That's what a recent news report tallied that the line-up at a physique contest consumed - in one day. So, it's not surprising that most people view bodybuilders as protein junkies, shovelling the stuff into their oversized frames by the bucket load. The reality is not that different. Muscle heads the world over are, indeed, overloading on protein - they have been for decades. But do they really need to? What's the muscle protein connection anyway? And just how much of it is needed to stimulate optimal muscle growth? Let's get up to speed with a little protein 101.

What it is / What it does

Protein has rightly been called the building block of the human body. Everything - from the tip of your head to your big toe - is made from it. After water, protein is, in fact, the most abundant substance in your body - and about 70% of it can be found in your skeletal muscles. Rather than sitting idle, the protein in your body is constantly being lost and broken down due to natural bodily functions. That's why your body needs to constantly replace its protein stores in order to maintain itself. This process of cell repair starts when you chow down a chicken breast. As it passes down the throat, the proteins in your piece of chicken are separated by enzymes (which are also proteins) into sub-units called amino acids.

The amino acids then enter your cells and, under direction from the DNA, repair and rebuild them. Without adequate protein this process just cannot take place. Carbohydrates and fats don't cut the mustard because they lack one vital ingredient - nitrogen. Nitrogen is only present in protein, and without it you are literally wasting away. So, to be in a position to replace lost muscle we need to be in what is called a zero nitrogen balance (that's when you're taking in adequate amounts of nitrogen to replace the amount that is being lost by your body's everyday functions).

The Essential Proteins

When we talk protein, we're really referring to amino acids, from which they are formed. There are 20 amino acids that are needed by the body for growth. These 20 amino acids can form into an untold number of configurations to make all manner of molecules. 11 of the 20 can be manufactured within the human body. That leaves 9 that have to come via the mouth. These are the essential amino acids:

●Histidine ●Isoleucine ●Leucine ●Valine ●Lysine ●Methionine ●Phenylaline ●Threonine ●Tryptophan

We can now see that not all proteins are equal in value. A food which contains all of the essential and non-essential amino acids is called a complete protein. These are clearly the ones that bodybuilders should be focusing on.

Zero nitrogen balance will prevent the body from cannibalizing itself. That's all good and well if you want to stay the same size. But we're bodybuilders - staying the same size is not part of the game plan. We want to max out those skeletal muscle cells. That means we need to move from zero nitrogen balance to positive nitrogen balance, where we have spare amino acids for new muscle growth. All of which leads to the million dollar question - how much more protein does a bodybuilder need than a "normal" person?

The Great BodyBuilding Debate

Welcome to the great debate - one that has been raging for well over a century. It's essentially been a debate between lab coated pencil necks who claim that bodybuilders need little more than the Food and Drug Adminstration's Recomended Daily Allowance (RDA) and in the trenches, muscle heads who happily triple or even quadruple that figure. On the face of it, the muscle heads seem to have the logic: more protein = more construction material = more muscle. Like most things in life, however, it ain't that simple. Consuming more protein than your body can utilize over a prolonged period of time can result in an increase in fat storage. That's the last thing that any serious bodybuilder wants. Too much protein can also lead to an abundance of urea in the body. Urea must be eliminated from the body via the liver and kidneys.

Too much protein for too long, then, can place undue strain on these vital organs. That being said, weight training definitely increases the body's need for protein. When you're working out, you're actually causing micrscopic tears to your muscle fibers (that's what causes those post workout muscle aches). Protein is needed to repair the cell, making it bigger and stronger. Just how much is still unclear. Recent studies with strength trainers suggests that one gram of protein for every pound of bodyweight is about ideal. That's roughly double the RDA. As we'll see, this will change as you zero in on a competition, but use the one gram figure to base your muscle building needs upon, and you'll be well on track.

Timing Is Everything

Eat all of that protein in one, two or even three sittings and you won't be doing it justice. For optimal utilization you need to eat your protein every three waking hours - planning it so that one of those meals comes on the heels of your workout. For most people that means five meals per day. Here, then, is a simple formula to work out how much complete protein you need at each sitting:

Bodyweight (lbs) x 1 = grams of protein per day.

Divide by 5 (number of meals) = grams per meal.

