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Fschmi5
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2005
Total Posts : 6

Posted 2/3/2006 1:19 PM (GMT -4)

I am currently into working out (lift weights about 3-4 times a week) and running(only currently running about 8-10 miles a week) and am looking to put on some muscle mass. I am 5"11" and weigh only 145 lbs. I realize if you want to gain size you need to consume some extra protien. From the research I have done, the most protein you should consume in a day is about 100 grams. When someone says 100 grams of protein do they mean total protien (complete and incomplete). One example of what I am talking about would be whole wheat pasta. If I had about 4 oz of whole wheat pasta, I would get about 16 grams of incomplete protien. Now would I incorporate the whole 16 grams of protein into the 100 grams allowed for the day or just a portion of that since it is incomplete?

mentesseg
Registered Member

Date Joined Oct 2006
Total Posts : 40

Posted 10/17/2006 6:39 PM (GMT -4)

The whole. It is not necessary to worry about complete or incomplete protein anymore.

jerry3
Registered Member

Date Joined Oct 2006
Total Posts : 4

Posted 10/24/2006 1:17 PM (GMT -4)

You should look to increase your protein intake to approx. 1 gm per pound of lean mass. Based on your weight and height I would estimate about 125 gm per day. You will also need to increase your daily calorie intake by appox. 500 - 600 cal per day without additional cardio. Use a well balanced whole body strength training routine (lower body and upper body) with moderate resistence (10-12 reps). You should gain about 1 lb per week. However, just like dieting, progress will slow down after your first 8-10 weeks.

mbn_van-bc
Registered Member

Date Joined Dec 2006
Total Posts : 950

Posted 12/4/2006 4:45 PM (GMT -4)

Wow, mentesseg!! Where did you come up with that?!!?! Yikes! As far as I know, incomplete protein intake will result in net protein LOSS! That is, if you don't consume all the essential amino acids, you will use body proteins to make up the difference. The simplest example is a diet of gelatin as the only protein source - this is easy to confirm with a look on the net or nutrition text.

BigD
Registered Member

Date Joined Oct 2006
Total Posts : 28

Posted 1/4/2007 11:56 AM (GMT -4)

I would eat as much protein (in grams per pound) as the target weight that you want to get to. So if you want to get to 180lbs, I would take in 180 grams of protein per day minimum. It is suggested by some to take 1.5 grams per pound. Also I would stick to a combination of sources. Whey, egg, lean meats. Also when increasing protein intake, you should increase your water intake.

Tom.
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2006
Total Posts : 1245

Posted 1/22/2007 6:13 PM (GMT -4)

The U.S. RDA protein requirements are .8 grams per kilogram of ideal body-weight. You have to understand that this is a standardized allowance as cited adequate for all persons. It's very generalized.

For a 200 lb. male, that would be about 72 grams of protein per day. Most high-intensity trainers would consider that to be the amount consumed in a single meal, not just for the full day as the RDA suggests. A study has shown that in older adults, the RDA is inadequate to maintain skeletal muscle. (1)

I believe the best results are real world tests. For myself I find that I have recovered more quickly and saw a significant increase in muscle growth with at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.

Published data suggests that individuals habitually performing resistance and (or) endurance exercise require more protein than their sedentary counterparts. A number of well-controlled studies are now published in which "higher" protein diets have been shown to be effective in promoting weight reduction, particularly fat loss. Of relevance to athletes and those in clinical practice is the fact that higher protein diets have quite consistently been shown to result in greater weight loss, greater fat loss, and preservation of lean mass as compared with "lower" protein diets. (2)

The best way to bulk up and give your body the nutrients it needs to rebuild muscle tissue is to eat enough calories. Quality calories, like whole grains, organic meat, dairy, fresh vegetables, raw fruits, raw nuts. Vary your meals and don't eat the same things all the time. Drink at least 1/2 to 1 gallon of pure water per day. Eat clean and avoid salt, sugar, and processed foods. This is the biggest mistake I see most weight training individuals miss. You should be eating 5 - 6 meals a day spread out between 3 hours apart. Meals consisting of a protein, carbohydrate and vegetable. The way you judge portion sizes are this: Protein is the size of a deck of cards, vegetables the size of your cupped palm, and carbohydrate (like brown rice) the size of your clenched fist. You should be getting about 3,000 to 4,000 + calories per day.

Eating that many calories, you'll gain and retain muscle, and yes you will put on a bit of fat at the same time. However, when you are ready to slim up and get defined (that comes later after you gain quality muscle), then reduce your calories to about 2,500 and increase your cardio 2-3 days a week, intensely for about 3 weeks. Building quality muscle takes time. Don't be fooled by these 12 week programs. They can build a starting foundation, but 2-5 years of consistent, intense training is the norm to see the head-turning, impressive gains in musculature that you see in magazines.
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References:

1. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 1982; Dietary protein adequacy and lower body versus whole body resistive training in older humans.

2. PubMed/Applied Physiology, Nutrition and metabolism; 2006; Dietary protein for athletes: from requirements to metabolic advantage.

mark_nimda
Registered Member

Date Joined Jan 2007
Total Posts : 1319

Posted 1/29/2007 4:26 PM (GMT -4)

1.5 grams per lb of bodyweight is fine.

Here is the thing with protein though.

It shouldn't just be consumed for protein requirments. Digestion of protein burns many more calories than the digestion of fats and carbs. And when there is excess, the body breaks it down for energy, requiring more calories expenditure to do so.

Also, more protein means less sugar spikes, hence, more glucagon (rather than insulin) a pancreatic hormone crucial for adipose tissue loss

So many benefits of consuming protein. Now granted, we do need complex carbs for our training so use some sense.

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