Eat More Protein To Build Muscle

Protein is the macronutrient which plays the biggest role in the muscle building process.

Unfortunately, few people are eating enough of it to maximize their results in the gym.

As such, the country is experiencing an epidemic of TAS (tiny arms syndrome), so in this article I’ll show you why you need to start making protein a daily nutritional priority, and then I’ll show you the best food source, and answer a few of the most commonly asked questions about it.

Buckle up, it’s time to get jacked!

Protein: Video Overview

Watch video or continue reading below.

Correct Protein Requirements For Athletes

It’s no wonder people are confused about protein.

Heck, government guidelines suggest eating just 0.35 grams per pound of body weight (for a 180lb guy that would be 63g per day). You probably don’t need me to tell you that’s nowhere near enough protein to maximize muscle growth. (2, 3)

I grew up in gyms where I’d hear the opposite type of advice – people would shovel obscene amounts of protein into their diet until they were literally sick of eating eat. I guess they had the idea that more protein equals more muscle growth. It was pretty common to speak to guys who ate 400-500g protein per day.

But with these two polar opposite ends of the scale, I can understand why lots of people are confused.

So one of the first things I did when I became a trainer (2002) was to learn about the research which has been done on protein consumption – specifically for fat loss and muscle growth, as that’s what the majority of my PT clients were interested in.

What I found was quite startling.

It appears there’s a tipping point where results start to slow down, and your diet becomes more difficult to stick to because it’s challenging to eat so much protein per day without wanting to headbutt someone.

A 2018 meta-analysis on the protein requirements for athletes found that the “sweet spot” for muscle growth appears to be around 1 gram per pound of body weight. (4)

This study, which looked at the results of 49 comprehensive trials involving protein supplementation among athletes, matches up with the vast majority of earlier research on the topic. (5, 6, 7, 8)

Some studies which went considerably higher than this have also taught us a few valuable pieces of information.

A graph showing how many grams of protein to eat per day to build muscle.

We now know that the muscle building capabilities of protein appears to “max out” at around 1.18 grams per lb, so if you really want to build your diet by the science this is what you should set your daily target to. (4)

We also know that increasing your protein intake to around 1.5 grams per pound can be useful for fat loss – not because you’ll build more muscle, but because protein can have a satiating effect which makes it easier to stay within your overall calorie target (because you feel full), and this why high protein diets are such an effective weight loss tool. (9)

With all of these findings in mind, a 180lb guy who wants to build muscle would eat 180-212 grams of protein per day, and if he wanted to focus on fat loss he could go as high as 270g/day.

You’ll regularly meet people who claim you should go even higher, but rest assured they’re speaking absolute bullshit. They either a) haven’t done any research on the topic, or b) have an agenda (like a supplement brand who’d love you to rely on shakes to hit your daily numbers).

How Protein Helps You To Build Muscle (Featuring “The Expendables”)

It’s time for me to do something which has probably never been done before…

I’m going to teach you how protein works (e.g. how it helps you build muscle) via The Expendables.

I’ve always found that doing things like this helps PT clients to understand complex mechanisms quite easily, so hopefully you enjoy it too.

Now, if you’re not familiar with the movies, The Expendables are a rag tag group of mercenaries who kick ass and take names. Led by the always shredded Sylvester Stallone, these guys represent the best of the best of the best… of the best.

Now, if you’re not familiar with the movies, The Expendables are a rag tag group of mercenaries who the government call in to do the job when the guys they originally hired to do the job couldn’t, err, do the job.

Led by the always shredded Sylvester Stallone, they represent the best of the best of the best… of the best.

One of the reasons for their success is that each character has an unique and important skill-set. For example, Jet Li plays a martial arts master, Dolph Lundgren is an explosives expert, and Stallone has the best “it’s about to go down” face in cinematic history.

Now let’s take this back to protein.

Because just like The Expendables, protein consists of several different components (called amino acids), and each of them brings a different set of skills to the table. There’s 22 amino acids altogether (roughly the size of The Expendables in the fucking sequels!) and we categorize them into two groups:

“Non-essential”: the body can make these amino acids by itself.
“Essential”: we must obtain these amino acids via our diet to unlock the benefits.

