1. Home
  2. /
  3. Fitness
  4. /
  5. Fit Nutrition
  6. /
  7. How much protein do...

How much protein do you need for muscle growth?

by | May 14, 2021 | Fit Nutrition | 0 comments

Protein, along with fat and carbohydrates, is the basis of our diet.

Proteins. if anyone else does not know consist of amino acids, these are the building blocks, and our body receives from proteins amino acids that we need for: 

  • the existence of muscles
  • bone
  • growth
  • cells of our body blood
  • cells skin cells
  • connective tissue

In a word, protein is the basis of life.

And there is such a thing as a complete protein and not a complete one.

Complete Protein

Of course, they mean animal protein. that is, the protein of animal origin from:

  • animal
  • meat
  • fish
  • egg white
  • dairy products

Why are such proteins calls complete as opposite to inferior plant proteins?

Because animal proteins contain all nine essential amino acids necessary for our body, they do not know how to synthesize them.

these are amino acids such as:

  • valine
  • leucine
  • isoleucine
  • methionine
  • Vitamins
  • histidine
  • phenylalanine
  • tryptophan threonine

We can get these amino acids from food. 

How much complete protein does a person need per day to maintain their health?

The recommended dose is 0.8 grams per day. but it does not take into account:

  • gender
  • age
  • intensity of physical activity

Different amounts of it for different ages and physical activity

I’m sure you’re curious about what an average person needs. How much protein a person that does sports and wants to build muscle mass needs.

Decrease in muscle mass with age. Sarcopenia

How much protein needs for people who are already old after 60 years?

Because at this age (already starting from caste and after 40), there is a steady decrease in muscle mass. Which is name sarcopenia. And to prevent this age-related decrease in muscle mass, it is indispensable to provide the body with a sufficient amount of protein. 

How much Protein is necessary for people of different ages

How much does a person need a complete protein per day to maintain their health and grow muscle mass (if they train)? 

Well, 0.8 grams per kilogram this can only be true oddly enough for young people.

But the older a person gets, the more protein they need for his body to at least maintain its previous condition.

And according to research, a person after 65 years of age needs about 1/1. 2 grams per kilogram of weight per day. And if at the same time a person still suffers from some chronic disease, then he needs 1.5 grams per kilogram of weight per day.

Prevent your body from losing muscle mass (if you’re already older)?

But finally, if this older person is in a state of cachexia, that is, exhaustion may result from some long-term chronic disease. Then such people need 2 grams per kilogram.

And nothing is surprising here.

Studies show that there is such a thing as the maximum absorbed dose of protein at a time. 

So for young people, this is a dose of protein calculates when taking whey protein is 0.24 grams per kilogram of body weight. Well, if a person weighs 100 kilograms, then at one time, he can absorb 24 grams. Everything that goes beyond this will be used to form energy will be deposited in fat or just somehow wasted. But it will not go for muscle building.

But people who are 60/70 years old find that they can already absorb 0.4 grams per kilogram of weight. If we allow a person who is 70 years old and weighs 100 kilograms in it, he will absorb 40 grams at a time.

There are some differences?

ATTENTION! I will note an important detail. These studies were done on whey protein. But if we talk about whey protein, the most readily available of which for the body is hydrolysate. that is, it is a protein in the form of amino acids and dipeptides. And proteins are chains that consist of bricks of amino acids.

So, the shorter the length of this chain. For example, if that chain consists of two bricks or one, the faster they are absorb.

Whey hydrolysate, which bodybuilders so love it is quite quickly, within an hour, absorbed by our body.

But if we take egg white (also a good protein), then there are 3 grams only for an hour. Respectively, 21 grams will be absorbed in 7 hours.

Therefore, even if you eat 40 grams of egg white, this process of assimilation will take 7 hours or more, and, accordingly, there is a high chance that all these proteins will go to construction needs. They will not be wasted.

Nevertheless, research shows that even some males at a young age can still absorb even 0.4 grams per kilogram of weight at one time.

That is, a talented young person (in terms of protein assimilation) weighing 100 kilograms can completely assimilate 40 grams of whey protein at a time.

But an older person, like 65/70 years old, weighing 100 kilograms, can absorb even 60 grams of protein in one sitting. Well, accordingly, it will be 0.6 grams per kilogram of body weight.

How much is protein per day needed for muscle growth

How much protein is needed for a young person who workout to gain muscle?

Such a person needs 1.6 grams per kilogram of weight per day. That is, a person weighing 80 kilograms needs to consume 128 grams of complete protein.

At the same time, you need to understand that. A person should ensure that they do not completely cover their energy needs. That is the number of calories that come with food. It should either be equal to the cost or even (which is better) exceed by 500 kilocalories the total energy spent per day.

