How Much Protein is Needed to Build Muscle?
Having enough protein in your diet is essential for building muscle. Knowing just how much is enough can be a little tricky for some people so I’ve decided to set the record straight in this article.
Listening to the average Joe or your doctor about how much protein you need in your diet is simply not going to cut it for the bodybuilder. We need a lot more than the average person simply because our muscle tissue is constantly being ripped up and repaired.
How High is a High Protein Diet?
The best method of calculating just how much protein is enough for a ‘high protein diet‘ is with the following formula.
Lean Mass Weight (Kg) x 2.75 = Daily Protein Requirement
(By the way you simply divide pounds by 2.2 to get the equivalent in Kilograms. So 150 pounds is 68.18 Kg)
OK, you first need to know your total body weight and your body fat percentage. If you don’t know your body fat percentage I’ve included calculator in the sidebar to help you. Take a few measurements quickly and stick them into the boxes and hit ‘calculate.’
So now you know your body fat percentage. Multiply this percentage by your total body weight to determine the amount of fat you are carrying. Now simply subtract this from your total body weight to ascertain your lean mass weight.
Take this figure and multiply it 2.75 to give you your ideal protein intake per day in grams.
Example
A man weighs 150 pounds with 15% body fat.
- 150 / 2.2 = 68.18 Kg
- 15% x 68.18 = 10.23 Kg
- 68.18 - 10.23 = 57.95 Kg - Lean body mass in Kg
- 57.95 x 2.75 = 159.36
So, therefore our 150 lb, 15% body fat man should be shooting for 159 grams of protein in his daily diet.
Simple when you know how 
My moderately low carb diet philosophy (which I will be writing about in later articles) will allow anyone to easily reach this ‘high protein diet‘ requirement. Use this knowledge in conjunction with the optimum hypertrophic rep range and the the law of progressive overload to maximize muscle growth.
Happy lifting everyone!
If you're new here, please download my free workout and diet book and start transforming your body today!. Thanks for visiting!
Related posts:
- How Many Calories Per Day Do I Need To Build Muscle?
- Warning! Do NOT Make The ‘BMI’ Mistake
- Is A High-Protein Diet Bad For Your Kidneys?
- MuscleHack Reader Loses 13.8lbs Of Fat & Gains 6.43lbs Of Muscle
- Download Free Workout Plan & Bodybuilding Diet Ebook
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January 1st, 2008 at 9:53 pm
[...] * How Much Protein to Build Muscle? [...]
January 22nd, 2008 at 7:50 pm
[...] As a person dedicated to building muscle mass, you know you need to keep your protein intake up [...]
March 25th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Suppose that 150 lb. dude decided to eat 200g of protein instead of 159g. Would eating more protein impair his workout?
March 25th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
David,
That dude would be just fine on 200 grams of protein. His strength would not be impaired.
Cheers,
Mark
March 25th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
So if I’m hearing you correctly, the 159g is just a minimum goal; it would be difficult to eat “too much” protein. That right?
March 25th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Well David, I’m not sure if there is such a thing as ‘too much protein’ but there is such a thing as ‘unnecessary protein’. An amount beyond which the protein will not serve any anabolic purpose i.e. the body has gotten all it needs for that.
Mark
March 25th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Awesome, dude. You answered my question perfectly.
Great site, btw. Lot of good information here. Keep it up!
June 18th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
[...] you use the formula I use to calculate how much protein you need to build muscle, you’ll probably be consuming about 20-25% of your daily calories from protein. Hardly enough [...]