The Pro’s Of Protein

Essential Information For Bodybuilders

By Xavier Fox

For anyone that becomes involved in bodybuilding, there is usually one thing that they learn right away: protein is king when it comes to adding muscle. This reality is learned even before proper lifting form, rep schemes, and any other facts about getting big are discussed. Anyone that is indoctrinated into bodybuilding is always told, “Eat lots of protein, you need it to gain muscle”, on the first day. The books and magazines in the sport are flooded with articles that cover the subject of protein like it was the cure for cancer. You can’t go through a workout in the gym without overhearing a couple of people discussing protein. Yet, people still don’t appreciate its importance, and are easily tricked into believing misconceptions about it without questioning or doing more research on their own. Let’s get on the correct path, once and for all.

For those of you that are new to building muscle, we will start with the basics. The thing that makes protein different from carbohydrates and fats is that it contains nitrogen. If you have never heard the term “nitrogen balance” before, you have either just started bodybuilding, or the people in your gym should be locked in a cage at the zoo where they can spend the day screaming and throwing poo at spectators. Positive nitrogen balance is the basic law of adding muscle, and if you have been lifting for a while and do not know about it, shame on you. Positive nitrogen balance occurs when the total amount of nitrogen lost while sweating and during waste functions is less than the total nitrogen ingested. Positive nitrogen balance must exist for new muscle tissue to be synthesized. Not enough nitrogen, which comes from protein, equals no muscle. Plain and simple.
That is why protein is so important as part of your bodybuilding diet. Without it your efforts in the gym are futile, and you will actually be doing yourself more harm than good. If you do not consume enough protein to provide nitrogen in sufficient amounts, your body will try to get it from somewhere else so that it can form and use amino acids, and that somewhere will be sources such as red blood cell haemoglobin, the lining of your intestines and gut, already developed muscle (which means you will lose muscle instead of gain it), and other areas of the body. If these areas are forced to operate ineffectively, it shouldn’t be hard to see that you will soon become ill.
Speaking of amino acids, proteins are made up of chains of up to twenty-two different amino acids, which are joined together by peptide bonds. These are called polypeptides. At least eight amino acids are considered essential (meaning they must be supplied in the diet) for tissue maintenance and growth of adults. These essential amino acids are isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine. The amino acid histidine is sometimes considered the ninth essential amino acid as it is essential for growth and development in children but can be synthesized in adults. Other non-essential amino acids are also required to maintain health but can be synthesized by the body if supplied with a source of nitrogen. These non-essential amino acids are alanine, arginine, aspartic acid, cysteine, cystine, glutamic acid, glycine, hydroxyproline, proline, serine and tyrosine.
The balance and combination of amino acids in a specific protein determines its biological value, which is a number that represents how well and efficiently a protein is absorbed for use. Complete proteins have high values since they contain adequate amounts of the essential amino acids to promote normal growth in animals. Proteins of high biological value are found in many animal sources such as milk, eggs, cheese, meat, poultry and fish. Plant sources are normally lacking specific essential amino acids and have lower biological scores. These plant sources must be used in specific combinations in order to yield the correct combination of amino acids for assimilation. Whey protein powders normally rate highest on the biological value charts, followed by whole eggs, egg whites, chicken and turkey, casein, fish, and lean beef.
Let’s get off the subject of biological values for moment, and get back to the plant sources we mentioned a couple of sentences ago. Unless the correct combination of vegetables, seeds and legumes are mixed correctly, the amino acid profiles within them will be useless. Only protein that comes from animal sources will have a complete amino acid profile with all of the essential amino acids needed to build muscle tissue. So forget about that protein that is listed on the container of oatmeal, or in the rice you bought…it is as useless as turd-flavoured ice-cream. Too many novice lifters include the protein they consume from plant sources as part of their daily total, which is a big mistake.
All right…back to biological values. Although whey protein powders rate highest in biological value, it does not mean that it is better to eat only whey powder as your sole source of protein. Many novice bodybuilders fall into this trap. Don’t get me wrong, whey powders absorb quickly and are easy to prepare. However, animal protein sources have slightly different amino acid combinations and configurations that allow the body to get more out of them. Animal sources may also have higher amounts of a certain amino acid that provides benefits other than adding muscle. Whole foods from natural sources normally contain many vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, such as creatine, that the processed whey powders do not. Whey protein is a supplement, and it should be used as such: to add to your protein intake, not to replace all other sources. Ask any top level bodybuilder, and they will tell you that their diet includes plenty of eggs, chicken, red meat and fish. By using many different sources bodybuilders can take advantage of the varying amino acid profiles to maximize growth and recuperation.
