How much protein to eat to build muscle as an athlete?

Summary

This video focuses on the importance of protein for muscle building, debunking the myth that it directly builds muscle. It explains that protein is crucial for repairing micro-tears in muscles post-workout. The video suggests consuming 0.83 to 0.9 grams of protein per pound of body weight for athletes and emphasizes the need for a calorie surplus. It recommends high-quality animal-based proteins like chicken, fish, and steak, and advises against relying solely on protein drinks and bars. It also stresses the importance of distributing protein intake evenly across meals for optimal muscle synthesis.

Takeaways

• 💪 Protein is essential for building muscle, but first, you need to eat enough calories to gain weight.
• 🍗 High-quality proteins like eggs, Greek yogurt, chicken, steak, and fish contain all essential amino acids necessary for muscle building.
• 🚫 Plant-based proteins (like tofu, beans, and nuts) are not as high quality as animal-based proteins for building muscle.
• 🧃 Protein drinks and powders are supplemental and do not directly build muscle on their own.
• ❌ Working out breaks down muscle through micro-tears, and protein is needed to repair and rebuild it stronger.
• 🏋️‍♀️ Athletes need more protein than the average person due to their higher muscle mass and intensity of training.
• 📊 Protein intake should range from 0.83 to 0.9 grams per pound of body weight for athletes. Too much protein can reduce necessary carbs and fats.
• 🍽️ It's better to spread protein intake evenly across 4-5 meals a day for optimal muscle protein synthesis.
• 📱 Using tracking apps like MyFitnessPal or Cronometer can help ensure you're meeting your daily protein goals.
• 🥚 A palm-sized portion of steak, chicken, or fish provides about 20 grams of protein, while 5 eggs can give around 30 grams.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the second video in the series?

The main focus of the second video is discussing the importance of protein for muscle building and how much protein is needed for athletes.

Why is protein important for muscle building?

Protein is important because it provides the body with the amino acids needed to repair micro tears in muscles caused by exercise, leading to stronger and bigger muscles.

When does muscle building actually occur, during or after the workout?

Muscle building occurs after the workout when the body repairs the micro tears in the muscles with the help of protein from food and drinks.

What is the recommended protein intake for the average person per pound of body weight?

The average person should aim for about 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight.

What is the recommended protein intake for athletes trying to build muscle?

For athletes, the recommendation ranges from 0.83 to 0.9 grams of protein per pound of body weight.

Why shouldn't protein intake be too high for athletes?

Having too much protein can lead to a feeling of fullness, which may suppress appetite and make it difficult to consume enough calories to gain weight and build muscle.

What are some examples of high-quality protein sources recommended in the video?

High-quality protein sources include eggs, Greek yogurt, chicken, steak, and fish.

What is the role of protein drinks and bars in an athlete's diet?

Protein drinks and bars can be convenient for quick protein intake, especially when traveling or after a workout, but they should not be the main source of protein.

How can protein intake be spaced throughout the day for optimal muscle building?

Spacing protein intake over four to five meals per day is optimal for muscle building, as it provides consistent signals for muscle protein synthesis.

What is a practical approach to planning meals with adequate protein intake?

A practical approach is to aim for a specific amount of protein per meal, such as 45 grams, and use tracking apps to ensure the right amount of protein is consumed.

What is the myth about protein drinks and powders that the video script addresses?

The myth addressed is that protein drinks and powders directly build muscle, which is not true; they are just additional forms of protein that contribute to the total daily protein intake.

How does the video script suggest using protein shakes in an athlete's diet?

The video suggests using protein shakes as a convenient source of protein, especially after a training session, to help meet daily protein goals.