That’s when the growth of muscle mass will begin.

And this data is not taken from the ceiling. And there are also studies and even research studies called meta-analyses.

How many times a day you need to eat protein for muscle growth dosage

Regimen. According to research, it is best to divide the protein intake into 4 equal parts for 4 doses.

Accordingly, if you consume 128 grams of protein per day, then you need 32 grams of protein for four meals.

But there is another little trick. It turns out that after you have trained, for example, on physical strength, you have a so-called anabolic window. This window lasts for about 24 hours. It is best to restore, add protein to the protein for your muscles to begin to grow during this period. And here is the best moment it turns out to be within an hour after training.

That is, if you take protein or eat a meal rich in protein for an hour after training, you will have an even better effect.

Another interesting study shows that: if we give 40 percent of the daily value of protein to a person before going to bed or with the last meal. It will promote faster muscle growth than if this protein was distributed evenly over all four meals throughout the day.

Thus, it may turn out that the nature of the protein diet of 40 percent for the last meal and 20 percent for the previous three meals will have a more pronounced effect on muscle mass growth.

However, these studies are not many, and they mainly concerned older people with limited movement. And this night bolus, so let’s call it, will most likely be effective for people with a lack of muscle mass. Which we who are already old. For young people, such an effect is not yet available in such studies.

Should we assume protein with carbohydrates?

There is the opinion that proteins must be consumed with carbohydrates. Because they will cause the growth of insulin and, accordingly, insulin will show an anabolic effect and lead to better results.

Well, no. in fact, proteins that are made up of amino acids and themselves increase the baseline level of insulin by about two to three times. And this is quite enough for the anabolic processes to occur.

Therefore, you do not need to take additional carbohydrates and other proteins.

Practical example

Let’s now apply this in practice to a person who weighs 80 kilograms and wants to gain muscle mass through training.

He needs 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of weight, multiplies 1.6 by 80, and gets 128 grams.

We will only take animal proteins into account. Because for vegetable proteins, the combinations will be too complex. Well, for example, one of the favorite sources of protein is lentils.

Lentils days lack methionine, an essential amino acid. If we take grains, then there are cereals. Then there will be a lack of lysine and tryptophan in cereals.

And if we take everyone’s favorite nuts or seeds. Then there will not only be a lack of methionine lysine but also there will be a lack of threonine.

Therefore, to not get confused, do not combine it all, do not complicate it. We will focus simply on ordinary products. Let’s say our example has no money, and he does not want to spend on expensive whey protein hydrolysates.

and so we will limit ourselves to such products as:

  • cottage cheese
  • kefir
  • egg whites
  • and boiled chicken breast

Here is just from these products, we will gain protein.

What do we need?

  • 1 liter of kefir will be 30 grams of protein
  • 200 grams of boiled chicken breast without skin this will be 58 grams of protein
  • 5 whites of a chicken egg will be 22 grams of protein
  • 100 grams of low-fat cottage cheese will be 18 grams

All this together will give us 128 grams of protein.

Naturally, all these products can be divided into equal intervals or put together. I think you can guess for yourself.

And with such a simple set, you can quickly meet your protein needs.

the only thing to watch out for is products that are made from meat and processed. that is, it is

  • ham
  • ham semi
  • fabric products

Remember that processed meat products are still carcinogens.

And I here in this article did not discuss the problem of excessive protein intake and diseases of the liver, kidneys, and cardiovascular system.

I did it consciously because you can’t embrace the immensity.

In general, is it proper for a person to consume a large amount of protein? Does this not turn into some problem in the process of chasing beautiful muscles? Is this a health problem?

Maybe we are outwardly becoming more beautiful, but inside we have something wrong going on.

Learn more:

How Does Excess Protein Harm Health?

Conclusion

A person still needs from 1 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of the body per day to maintain health and muscle mass.

People who want to increase their muscle mass and train specifically for this purpose need about 1.6 tenths of a gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.

and this amount should be divided into 4 equal receptions

Sources of studies:

  1. PubMed Central® (PMC)
  2. BMC, research in progress
  3. Oxford Academic

Welcome to the youwillfit world!

We are thrilled to have you join us on this journey toward a healthier and happier life. Our blog is dedicated to providing you with the latest tips, tricks, and advice on how to achieve your fitness goals and improve your overall well-being. By joining our newsletter, you'll be the first to receive exclusive content and updates. You'll also be able to connect with like-minded individuals who share your passion for health and fitness. So don't wait any longer, sign up for our newsletter today and take the first step towards a healthier you!

You have Successfully Subscribed!