Muscles Need This!

Macronutrients are all the craze in today’s society when it comes to nutrition talk. They should be a priority of understanding for all of us, there is no doubt about that. But if you are focused on building lean body mass and you don’t want to track all your macronutrients or every drop of food or supplements you put into your body just know that all you really need is PROTEIN. Yeah, I know it sounds crazy but it’s facts folks, all you need is protein to build muscle tissue. No, I’m not some crazy “no carb” or “meat only” guy, but I simply understand the way the human body works. 

When I thought about writing this blog I knew it would raise an eyebrow to most readers. No, it’s not click bait but it’s important for everyone to understand how important their protein intake is if their desired result is to gain muscle tissue. I’m not saying that only eating protein is actually the BEST way to put on muscle size, because it isn’t. When you have enough carbs to keep your glycogen levels (glucose in muscles) topped off it makes you perform better and recover better in the gym. If you perform better and recover better your numbers day to day, week to week, month to month, year to year all improve exponentially. But eating more carbs will not help you put on muscle mass simply by the inclusion of them in your diet. When you store glucose in your muscles it does make you retain a bit more water, so it can result in excess body weight, but please don’t be confused that is not the building of muscle tissue. Dietary fat is also important for regulating hormones, energy for other body functions and also helps our bodies stay resilient from injury when we are training hard, but again, it has no direct influence on building muscle mass. 

So what am I saying? I’m saying all 3 matter, but one matters most to you if you really want to gain muscle. It’s important for you to eat or supplement at least 1-1.25 grams of protein per pound of body weight you currently have. You don’t have to eat that high and the common range is between .7-1.0 grams per pound for most folks, but to gain it is better to be in a surplus. When tracking protein and making it a real goal to gain size in your muscles, you can’t do it for a day, a week, a month, but consistently for a long time! Gaining muscle isn’t the same for everyone but commonly can take 1 month to gain 1lb. and in extreme cases people can gain 2lb. in a month! Slow as molasses right? Well all good things take time. Remember that when you are admiring a physique you see or want to be like, think about the amount of meals, the amount of training and the amount of sleep that went into the commitment. The best time to start was yesterday for any of us who want to get bigger and stronger, just remember, it starts with getting enough protein!