There are all kinds of
diet recommendations all over the bodybuilding
magazines and websites that advise to divide your eating into different
"ratios" and "percentages" for
building
muscle mass and gaining weight.
Some recommend high fat, low carb, others say moderate carbs,
moderate fat, high carbs, low fat, etc. But the one thing that each and
every one of these
"weight gain" /
"muscle building" diets say is it
must be HIGH in protein.
Well, I'm here to tell you the TRUTH. It is NOT necessary at all to eat
a diet high in protein to gain muscle weight.
Just about everything you read says to eat 1-2 grams of protein per
pound of bodyweight.
Some even go as high as suggesting you have to not only eat high,
but massive amounts of protein to build muscle and gain weight.
This MYTH is due to 3 reasons:
1) Everyone thinks that muscle tissue is made up mostly of protein
2) Everyone thinks that either high amounts of fat or high amounts of
carbohydrates will cause you to get fat
3) Everyone thinks that protein has a "thermogenic" (inner-body
temperature raising) effect, which helps burn fat
All three of these beliefs are completely wrong! (In this article I
am going to give you a very brief explanation, but in later articles I
will go into more detail).
First, muscle tissue is NOT made up of mostly of protein. Muscle tissue
is 70% WATER.
The other 30% is made of GLUCOSE, and AMINO ACIDS. Your muscles
need just as much glucose (which is what carbohydrates are converted
into), if not MORE than protein to gain muscle size.
Those that have medically studied the physiology of the human body know
that amino acids are what make up protein.
However, the body uses whatever amount of amino acids it needs at that
particular moment. The rest it stores for later use.
It is NOT true that you need to be eating a "steady stream" of
protein to gain muscle weight.........your body keeps a little "pool"
of stored amino acids.
Protein is by far the most difficult macronutrient to break down and
digest.
The higher the amount of protein you eat the more stress you are
placing on your digestive system.
Oh, by the way, what do you think happens to any excess protein??? It
turns it into FAT!
Have you ever noticed how you feel when you eat a huge burger or steak?
Even after several hours have passed, it still feels like you've
got that entire piece of meat just sitting and rotting in your stomach.
How much benefit in gaining muscle weight do you think that's going to
give you?
Have you ever drank those disgusting protein shakes or eaten those
chalk-tasting protein bars? You get gas, you feel bloated, and you
might even get the "runs" (diarrhea).
That's a major sign that your body is NOT properly digesting all of
that protein!!!
There are several real-life examples of athletes that don't consume
massive amounts of protein to gain muscle weight, yet have tremendous
physiques, are in excellent health, are powerful, fast, and agile.
To just name some of them:
Andreas Cahling - Swedish champion bodybuilder and Olympic gold
medalist in the ski jump
Keith Holmes - World champion middleweight boxer
Bill Manetti - Powerlifting champion
Stan Price - World weight lifting record holder; bench press
Art Still - Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs MVP defensive ends,
Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame
Chris Campbell - Olympic wrestling champion
Peter Hussing - European super heavyweight boxing champion
You can eat all the protein in the world and not gain one pound of
muscle weight if you aren't eating enough calories!!!!!
Remember, it doesn't matter what we've been fed by the magazines
and companies trying to sell us their latest protein concoction. It all
comes down to the calories!
