In every single guide to building muscle you will find that they all say the same thing about nutrition – you should have a high protein diet. No matter whether you look on the internet or in magazines, it will all say the same thing…have a high protein diet. Have you ever wondered why though, have you ever wondered why on earth do I need to consume so much protein to build muscle, why can’t I just eat healthy and lift my weights? As great as that method would be, building up is harder than that and in this article you will discover why protein is so important and when you should have it.
Firstly why is protein so important?
When you workout you break down your muscle fibers which is actually a good thing. By breaking down this fiber you actually stimulate growth. The growth however doesn’t occur when you are working out but instead when you are resting.
Resting could be sleep, taking naps and also (and more importantly) taking rest days from working out. You should sleep for at least 8 hours a day (or less if you take naps) and you should only exercise for 3-5 days with 2 days rest for recovery.
So what does protein have to do with what I’ve just mentioned above?
Protein is important because it is the building blocks for bulking up. A high protein diet will ensure that your muscles are supplied with the right “goods” to recover and rebuild whilst you rest. This is why it is essential to have a high protein intake.
You should be looking to consume the same amount of protein as your body mass, so if you’re 180 pounds then you eat 180 grams of protein.
To work out how much protein you need in each meal you have to get your body weight and divide it by 6 (the amount of meals you will have to eat). Again if you are 180 pounds you should look to eat about 30grams of protein every meal.
After reading this article you should realize how important protein is for body building. Just as long as you eat a lot of protein over you 6 meals you will have no trouble building up muscle (make sure you eat a healthy diet too, that is also important).
