If you are doing any form of weight lifting and body building the so called pros and experienced people tell you you need a lot of protein. 2.0 gram or even 3.0 gram per kg of body mass per day is something you will hear. But when you get more experienced yourself and look at actual evidence you might find something else.

Recent studies have already shown that the human body does not like high amounts of protein (were not cats), it will bring the protein balance in a negative state and you will actually break down muscle. Even Atkins diets studies have shown this is possible, eating a lot of protein does not protect your muscles from breaking down. A balance between calories and protein is much more important.

To find out how much protein a serious weight lifter, body builder or athlete needs a recent study review all relevant studies and had some interesting conclusions which seem to match the kind of info we used, reviewed and published over the last few months.

So how much do you need? The answer seems 2 fold. Simply look at all the research that is available and you will find that 1.05 g/d/kg of protein will keep your body in balance! To some this seems not that much but you have to understand that your body gets more efficient with protein when you get more experienced in body building or any other type of sports.

For the final amount the study recommends eating 1.33 grams of protein per kg of body weight per day which is enough to keep your body protein balance positive and help you progress. Higher amounts do simply not show ANY advantage! (StayLimy editor: And even 1.33 seems to be on the save side. we’ve been working with 1.15 over the last year)

The study shows 2 exceptions to this number:

1) For starting bodybuilders/weight lifters and athletes or after a break
2) For bodybuilders/weight lifters and athletes who burn a lot of calories with their work or sports.

It is well know that starting out or getting started again means getting your body into gear. The body does need to learn how to work with proteins. 1,4 g/kg/day is recommended.

The second exception is when you have a day job that is physically demanding, or when you also burn a lot of calories in other types of sports like basketball, football etc. When you are burning a lot of calories in an hour (Think continues running, jumping, pushing for over an hour) it is almost impossible to get these calories from carbohydrates and fat only. Especially when you are not eating that much fat. In these situations your body will also start to break down proteins to get the energy it needs. For these people the recommend number based on all studies is 1.76 gr/kg/d (on the save side).

Now that you have some real numbers to work with, get ready to work out, and stay limy!

Phillips SM. Protein requirements and supplementation in strength sports. Nutrition. 2004 Jul-Aug;20(7-8):689-95.

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More Muslce and Testosterone: Food, Diets, Protein, Fat and Nutrients
Nutrient Mean Minimum Maximum ________________________________________
Energy, kJ 9,899 4,962 13,364
Protein, % 20 14 33
CHO, % 56 48 69
Fat, % 23 10 32
SFA, g · 1,000 kcal1 · day1

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