Histidine
- Leucine
- Threonine
Whilst it’s important to ensure your protein intake is at the right level, it’s also crucial to consume the right amino acids and give your body the full breadth of what it needs to do its job.
What foods are high in essential amino acids?
One of the easiest ways to ensure you’re getting all nine essential amino acids is to pack your diet with what are known as ‘complete proteins’.
A complete protein, as you may have guessed, is so named as it contains all nine essential amino acids. Some examples of these are beef, poultry, eggs and quinoa.
Our Strong Protein is also a complete protein source, making it even easier to top up your daily nutrition in no time.
How much protein do I need?
A human’s recommended dietary allowance, which refers to the amount of a nutrient you need to fulfil basic nutritional requirements, is 0.8g protein per kilo of body weight. While this might satisfy the minimum requirement, it’s not enough for athletes or highly active people. Sportspeople training at an elite level eat around 2g of protein per kilo of body weight every day, and if you’ve just started an intense workout programme, that’s what you should be aiming for. When you’re really working your muscles and waking up sore the next day, this is the amount of protein required to gain muscle, as fuel + muscle damage = muscle growth.
So, you might be wondering how to work out exactly how much protein you personally need for muscle building…
How much protein do you need every day?
Calculating how much protein you need for building muscle as a proportion of what you eat is a flawed method, as the number you end up with will only be relative to your total calorie intake. Calculating how many grams of protein you need per day is more consistent when done according to weight, as you’ll be consuming the same amount regardless of your calorie count.
The absolute best way to determine how much protein is needed for muscle building is to base the measurement on your lean body mass, otherwise known as everything in your body that isn’t fat. Calculating protein intake for a man who weighs 135kg, using the 2g per kg rule, states that he should be eating a colossal 270g of protein per day - which is neither necessary nor realistic. This is especially clear when taking into account that research shows little benefit to eating more than 2.2g of protein per kg of lean body mass, and that it can even pose potential health risks.
So, how do you calculate how much protein you should have? Calculating by lean body mass is more accurate. If a man weighs 90kg and has 20% body fat, their lean body mass is 72kg. Multiplied by 2.2, their daily protein target is 158g per day - a far more achievable goal.
When is the best time to consume protein?
Timing your protein intake is just as important as calculating the amount, as your body can’t process more than 25 to 35g per serving. Spread your consumption out throughout the day and ensure you’re eating protein with every meal - so that’s a moratorium on all those all-pasta. The most important time to be consuming protein is in the half an hour following your gym session, which is the window to optimise the repair process in your body. This way you can optimise your protein intake for muscle building.
Easy protein on-the-go
Innermost’s protein powders are formulated to maximise muscle growth, strength and power output, so they’re perfect for sipping on immediately post-workout. Even better, the different varieties are targeted to exactly what you’re looking to achieve with your workout regime.
The Strong Protein is designed to help you to push yourself as hard as you possibly can, reduce inflammation and speed up recovery, so you’re down for less time. It’s perfect protein for building muscle and supporting your strength goals. The Lean Protein is formulated to encourage healthy, sustainable fat loss, reduce your cravings and to support muscle growth.
Hit up The Fit Protein to increase your energy levels, rehydrate and repair those all-important muscles. And The Health Protein, as well as being vegan, is ideal for boosting your health and your immune system as well as supporting muscle growth.
Protein for building muscle
From whole foods to supplements, there are many ways to get the protein you need each and every day. With so many options to choose from, it’s important to remember the things we’ve discussed in this blog to make sure you’re giving your body the right stuff, in the right way.
For example, whichever protein you choose, it’s crucial to drink it as soon as possible following your workout as you produce the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline after exercise, which can be bad for your body. When you’re taking in nutrition, it counters this effect, kickstarts muscle growth and helping to repair your body.
Bear in mind that you can have too much of a good thing, especially when it comes to protein sourced from red meat which has high levels of saturated fat. It’s better to source your protein from lean sources, such as protein powders, chicken breasts and salmon. Additionally, people with a very high protein diet can be at risk of kidney stones. As long as you stick our above calculation (lean body mass X 2.2), you should be just fine.
Now, let’s start working on those gains!