Outlines

00:00

💪 Understanding the Role of Protein in Muscle Building

This paragraph introduces the importance of protein in muscle building, emphasizing that protein from food acts as the building blocks for muscle growth. It clarifies a common misconception that muscle is built during workouts, when in fact, workouts cause micro tears in the muscles that need to be repaired with protein. The video stresses the need for a calorie surplus in addition to adequate protein intake for muscle growth. The speaker also differentiates between high-quality animal-based proteins like eggs, Greek yogurt, chicken, steak, and fish, and plant-based sources, recommending the former for their complete amino acid profile. Protein supplements and bars are acknowledged as convenient but should not replace whole food sources.

05:01

🥩 Protein Intake Recommendations for Athletes

The second paragraph delves into specific protein intake recommendations for athletes. It explains that the average person should consume about 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight, but athletes require more due to their higher muscle mass and training intensity. The speaker suggests a range of 0.83 to 0.9 grams of protein per pound of body weight for athletes trying to build muscle. The paragraph also addresses the satiating effect of protein, cautioning against excessive protein consumption which can suppress appetite and hinder calorie intake necessary for weight gain. The speaker provides a practical example of how to distribute protein intake across meals, aiming for consistent absorption throughout the day to support muscle protein synthesis. The use of a tracking app is recommended for those unsure of their protein intake from food.

Keywords

💡Protein

Protein is a macronutrient essential for building and repairing tissues in the body, particularly muscle. In the context of the video, protein is likened to 'Lego pieces' for muscle building. The script emphasizes that protein intake is crucial for athletes to repair muscle fibers damaged during workouts, thus aiding in muscle growth and strength. High-quality protein sources like eggs, Greek yogurt, chicken, steak, and fish are recommended.

💡Muscle Building

Muscle building refers to the process of increasing muscle mass and strength. The video explains that muscle building is not just about working out; it's also about consuming enough protein to repair the micro tears in muscles caused by exercise. The script suggests that consuming adequate protein is essential for athletes to build muscle and improve their performance.

💡Calorie Surplus

A calorie surplus is a state where an individual consumes more calories than they burn, which is necessary for weight gain and muscle building. The video script mentions that simply eating enough protein is not sufficient; one must also be in a calorie surplus to gain weight and build muscle effectively.

💡Amino Acids

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and they play a vital role in muscle repair and growth. The script explains that consuming protein provides the body with amino acids needed to repair the micro tears in muscles caused by exercise, which is essential for muscle building.

💡High-Quality Protein

High-quality protein refers to complete proteins that contain all essential amino acids required by the body. The video emphasizes the importance of consuming high-quality proteins, such as animal-based sources like chicken and fish, over plant-based sources, for optimal muscle building and recovery.

💡Protein Drinks and Powders

Protein drinks and powders are supplements that provide additional protein to one's diet. The script clarifies a common myth that these supplements directly build muscle, which is not true. They are simply a convenient way to increase total protein intake and should be part of a balanced diet that includes whole food sources of protein.

💡Micro Tears

Micro tears refer to the tiny damages or tears in muscle fibers that occur during intense exercise. The video explains that these micro tears are a normal part of the muscle-building process, and they need to be repaired with protein to build stronger and bigger muscles.

💡Calorie Intake

Calorie intake is the total amount of energy consumed through food and drink. The video script stresses that an adequate calorie intake, particularly in excess of what is burned (calorie surplus), is necessary for weight gain and muscle building, in addition to sufficient protein consumption.

💡Protein Synthesis

Protein synthesis is the process by which the body creates new proteins, which is crucial for muscle growth and repair. The video suggests that consistent protein intake throughout the day supports muscle protein synthesis, which is more effective for muscle building than sporadic, large protein intakes.

💡Meal Planning

Meal planning involves organizing and planning one's meals to meet specific nutritional goals. The video recommends spacing protein intake over four to five meals per day for optimal muscle building, providing a strategy for athletes to meet their daily protein requirements.

💡My Fitness Pal

My Fitness Pal is a mobile app and website that tracks diet and exercise to help users manage their weight. The video script suggests using such tracking apps to monitor protein intake and ensure that athletes are meeting their daily protein goals for muscle building.

Highlights

Protein is crucial for muscle building as it provides the amino acids necessary to repair and build muscle.

