Protein and Muscle Building: How Much Is Enough?

So if you want to build muscle, just load up on lots of protein, right? Not so fast. Before you start eating a steak bigger than your dinner plate, a recent study in the September Journal of the American Dietetic Association showed that only about 30 grams of protein or 4 oz of chicken, fish, beef, dairy, or soy products consumed in a meal was needed to increase muscle building or synthesis by 50%. A 4 oz serving is slightly bigger than a deck of cards.

So you might be asking yourself, "Well if some protein is good for muscle building, more must be better." The researchers asked the same question and gave the subjects a 12 oz serving - 3 times as much as the original - to see what would happen. A drum roll please: The results were exactly the same as the muscle increase for the smaller 4 oz serving. This study suggests that muscle building or muscle protein synthesis hits a ceiling at 30 grams or a 4 ounce serving of protein at meals.

The researchers pointed out that the most effective strategy for muscle building is to have moderate size servings of protein over the course of the day rather than a huge serving of protein at one meal at night. So instead of eating half a chicken at dinner, make sure to add a good quality source of protein at breakfast (such as eggs, milk, or yogurt), at lunch, and have a moderate portion at dinner.

Besides protein, muscle building requires working hard in the gym, eating more calories than you're burning, consuming a balance of nutrients (don't forget about those carbohydrates and healthy fats as well), and having a consistent eating plan.

Need help figuring out your eating plan to build muscle? Contact me for an appointment today.