Although it wasn’t mentioned in the last couple of paragraphs, do not be afraid to use dairy products as a source of protein. A lot of people are stuck with the misconception that eating dairy products will make them fat. This is not necessarily true. There are many low or non-fat yoghurts, milk and cheeses that can be part of your diet. Just be smart and keep track of your fat intake, and also be aware of any naturally occurring sugars that are in the dairy products you choose. Dairy products are a good source of protein, and they have many other vitamins and minerals the body needs to get big and remain healthy.
The question that always arises concerning protein is how much to consume. It would be great to give you an exact number, but the problem is, everyone is genetically different and has different goals. Factors such as age, weight, training experience, amount of muscle, natural metabolism, gender, level of training intensity, activities outside of the gym, and even daily stresses can cause varying protein requirements. For example, an 18-year-old competitive bodybuilder that works in construction during the day is going to need a hell of a lot more protein than a 50-year-old marathon runner that has a desk job. Even two very similar people can have different requirements because their genetics are different. You need to find a starting point and monitor your body and make adjustments.
The unwritten rule in bodybuilding has always been to start with one gram of protein per pound (0.454kg) of lean body mass. This is actually kind of low, and would only be recommended for a bodybuilder that was trying to lean up, or one that does not train with extreme intensity. A better starting point would be 1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass, and if you are under 30 and you work out like a maniac trying to gain massive muscles, it would probably be better to start with 2.0 grams protein per pound of lean body mass. For people that are training to simply stay in shape or that are doing lighter athletic activities, start at 1.0 gram of protein per every pound of lean body mass. Also, the more active you are outside the gym every day, the more protein you will need.
When restricting carbohydrates while dieting for a show, it is advised to raise your protein intake slightly. Although your body prefers carbohydrates for energy conversion, it will sometimes break down proteins (amino acids) for energy if carbohydrates are not available. The process of turning amino acids into glucose is known as gluconeogenesis. This process is normally a result of fasting, starvation, or very intense exercise. By having a slight abundance of amino acids floating around your system, your body will not need to break down muscle tissue in the event of a carb deficiency. Therefore, you will maximize the amount of muscle you maintain while on your contest diet.
One myth that has always puzzled me, yet it comes up often, is that your body can only digest around 25-30 grams at a time, and anything else will be excreted as waste or will turn to fat. It is always kind of funny that many new lifters will agree that they need at least 1.0-1.5 grams of protein for each pound of lean body mass, but then they also believe that any more than 30 grams at once will turn to waste. If you think about it logically, someone who eats seven meals per day would never weigh more than 210 pounds when they are ripped, because their body would only handle up to 30 grams per meal, and they would need one gram per pound at least. Well, we all know that there are a LOT of bodybuilders out there that weigh more than 210 pounds at contest time, and they only eat five or six times per day, so they have to be eating more than 30 grams per serving. The amount of protein that your system can digest in one sitting is related to how much muscle mass you carry, how hard you train, and your metabolism. The bigger you are and the harder you train, the more you can eat at one time. Whatever you determine your daily total protein needs are in grams, simply divide that number by the amount of meals you consume each day (try to eat at least six meals per day), and that will be how many grams you should consume at each meal. If you need 300 grams of protein each day, you do not have to eat 10 meals per day.
Once you do determine how much protein that you will need, your job still isn’t done. Many novice lifters think that once they know how much protein they need, they should simply eat that amount every day for the next year or so. Protein requirements change, it won’t help you to eat the same amount every day. As you gain muscle mass, you need more protein. When you diet for a show, you may need to cut back slightly. As your training cycles change from heavy-with-low-volume to lighter-with-higher-volume, and then to medium-weights-with-super-sets and drop-sets, your protein needs will vary too. The heavier and more intensely you train, the more protein you need at that time. In addition, every week-and-a-half or so, add a lot more protein to your diet on a high intensity day to flood your system with amino acids. The one-time rapid addition of protein will shock your system and kick-start your rate of protein synthesis. Protein requirements must be continuously modified to keep up with the changes in your body and training.
There are many reasons why you should keep a close tab on the amount and type of protein that you consume. Your choices when it comes to protein intake will make or break your bodybuilding career. Gain as much knowledge as you can about protein in order to keep from making costly errors that thousands of trainers around the globe make on a daily basis. Getting large is difficult enough as it is…don’t make things tougher on yourself because you neglected your protein.