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How Much Protein
Do I Need?

The question of just how much protein you need to build or maintain muscle mass is a hotly debated topic. On one side, you have the anti-protein people (yes, they do exist) who tell you that bad things will happen if you dare venture beyond the RDA.

On the other side, you have a certain contingent of the bodybuilding community that believes that there is no such thing as "too much protein."

In this article, Marc David examines the debate and provides a formula that will provide enough protein for muscle building while leaving you with stomach space for other vital nutrients.

Marc's ebook, No Bull Bodybuildng, is an excellent resource for those who want to get past the irrational debates that cloud bodybuilding information and instead rely on sound thinking. It is highly recommended.

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Protein Won't Make You Fat:
Myth #1

By Marc David

How many magazines have you read where they tell you to take in X grams of protein? How many times have you see .75g of protein per lb of bodyweight or 1g maybe 1.5 for the advanced athlete or better yet 2g for the guy who really wants to grow!

All of those calculations may or may not be correct but it depends on YOU!

FACT: The #1 protein mistake people make is: They ingest more then they need.

MYTH: Any excess won't be stored as fat so it doesn't matter.

That's right a formula needs some input to make it work for you. So here's how you can quickly and easily figure out how much protein you need. Keep in mind that protein has calories. And while it's true that protein isn't as easily stored as fat there still remains the truth that your body only needs so many extra calories to grow.

Any excess just don't disappear.

It gets stored. As fat.

And that can and will include protein.

Ingesting 10x more then you need will not make your muscles any larger but it might add to your abdominal area in a way you wish it didn't. So figure out how much protein you need and eliminate the excess calories that can potentially just turn into fat storage.

Protein Calculation Formula:

The secret to figuring out how much protein you need is not by just taking some number you found like 30g and apply it to yourself. If everybody had the same needs we would all be the same. And we both know that just isn't true. Each person is slightly different.

Let me explain. We've all heard that a person can only digest 25-30g of protein in one sitting. B.S.!

Just think about it. Does an IFBB professional bodybuilder intake the same amount of protein as the guy who's 135 lbs just starting out? Even if there is a 200 lb weight difference?

The answer might shock you. NO

Needless to say, so many people just take some number, multiply that by their body weight and that's what they think they need a day. Tell me, if a person is 35% body fat, should they use their weight or their lean weight to figure out how much protein they need?

Simple. Lean weight. Your daily protein requirements are based on your lean body weight. And how do you figure out your lean body weight?

Use the skin fold caliper home test. Go back to Question #2.

Step 1:

Take your body weight in pounds

Example: 194 lbs

Step 2:

Find your body fat % using one of the methods in Question #2

Example: 15.7% (which is .157 for the step below)

Step 3:

Take your body weight in pounds and subtract the % body fat

Example: 194 lbs - (194 x .157 = 30.45 lbs of fat) = 163.54 lbs of lean body weight

Step 4:

Take your lean body weight and multiply by 1.14

Example: 163.54 lbs x 1.14 = 186.4g of protein a day

Step 5:

Divide your daily protein requirements by 5-6 meals and that is what your protein target is for each meal.

Example: 186.4/6 meals = 31.07g of protein per meal

As you will see, a person who is 286 lbs of lean body weight will require a lot more protein. And a person who is 286 lbs should not be consuming the same amount of protein if their percentage of body fat is 35%.

But why use 1.14 for protein requirements?

The RDA recommends .75g of protein. But that's been shown to be too low for active athletes.

Some sites will recommend 2.0g of protein. But that seems a bit high and your body will have trouble absorbing that not to mention you will probably have a lot of excess calories which can lead to fat gains.

1.14-1.5 is the most efficient range for most active, healthy adults. This range will help build muscle but not lead you into a high protein diet. Feel free to adjust within that range if you feel you need more protein.

Myth Busted!

Excess protein might not be bad for you but it's still excess calories and it doesn't just go away. It gets stored. So if you've ever heard that protein can't be stored as fat, that's simply not true.

Yours for Continued Success,

Marc David

P.S. If you're really serious about exploding your muscle gains, crushing your competition, and maximizing your fat loss... then go to http://www.nobullbodybuilding.com right away. You'll discover all my most explosive bodybuilding secrets, strategies and systems that took me over 16 years to test, fine-tune and perfect.

Marc David is an innovative fitness enthusiast and the creator of No Bull Bodybuilding.

He can show you how to reduce your body fat thru diet, how to gain weight or create more muscle thru an abundance of workout tips by training LESS! Not more.

He dispels many "bodybuilding myths", tells you what most people never realize about nutrition, and what the drug companies DON'T WANT YOU to know.

Read my review of No Bull Bodybuilding

See Marc David's Bio and other articles contributed to this site.