1G Protein per Pound

[Felix Nuñez]

I know its essential to have 1G Protein per Pound for hardcore weight-training, BUT thats for Hardcore weight-triainin. Now the question is is it really neccessary to intake 1G Protein per Pound for Soft-Muscle Training, Small Dummbells type training thing and to getting muscle mass ?

[dos]

I believe that 1 gr/protein per pound of BW actually exceeds the amount that your body can actually 'use' regardless of training activity / level.

Here is an interesting statement made by Peter Lemon regarding protein synthesis based on his findings with bodybuilders who went from .9g protein / kg BW to 1.4g protein / kg BW....The question is what happend when they went from 1.4g to 2.4g protein / kg BW (which is around .7 g per pound to 1.1 g per pound.)

That’s really interesting, because protein synthesis did not increase further. This suggests that at least in that population, the 2.4 pg/k exceeded the optimal amount of protein. So, we concluded that somewhere between 1.4 pg/k and 2.4g/k would be optimal. That fits in with some of the other work we’ve done with other measures, such as the nitrogen balance technique that indicates an intake of about 1.6 pg/k to 1.7 pg/k is optimal. If that’s all correct ---and you’ll get a debate from some people because some of this work is fairly new ---then it means that bodybuilders may be correct in their interpretation that their protein needs are higher, but they’re not as high as they think they are. As you mentioned earlier, many of them consume diets in excess of 2 grams per kilogram, which would appear to be excessive. I’m not sure exactly why that would be the case, but I have 2 possible explanations. One is that if you were taking other substances that were anabolic ---and certainly some bodybuilders do that, taking substances and drugs that might enhance protein synthesis ---then the higher protein intakes may be advantageous under those conditions. That’s one possibility. Another possibility is that there is some sort of feed forward system if you’re on a high protein diet for a longer period of time than we’ve studied. Then that stimulates muscle growth. These studies that we do are typically over a few weeks or perhaps a month, That’s because the controls we need are difficult to maintain for that time or longer. But athletes clearly train for years. But you put some one on a 3 pg/k diet per day for years and there may be some long-term changes, so it’s going to take a while to sort all of this out. But I’m convinced that these individuals benefit from higher than recommended intakes. Currently I’m recommending 1.6 pg/k to 1.8 pg/k because I think that’s optimal, based on what we’ve seen so far. Also, protein is expensive, and if you’re simply excreting the excess, there’s no need to take in so much. Until we get data suggesting that 2.5 pg/k or 2.7 pg/k is beneficial, I’m not going to make that recommendation.

here is the link to the interview...
Dr. Peter Lemon Interview

[poopy pants]

That's an excellent article Dos. Of course many will think this is bullshit and still injest way too much protein anyways.

[Jean-Paul]

I wonder if that is a myth or if it is perpetuated by bodybuilders who use steroids who might possibly be able to synthesize more protein than those of us non-users.

[Felix Nuñez]

Interesting Quote.

Thank you Guys.


-Felix

[dos]

JP posted...

I wonder if that is a myth or if it is perpetuated by bodybuilders who use steroids who might possibly be able to synthesize more protein than those of us non-users.

I think that's probably pretty accurate JP....Dr. lemon actually talks about the significance of anabolics etc. I think the reality, however, is that even the most juiced-out muscle-heads aren't capable of synthesizing anywhere near what some of these guys are ingesting (upward of 300-600 grams per day etc.)

[dinabol]

optimal protein intake during the intense training is about 1.6-1.7 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. This is not inordinately high; in fact, a large number of American bodybuilders receive this much protein from their normal daily diets, without dipping into their protein powders . For example, a 200-pound (91 -kilogram) lifter who theoretically needs 1.6 grams per kilogram per day (145 total grams) during strenuous training can obtain about one-third of his/her daily protein requirement merely by eating a routine lunch of rice, mixed vegetables, three ounces of non-fat cheese, and a cup of milk. However, weight trainers who shy away from protein-containing foods in favor of carbohydrate might indeed have trouble building muscle tissue.

currently, it doesn't appear that super-high (2.6 grams per kilogram) intakes of protein are necessary for bodybuilders, (unless you are juicing), however, you must remain in postive nitrogen balance.