Lies, fabricated falsehoods, and downright nonsense wherever you listen – you’d almost think you’ve stumbled into a political debate.
But no, it’s just a discussion about proteins in a regular gym. Essentially, proteins are a simple nutrient. The amino acids from the proteins you eat are the building blocks that give your body the basics for building new muscle mass; if you don’t get enough of the right proteins, you won’t grow. Simple, right?
That’s why proteins have been used by bodybuilders for so long. It’s essential for growth, and the big names from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Ronnie Coleman have made it the cornerstone of their muscle-building process.
Proteins: Sense and Nonsense About Our Building Blocks
However, there’s quite a lot of nonsense being spread in gyms and on the internet, from how much protein you need, how much you can absorb to which protein form is best for bodybuilding. In this article, we’ll sift through the facts and the nonsense, tackle the seven most common misconceptions, and give you the real deal.
Myth 1: Protein Powders Are Better Than Food
Protein powders are easily absorbed by the body, and absorption is an important part of the muscle-building process. On the other hand, animal proteins from real food – such as eggs, dairy products, poultry, red meat, and fish – have a complete, albeit sometimes slightly different, amino acid profile. Some types have more of a certain amino acid than others, which is perhaps why bodybuilders like Jay Cutler believe that serious mass building cannot be done without red meat.
As Cutler says, ‘The moment I don’t include red meat in my diet, I can’t build and grow as much mass as when I eat it daily and sometimes twice daily.’ Is it the iron, the B vitamins, or the creatine in the meat? Perhaps. It’s also possible that the unique amino acid combinations allow for greater protein absorption. But of course, we shouldn’t rely solely on the opinion of a single bodybuilder who also uses a lot of other things like anabolic steroids.
However, the variable amino acid combinations in different foods can indeed have a unique effect on your body, resulting in better growth. That’s better than just taking one or two types of proteins, or limiting yourself to a certain number of foods and a protein powder. Plus, with protein powders, you can always question how much protein you’re actually getting per serving since this is not always what’s stated on the label.
Myth 2: Protein Needs Are Static
Bodybuilders trying to gain muscle mass tend to eat the same amount of protein day in and day out. A bodybuilder weighing, for example, ninety kilos probably eats around 300 grams of protein per day, while using carbohydrates to create a calorie surplus.
It’s true that proteins and carbohydrates are the basic ingredients of your mass program. However, you can also give your body an extra growth stimulus by mixing it up a bit: for example, every ten days, increase your protein intake to 400, 450, or 500 grams for one or two days. You should do this preferably on a training day to stimulate growth even better. By adjusting the level a bit – and thus bringing an extra amount of amino acids into your bloodstream – you can promote an increase in protein conversion to muscle mass in your body.
Sticking to eating the same amount of protein day in and day out isn’t wrong, but by varying your protein intake by taking a lot of protein every now and then, you can lead to a greater increase in muscle mass.
Myth 3: Everyone Needs Three Grams of Protein per Kilogram of Body Weight
While the common advice of two to three grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is a reasonably fixed rule, that rule can also be broken.
Remember that you won’t grow – no matter how much protein you take – if your workouts are not regular or if you’re not training hard enough.
The trick is to match your protein intake with your training intensity. If you’re a beginner, you probably don’t train as hard as someone with a lot of experience – and you shouldn’t either – and you can get by with less than two to three grams per kilo of body weight. If you have trouble gaining weight or if you train with the intensity of your favorite professional bodybuilder (which is often not wise), you can start with three grams per kilo, but don’t hesitate to increase that number if you’re not making visible progress.
Attention! Your carbohydrates and fats should also be in line!
Myth 4: Your Body Can Only Digest a Certain Amount of Protein per Meal
Somewhere along the line, the idea that a body can’t absorb more than 30 grams of protein per meal has wormed its way into nutritional wisdom.
That’s hogwash.
Do you really think Arnold Schwarzenegger grew on no more than 30 grams of protein every three hours, which translates to a piece of chicken breast weighing between 100 and 130 grams at each meal? How your body digests proteins and the amount your body can handle per meal depends on your weight and how hard you train. The heavier you are, the more you need; the harder you train, the more you need.
Furthermore, the more you need, the more your body is capable of digesting, absorbing, and converting into muscle mass. A 90 kg man generally needs more protein than someone weighing only 75 kilos and should also be able to digest more per meal. Digestibility also depends on the amount of protein you eat on a regular basis. The more protein you regularly eat, the better your body becomes at digesting meals with large amounts of protein.
Myth 5: Proteins in Dairy Products Make You Fatter
This is a myth that keeps circulating. The idea that proteins derived from dairy products – skim milk, cheese, and yogurt – lead to more fat storage, or that it retains water in your body, is wrong. Dairy products are fine. It’s a good source of protein, and some studies show that dairy products, combined with low calorie intake, probably aid in fat loss. For this, we refer to the extensive articles on milk on this blog.
The misconception about dairy products could stem from the fact that most cheeses, including cottage cheese and sliced cheese, contain too much sodium (salt), which can lead to water retention in your body. And even that idea is somewhat exaggerated because bodybuilders actually need more sodium. It aids in glycogen storage in your muscles and indirectly helps in your growth process by working with potassium. That combination triggers pump mechanisms in the cells that pull in nutrients to help with muscle recovery.
Additionally, sodium is not that bad stuff it’s often made out to be. If you suddenly increase your sodium intake, you’ll probably start retaining water. However, if you regularly consume dairy products and therefore a relatively constant amount of sodium, your body will adapt, likely preventing fluid retention.
Myth 6: Proteins Cannot Be Used as Fuel
This misconception mainly occurs in bodybuilders who are dieting. Some trainers advise against severely restricting your carbohydrate intake, assuming that a lack of carbohydrates causes you to lose muscle tissue. However, when you increase your protein consumption while dieting, you’re giving your body an alternative fuel instead of your muscle tissue.
While a low-calorie or low-carbohydrate diet can cause your muscle tissue to break down, increasing your protein consumption allows your body to use the amino acids in your food instead of the amino acids in your muscle tissue. The body does this by burning certain amino acids directly in a process called gluconeogenesis (literally translated: ‘the formation of glucose’), converting amino acids into glucose.
So, by consuming more proteins when you’re taking in fewer carbohydrates, you’re protecting your body against the loss of muscle mass.
Myth 7: Complementary Proteins Promote Growth
230 grams (cup) of cooked oatmeal contains about 6 grams of protein, a bagel 11 grams, and 460 grams of cooked spaghetti yields approximately 16 grams. That may all be true, but the type of protein you get from non-animal sources is not the best for protein synthesis (the conversion of protein). This is because these types of proteins are not complete proteins; they don’t contain all the essential amino acids your body needs to build muscle mass.
The entire spectrum of amino acids, including all essential amino acids, is only found in food derived from animals. Poultry, fish, red meat, milk, and eggs are the best because they contain complete proteins; they have all the amino acids needed by the body to grow. The proteins found in non-animal food are called complementary or ‘junk’ proteins; they lack sufficient essential and semi-essential amino acids needed for growth and recovery in the human body.
An exception to this is plant-based protein from soy, which does have a complete amino acid profile and is therefore often used as an alternative by people who don’t want to eat too much animal protein.
