Optimal Protein Intake
PROTEIN INTAKE - WHAT IS OPTIMAL?
The current recommended daily allowance of protein is 0.8 grams of protein per KG of bodyweight per day. This is the amount of protein needed for the average person (who is these days overweight and sedentary person).
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When it comes to trained people the requirements increase significantly. How much more will really depend on the amount of muscle you carry, how advanced you are, the amount of training volume you do per week, whether you’re in a calorie deficit or not, how lean you are, your age, race and how many total calories you require. Thats a lot of variables 😂.
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Protein is required for muscle growth and repair so under eating protein will affect your results in the gym. Protein also has a high thermic effect and is very satiating so it makes sense to go higher when in a calorie deficit.
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There is also preliminary evidence that overfeeding protein in resistance trained athletes may result in less body fat accumulation.
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Bottom line - Protein is important for your results.
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Anywhere from 1-3.5g per kg per day. Where you land in that range will be determined on the factors I mentioned above. If you are someone who just trains for fun 3 times per week and you’re fairly new to lifting then you can probably go for the lower end of the range. If you are an advanced bodybuilder who trains with very high volume, high intensity of effort, is over 35 years of age and has a high caloric requirement then you may be on the higher end of the range.
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When choosing a protein target always account for total calories so you can get adequate amounts of other macronutrients like fat and carbs. For instance if you are on 1300 calories and you’re a 60kg female. It makes no sense to go to 3.5g per kg as you will have F all calories to use for fat and carbs which have their own benefits.
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Take all the factors into account and choose an adequate requirement. Most trained people will fall in the 1.5-2.2g per kg range for best results FYI 🙂.
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