what's more important calories or protein for muscle gains ?

[buffchic69]

Hi.

Just wondering which way to go. I want to know which is best for adding muscle ? Increasing my calories with food, or decresing calories with more protein ?

I want to build nice, lean, muscle but don't want to end up with a fat ass from too many calories ! ! !

Thanks for all your help !

 

[Daisy_Girl]

When you build muscle, you need a surplus of calories. The calories USUALLY come from lean protein sources. But you need extra carbs too, to keep energy levels up and give your body something to utilize.

So, both calories AND protein are important.

If you are focusing on BUILDING MUSCLE (adding weight), then you do not want to cut calories. Your body will probably NOT add muscle in a calorie-deprived state.

Losing fat means less calories, gaining muscle means more calories - this is why it is hard to do both at the same time. If you are in the mid-20s%BF, you will likely be able to both for awhile. But eventually, it will stop and doing both at the same time will be near impossible.

Adding muscle also usually means adding some fat. Hoiw much fat can depend on HOW CLEAN your diet is and HOW INTENSE your training is. If you are adding muscle, you do not need much cardio - this will likely start destroying the very muscle you are trying to gain. Focus on HEAVY, INTENSE weight lifting. Low reps, high weight, compound exercises.

 

[MS]

Without a doubt it's calories that count if you're trying to add muscle. Protein is very much over-rated as I have recently been reminded by a friend who just spent a year in prison. By my estimates he averaged 50g protein per day yet managed to gain 5kg weight AND lose considerable fat by consitent weight training, playing soccer, and lots of rest.

A pound of lean muscle has less than 100g protein. That's food for thought.

 

[anthrax]

Without a doubt it's calories that count if you're trying to add muscle. Protein is very much over-rated as I have recently been reminded by a friend who just spent a year in prison. By my estimates he averaged 50g protein per day yet managed to gain 5kg weight AND lose considerable fat by consitent weight training, playing soccer, and lots of rest.

A pound of lean muscle has less than 100g protein. That's food for thought.

Don't you think there is a difference between beginners who just need more calories to build muscle and experienced BBers who need training and more proteins because they are more proned to catabolism ?

BTW, welcome back MS

 

[RottenWillow]

I think the timing of your protein intake and it's quality are far more important than the sheer number of daily grams. I learned from MS last fall that a person is able to utilize (for muscle building purpose) significantly more protein at breakfast than at subsequent meals. I aim for 35-40g of complete protein at breakfast and 25g at my 3 remaining meals. I gained about 7 pounds of LBM doing that over about 16 weeks. Considering I'm a natty female, that's is a huge amount.

 

[The Shadow]

Calories as studies have show that an influx of cals will lead to lean muscle gains while following NO exercise program

 

[MS]

Anthrax, I believe the research show that experienced weight trainers actually need even less protein than novices. Seems that weight training makes the body more efficient at using protein. Of course there is a huge difference between the "minimum" protein needed for muscle growth and the "optimum". But lacking optimal dietary protein does not mean you can't grow new muscle as long as calories are adequate. Using my ex-con friend as an example, I am pretty certain he would have gained even more muscle if he had access to more protein while in prison. But I would have been surprised if he could gain as much muscle if calories were limiting but protein wasn't. So I conclude (for right or wrong) that overall calories are more important than protein. Anyone who has ever dieted for a competition will know how it is almost impossible to gain muscle while calorie restricted, even with high protein intakes and intense weight training.

 

[anthrax]

MS, as a scientist I hope you're not drawing conclusions based on a single case study.... j/k

More seriously, prison is such a "special" environment that the diet is just a small part of the equation

But let's say you're right and Mr Muscletech is wrong (can this be possible ? ) and 1g protein/kg bodyweight is far enough

So, assuming we don't change our overall calories intake, if we take less protein, we should take either more fat or more carbs

As a well educated BBer we already take plenty of EFAs, so would taking even more be more beneficial ?

As for carbs, wouldn't the extra protein converted into glucose anyway ?

So what would you recommend ? something like an iso 33/33/33 diet ?

BTW, so many people (supplement companies being first) want us to believe that we NEED our 2g/kg bodyweight (when it is not 2g/lb) that we should be very sceptical about the studies concerning the protein requirements for athletes....

 

[The Shadow]

I follow a 40:30:30 diet year round...for bulking AND cutting

 

[hotwtrbby]

What a perfect thread for some questions I had. I'm doing a fitness show in 11 months, and right now I'm weighing about 129 with 20% bodyfat. I think it comes out to 112 lbm which is light for the stage. Obviously I need to put on some quality lean muscle but I just lost 30 lbs this year and to gain any of that back in fat would be so discouraging after all the hard work I put in over this past year. So...my RMR is 1480, so my trainer told me to eat aroun 1550 cals per day and shoot for around 150 grams protein. Am I eating too little to build muscle?