The Prize Proteins

Complete proteins - those containing all 20 amino acids - come from meat, eggs and dairy products. Many of these foods, however, are also high in fat. To get the protein and not the fat we need to be discriminating about our protein choices. Here are six of the best complete protein, low fat food choices:

●White chicken meat (breast is best, skinless of course) ●Egg whites (o.k., one yolk for every four whites won't kill you) ●Fish (if it's out of a can, make sure it's packed in water, not oil) ●Lean red meats (top round, eye of round, sirloin) ●Non fat or low fat dairy products ●Protein powders (whey is best)

Serious Number Crunching

If you're one of those guys who hates to count calories and food portions, you're either going to have to get used to the idea or forget about optimizing your protein intake for maximum muscle growth. There's no way around it - you've simply got to do the math if you want to see some mass for your protein dollar. First up is determining your current caloric maintenance level. You can do this by multiplying your bodyweight in pounds by 17.5. To build muscle multiply by 21.5. Now simply divide that figure by 5 (the number of meals per day). Apply the one, two, three rule of macronutrient intake to this figure which says that at every meal you should have one part fat, two parts protein and three parts carbohydrate. That tells you that 1/3 of each of your five meals will consist of complete lean protein.

Now you know exactly how much fat, carbohydrate and protein you have to eat at each sitting to build muscle. Gone is the guess work. Put this plan into action and your muscles will grow -they've got no option. All you've got to do now is aportion the food out correctly. For that you'll need two things - an accurate food scale and a good calorie counter book. Use them consistently for a couple of weeks and you should be able to gauge the amounts by eye.

Protein Supplements

The supplement industry has generated a lot of income from bodybuilding's love affair with protein. So, are all of those supplements for real? Yes and No. Firstly, consider protein powders. These offer complete proteins in the right combinations and minus the fat that inevitably comes from animal proteins. They are quick and convenient. On the down side protein powders don't produce the same thermic effects as whole foods. Protein foods can increase the metabolism by up to 30%, which is a terrific aid in the fat burning process. Powders and other supplements rob you of this effect. Weighed in the balance, though, protein powders are a useful and convenient tool - but limit them to a maximum of four servings per day. When shopping for powders, look out for whey based proteins - they have the highest utilization and absorption rates.

What about amino acid supplements? These pre-digested proteins presumably have an edge over whole foods when it comes to absorption by the body. The problem is that we humans were designed to digest whole foods, not pills. The body actually utilizes the protein better when it does the whole job itself. Amino acid supplements can be classified as either those that stimulate growth hormone (GH) or those that replace protein that is lost from muscle - the branch chain amino acids (BCAA's).

The former are based on studies in which subjects who were injected with huge amounts of amino acids increased their secretion of growth hormone. Oral dosages, however, have failed to reproduce these results. In addition, the link between GH release and muscle growth is tenuous at best. So, what about BCAA supplements? Well, you can get all of your body's BCAA needs from just one cup of yogurt. The bottom line - Protein supplements are a great way to get protein on the go, especially if you are not able to plan out and eat 5 whole food meals in one day.

Pre-Contest Protein

One gram of protein per pound of bodyweight is the smartest route to follow in the off-season. As a contest approaches, however, it's time to up the ante. Now the prime purpose for ingesting protein is going to change. Rather than building more muscle, your goal pre-contest is to shed fat. And you can actually do that by eating more protein. Now, those of you have been paying attention will remember reading that too much protein can make you fatter.

So what's this about using protein to get lean, you ask? Well it's true - too much protein over a prolonged period will make you fatter. But for a short term, fat burning frenzy, upping the protein stakes definitely does the trick. Here's how: When you cut back on carbs, the body robs protein to produce energy. This process is exactly what you want because it burns calories and speeds up the metabolism. The result? Full, round, ripped muscles.

Start your pre-contest diet 12 weeks out. Reduce overall calories by 500, with carbs making up 55% and protein 30%. Slowly taper down the calories and carbs while increasing the protein until, by contest week, you've dropped calories by 1000 from when you started and halfed the percentage of carbs you're consuming, while doubling the protein to about 2 grams per pound of bodyweight. Follow this plan (while making sure that your water intake is high) and you'll be shredded like you won't believe.

About the Author: Dane Fletcher is the world's foremost training authority. He writes exclusively for GetAnabolics.com, a leading online provider of testosterone cypionate, creatine, and clenbuterol. For more information, please visit http://www.GetAnabolics.com.

About the Author
About the Author: Dane Fletcher is the world's foremost training authority. He writes exclusively for GetAnabolics.com, a leading online provider of testosterone cypionate, creatine, and clenbuterol. For more information, please visit http://www.getanabolics.com.


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