The Truth About Protein: How much do you really need?
Understanding Muscle Growth
Protein is probably one of the most talked about nutrients in the fitness industry. Spend five minutes on social media and you’ll see protein shakes, protein bars, protein bread, protein pancakes and “high-protein” versions of almost every food imaginable, all claiming they’ll help you build muscle.
The reality is a little less exciting than the marketing would have you believe.
You Don’t Build Muscle Just by Eating Protein
One of the biggest misconceptions is that simply eating more protein will build muscle.
It won’t.
The reason you build muscle is because you give your body a reason to adapt. Strength training, progressive overload and consistency are what stimulate muscle growth. Protein provides the building blocks your body needs to repair and build that muscle afterwards. Think of it like building a house: you could have all the bricks in the world (protein) but if you don’t have the builders (strength training), that house will not be getting built!
Without that training stimulus, eating more protein isn’t suddenly going to increase muscle mass.
Protein is important, but it isn’t the thing driving muscle growth. Your training is.
Why Do We Need Protein?
Protein is made up of amino acids, which are used throughout the body for far more than just muscle. They play a role in muscle repair, hormone production, enzymes, immune function and many other essential processes.
The good news is that you don’t need expensive supplements to get enough protein.
Some excellent sources include:
- Meat, fish and eggs
- Milk, yoghurt and cheese
- Beans, lentils and chickpeas
- Nuts and seeds
- Tofu, tempeh and other soy products
If you’re training regularly, especially if you’re lifting weights, your protein requirements will be higher than someone who is less active because your body has more repair and recovery to do.
That doesn’t mean you need excessive amounts.
How Much Protein Do You Need?
For most people who are resistance training and looking to build or maintain muscle, a good target is around:
1.4-2.0g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.
For example, if you weigh 80kg, that works out at roughly:
112-160g of protein per day.
You don’t always need to aim for the very top end of that range.
Your ideal intake will depend on things like:
- How often and how hard you train
- Whether you’re trying to build muscle or lose body fat
- Your total calorie intake
- Your age and body composition
For most people, consistently hitting a sensible protein target is much more important than chasing the highest number possible.
Does Protein Timing Matter?
You’ve probably heard that you need to drink a protein shake immediately after training or you’ll miss your opportunity to build muscle.
Thankfully, it’s not quite that dramatic.
Research shows that what’s most important is:
- Your total protein intake across the day.
- Spreading that protein across your meals.
For most people, aiming for around 20-40g of protein per meal works well, depending on your size and daily requirements.
Having protein after training can certainly be beneficial, but if you’re consistently meeting your daily protein target, whether you have your shake 10 minutes or 45 minutes after finishing your session isn’t going to make or break your progress.
Can You Eat Too Much Protein?
This is another question I get asked regularly.
For healthy individuals with no underlying kidney disease, higher protein intakes are generally considered safe as part of a balanced diet and won’t cause issues.
If you consistently eat more protein than your body needs, a few things can happen.
Some of it can be used as an energy source and, just like any other nutrient, if you’re regularly eating more calories than you’re burning, that excess energy can contribute towards fat gain.
The bigger issue for most people isn’t eating too much protein.
It’s that everything else isn’t matching their goals.
You can eat plenty of protein, but if your training is inconsistent, your sleep is poor and your calorie intake isn’t appropriate, you’re unlikely to get the results you’re looking for.
Don’t Fall for the Protein Marketing
There’s no doubt that protein products can be convenient for some people (e.g. busy parents, shift workers etc)
If you’re busy, travelling or struggling to hit your target through food alone, a protein shake or bar can be useful.
But they’re exactly that… convenient (and often expensive)
They’re not essential. Think of the word “supplement”, the clue is in the name, these should be as a last resort if you are really struggling to meet your protein goals.
In many cases, a normal meal containing good quality protein will do exactly the same job.
Before buying another “high-protein” version of a food, ask yourself:
Do I actually need this to help me hit my protein target, or could I get the same result from a normal meal?
Often, the answer is the second one.
Keeping It Simple
If your goal is to build muscle or improve your body composition, keep your focus on the basics:
- Follow a structured, progressive strength training programme and aim to progress over time.
- Make sure you’re eating enough calories to support your goal (often, people go wrong here. They consume loads of protein but remain in a large calorie deficit and they wonder why the are unable to build muscle).
- Aim for around 1.4-2.0g/kg/day of protein.
- Include a source of protein with each meal.
- Use supplements as a last resort, not because you think they are essential for muscle gain.
You don’t need to overcomplicate things.
Conclusion
If you are looking to gain muscle, don’t just rush out and buy loads of products. Make a plan for training, work out how many calories and macronutrients (Protein, Carbohydrate, and Fat) you actually require to achieve your goals, get yourself organized by making shopping lists and menus for the week, and start tracking your calories and macros. Only then will you be in a good position to make real progress. If you jump into it without any prior planning, you will either not succeed, or you will end up spending a fortune and causing the process to be much more complicated than it need to be.
Keep your nutrition simple, focus on the fundamentals and don’t get caught up in the marketing. More often than not, you’ll make better progress while spending a lot less money.
If you need support with training or nutrition, I offer online personal training and nutrition consultancy. Get in touch to find out how I can help you with your goals