Here’s a list of the 9 essential amino acids:

	Essential Amino Acids
histidine	isoleucine *	valine
leucine *	lysine	methionine
phenylalanine	threonine	valine *

The ones which have an asterisk next to them (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) play the biggest role in helping the body create new muscle tissue. (1)

You’ll sometimes hear them referred to as branched chain amino acids (a.k.a. BCAAs). As far as protein goes, consider these your Stallone, Statham, and Lundgren; the pillars of the franchise!

The Expendables: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, and Dolph Lundgren.

Now, supplement companies and bodybuilding magazines like to focus all of their attention on these three amino acids in particular because of their muscle building potential.

But it’s important to know that, just like no mission can be won without all of The Expendables, no muscle can be built if you are deficient in any of the 9 essential amino acids – even those not directly involved in the muscle building process!

These additional members to the amino acid group bring a range of extra benefits with them, such as nicer hair, better nails, softer skin, improved mood, and more energy, so we definitely don’t want to ignore them.

Hitting the weights room will create lots of micro-tears in your muscle fibres, and the body will recover from this by using the amino acids from the protein you’re eating to repair itself. This is what creates muscle growth over time.

So it baffles me that so many guys skimp on their protein intake (?!), because regularly lifting weights but failing to provide your body with the nutrients it needs to recover is akin to going around in circles.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how to explain how protein works via The Expendables.

A List Of The Best Sources Of Dietary Protein

Once you’ve got your daily protein target it’s just a case of hitting it.

You can either do this by eating the same protein-based foods every day, or by shaking things up. It’s your choice, but I’ve always preferred to have plenty of variety because it make a diet easier to stick to, plus each protein-based food contains it’s own unique combination of amino acids.

Here’s a handy list of protein-based foods to help you smash your goals. You can also get creative with the recipes section which I added to the site a few months ago.

Category: Poultry	Protein (per 100g)
Chicken breast	32g
Chicken thigh	24g
Buffalo wings	23g
Duck	18g
Turkey breast	17g
Lean ground turkey	17g

Category: Meat	Protein (per 100g)
Sirloin steak	31g
Pork chops (lean, grilled)	31g
Beef steak (lean, grilled)	31g
Lamb chops (lean, grilled)	29g
Pork tenderloin	26g
Rib eye steak	25g
Lean ground beef	25g
Cured ham	25g
Bacon	25g
T-bone steak	19g

Category: Fish/seafood	Protein (per 100g)
Tuna	26g
Salmon	25g
Cod	24g
Mackerel	20g
Shrimp	22g
Tilapia	20g
Crab	18g
Prawns	15g

Category: Dairy	Protein (per 100g)
Low fat cheddar cheese	28g
Cheddar cheese	26g
Whey protein	22g
Eggs	14g
Cottage cheese	10g
Egg white	10g
Greek yogurt	6g
Low fat Greek yogurt	6g
Semi-skimmed milk	4g

Category: Nuts/seeds	Protein (per 100g)
Almonds	21g
Cashews	18g
Flax seed	18g
Mxed nuts	15g
Almond butter	15g
Walnuts	15g
Brazil nuts	14g

Category: Legumes	Protein (per 100g)
Peanut butter	25g
Peanuts	25g
Edamame beans	11g
Lentils	8g
Tofu	8g
Hummus	5g
Baked beans	5g

How often should you eat protein to build muscle?

Eat Protein Often For Better Results

Okay, let’s talk meal frequency.

It appears we can improve muscle building results a little further by spreading our protein intake throughout the day. Researchers believe this is because the body can make slightly better use of the amino acids when consumed in this manner. (10)

Don’t get this confused with the old bodybuilding myth that “eating smaller, more frequent meals speeds up your metabolism”. It does not. Here’s a post I wrote on that.

Anyway, it’s important to remember that the “extra muscle building results” from this technique are very small, and you’re already doing 99% of the work simply by eating enough protein per day, so don’t worry if you cannot structure your protein intake in this manner due to work, or family, etc.

A graph showing how protein timing affects muscle growth.

Is A Whey Protein Supplement Really Necessary?

No, it’s not.

I’ve helped many clients get in great shape without using any supplements at all – as long as you eat enough protein per day, your body will respond accordingly.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I dislike whey protein. I use it myself. A whey protein supplement gives you the gift of convenience (I hate food prep!), and the amino acid profile tends to be heavily stacked in favour of the branched chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) which is great.

Ideally, your whey protein supplement should provide around 20 grams of protein per serving and keep both carbohydrates and fat to a minimum. I recommend this one.

That concludes this article.