Muscle growth occurs during recovery, not during the workout, as workouts cause micro tears in the muscle fibers.

Athletes need more protein than the average person due to higher muscle mass and intense training.

High-quality protein sources include animal-based foods like eggs, Greek yogurt, chicken, steak, and fish.

Protein drinks and bars can be convenient but should not be the primary source of protein for muscle building.

Protein powders do not directly build muscle; they contribute to the total daily protein intake.

Female athletes should not fear post-workout protein as it does not lead to bulkiness.

The recommended protein intake for athletes is 0.83 to 0.9 grams per pound of body weight.

Too much protein can lead to satiety, making it difficult to consume enough calories for weight gain.

Spacing protein intake over four to five meals is optimal for muscle protein synthesis.

A single large protein meal is less effective than distributing protein intake throughout the day.

Using a tracking app can help monitor protein intake and ensure adequate consumption.

A palm-sized portion of high-quality protein provides about 20 grams of protein.

For breakfast, combining eggs and Greek yogurt can help reach the desired protein intake.

Next week's video will discuss the importance of carbohydrates for athletes and muscle building.

Transcripts

welcome to video number two in this

stepbystep series where we show you

exactly how to gain weight and build

muscle in this second video we're going

to be talking all about muscle building

protein now if you missed the first

video go back and watch that first

because it's going to show you exactly

how much you need to be eating in order

to gain weight and build muscle that is

the key we need to be eating enough

calories then the protein comes next so

in this video we'll be talking all about

why protein is important the best

protein foods that you should be eating

as an athlete and exactly how much

protein you're going to be needing to

eat each day so when people talk about

building muscle oftentimes the first

thing they think about is protein and

rightfully so because protein that we

get from foods is essentially the

building blocks or like the Lego pieces

to building muscle and adding muscle to

your body now a lot of people think that

when you're working out in the weight

room that is when you're building muscle

which is actually wrong so when you're

working out in the weight room your

muscle is actually being broken down

there are little tiny micro tears going

on in the muscle from doing your

exercise that we need to repair and the

only way that we can repair those micro

tears is by providing the body with the

building blocks or amino acids from

protein in foods and drinks so by eating

enough protein each day we're giving our

body enough building blocks to be able

to rebuild uh the muscles to be even

stronger and bigger than last time now

like I mentioned at the start of the

video just eating enough protein is not

going to be enough to actually gain

weight and build muscle we have to be in

a calorie Surplus so again if you

haven't watched that first video you got

to go back and watch it so you can know

exactly how much you need to be eating

in order to actually be in that Surplus

to gain weight and then you can come

back here watch this video to determine

how much protein you should be eating so

when it comes to protein foods we want

to eat high quality proteins high

quality proteins are going to be

proteins that contain all of the

essential amino acids so all of those

essential building blocks required to

build muscle and help you get stronger

high quality protein foods would be

things like eggs Greek yogurt chicken

steak fish so most of your animal-based

proteins and yes you can get some

protein from plant-based sources like

nuts tofu beans but in my opinion those

are not really high quality protein

sources so I definitely don't recommend

having those be your main source of

protein definitely would recommend going

with those animal sources of protein to

meet your protein goals every day now

things like protein drinks protein bars

those can be okay as well especially

when you need something quick and

convenient like if you're traveling or

you need something quick after a workout

but we really don't want to be consuming

too much of those things we'd rather get

our protein from whole food sources hey

I got you guys protein shakes awesome I

love protein I know you love protein

common myth that I hear about protein

drinks and powders especially is that

those directly build muscle which is

just not true whe powders protein drinks

that you can buy over the counter like

things like Core Power Muscle Milk those

are simply just for other forms of

protein that are going to add to the

total that you're eating each day those

things by themselves do not result in

any kind of muscle gain so especially a

lot of female athletes that I work with

they're really scared to have protein

after they work out because they think

that that is going to make them big and

bulky which is absolutely not true um in

general if you're an athlete training

hard working out in the weight room you

need to be recovering with protein is

not making you big and bulky by itself

so now we'll get to the good stuff and

show you exactly how much protein you

should be eating every day to build

muscle now athletes need a lot more

protein than the average person because

for the most part they have more muscle

mass in general than the average person

and they're doing a lot more

high-intensity training so they need a

lot more protein to help their bodies

recover from that so for the average

person the recommendation is to get

about

0.36 grams of protein for every pound of

body weight so for me I weigh about 200

lb so going off of that number that

means I would need to be eating about 72

grams of protein per day which is super

low so we definitely don't want to be

doing that if you're an athlete so for

my Athletes Training hard in the

offseason trying to build muscle I

recommend that they get

0.83 all the way up to 0.9 gam of

protein per pound of their body weight

oftentimes a recommendation is thrown

out there to eat one gram per pound of

body weight which for my basketball

athletes is way too much because if

we're eating that much protein we're

probably falling short in terms of our

carbs and our fats so we're not going to

be feeling our best during our on

thecore practices now another reason why

we don't want protein to be too high is

because protein has a very filling or

satiating effect on the body so if

you're eating too much protein then

you're going to feel full for long

periods of time which is definitely not

going to help you you know get in the

amount of calories that you need because

you're just not going to want to eat

you're going to feel full you know for

long portions of time throughout the day

your appetite is going to be suppressed

and then you're not going to be able to

get in those calories that you need to

actually gain weight and build muscle so

going off those recommendations for

myself I should be eating about 65 g of

protein up to about 180 g of protein per

day so now that you know how much

protein you need to be eating The Next

Step would be to plan out your meals in

order to determine how much protein you

should be eating per meal I like to make

things very simple and space the protein

intake out over four to five meals per

day this is going to be optimal for

muscle building as well because we're

sending consistent messages to the body

throughout the day to engage in muscle

protein synthesis which is going to help

to build muscle and that has been shown

to be more effective than having huge

amounts of protein like 100 grams of

protein at a meal so don't do that

so again using me as an example we'll

take the higher range say 180 grams of

protein per day I want to split that up

over four meals because that's what

works best for me that means I'm looking

to eat about 45 gram of protein four

times a day for me personally I like to

do three meals and then after my

training session have a protein drink

which would be about 45 gram of protein

if you're not sure exactly how much

protein is in the foods that you're

eating then using a tracking app like a

My Fitness Pal or chronometer can really

be beneficial to help show you exactly

how much protein is in the foods that

you're eating so the high quality

proteins that I mentioned earlier like

your steak chicken fish a palm siiz

portion or about a Deca card siiz

portion is going to be roughly 20 gram

of protein so for me I'm trying to get

45 gram of protein so I would eat e

about two portions two decks of cards or

about you know 6 to 8 ounces of those

high quality proteins at my meals most

people aren't going to have you know

steak or chicken or fish for breakfast

you're probably having eggs maybe some

Greek yogurt so in terms of those foods

for me 45 grams of protein means I might

have five eggs which is going to get me

to about 30 grams of protein because

each egg has six grams of protein then I

might have a side cup of Greek yogurt

which is going to get me another 15 to

20 to get me to that at 45 grams of

protein threshold if you feel you need

some extra support in figuring out how

much protein to be eating and how to

plan that over the course of the day

then reach out to me because I do offer

one-on-one nutrition coaching and we'll

walk you through step by step on how to

do all these things so in next week's

video video number three in the series

we're going to be talking all about

carbs carbs get demonized all over

social media because people say that you

know if you eat carbs you're going to

get fat and all that that is

not true at all as an athlete you need

to be eating carbs so we'll be talking

about exactly what types of carbs you

should be eating and exactly how much

you should be eating in order to gain

healthy weight and help build muscle and

if you're not eating carbs you will not

build as much muscle as possible this

summer I guarantee it subscribe so you

don't miss it

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