How Much Protein Do You Need To Build Muscle? (According To Science)

This is the amount of protein you should take in order to build muscle as proven by science from @GarageStrength Coach Dane Miller.

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[rgmann]

I worked as an officer at the Leavenworth Penitentiary for 26 years, and I've witnessed hundreds of inmates get strong as hell and jacked eating prison chow hall food with nowhere near the recommended protein amount or quality. I've also been weight training for over three decades and have never noticed any real-world difference when I've focused on adding large amounts of protein with my training. I probably only eat around 80-120 grams of protein per day (I don't keep track), and I'm very muscular and lean and have zero problems recovering from my workouts. The plethora of protein "studies" are highly overrated in my opinion. Just train hard and smart (avoiding injuries) and eat a well balanced diet with appropriate calories, and you'll get great results.

[Steve-jocl]

I’ve never heard any of this and I benched 400 lbs in high school in the 90s. I’ve eaten 1-2 large meals with large amounts protein for at least the last 25 years on a fairly regular basis. Just followed natural hunger cues

[TheShavedleggs]

You need to activate mTOR for protein synthesis.
You can achieve this through exercise or by consuming a minimum of 30g of high-quality protein, which should contain more than 2.5g of the essential amino acid leucine.

Activation of mTOR for Protein Synthesis
You are right that mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) needs to be activated for protein synthesis. This is a key pathway in muscle growth and overall protein metabolism. The activation of mTOR can indeed be achieved through two primary methods:
Exercise: Particularly resistance training or high-intensity exercise can activate mTOR signaling.
Protein Intake: Consuming high-quality protein, especially with sufficient leucine content, can stimulate mTOR activation.
Protein Intake Requirements
Your point about the specific protein intake is accurate:
A minimum of 30g of high-quality protein is generally recommended to optimally stimulate muscle protein synthesis.
This protein should contain at least 2.5g of the essential amino acid leucine, which is particularly potent in activating mTOR.
Leucine is considered the primary amino acid responsible for triggering mTOR activation and subsequent protein synthesis. Foods rich in leucine include whey protein, eggs, meat, fish, and some plant sources like soybeans

The intestines play a crucial role in protein metabolism and storage, but the amount of protein stored in the intestines is not typically discussed in terms of a specific quantity. Instead, it's more relevant to consider how protein is processed and utilized during intermittent fasting and autophagy. Let's explore this topic in more detail.
Protein Processing in the Intestines
The intestines are primarily responsible for protein digestion and absorption rather than long-term storage. When we consume protein, it is broken down into amino acids in the digestive tract and then absorbed through the intestinal walls into the bloodstream.
Protein Utilization During Intermittent Fasting
During intermittent fasting, the body's response to protein metabolism changes:
Protein Preservation: The body tends to preserve protein stores during fasting periods, primarily using fat as an energy source.
Amino Acid Release: Fasting can contribute to the release of amino acids, particularly phenylalanine, from skeletal tissue. This process is regulated by the mTOR pathway.
Autophagy Activation: Fasting triggers autophagy, a cellular cleaning process that breaks down and recycles cellular components, including proteins.
Autophagy and Protein Metabolism
Autophagy plays a significant role in protein turnover during fasting:
Cellular Cleaning: Autophagy helps remove damaged proteins and cellular components, which can be broken down into amino acids for reuse.
Energy Production: In some cases, especially in muscle cells, autophagolysosomes can break down proteins to produce essential amino acids for energy.
Regulation: The process is regulated by various factors, including the mTOR pathway and hormones like insulin.
Protein Pacing and Intermittent Fasting
Recent research has shown that combining intermittent fasting with protein pacing (IF-P) can be beneficial:
Fat-Free Mass Preservation: IF-P has been found to better preserve fat-free mass compared to caloric restriction alone.
Improved Body Composition: Studies have shown that IF-P can lead to greater improvements in body composition than traditional calorie restriction.
It's important to note that while the intestines don't store large amounts of protein, they play a crucial role in protein metabolism during both feeding and fasting states. The body's ability to utilize protein during fasting periods is a complex process involving multiple systems and regulatory mechanisms.

[walterdaems]

I’m not surprised. I’m 66, still build muscle, eat well, healthy and enough, practice I.F. for over 10 years now and never followed the prescribed protein advice

[amritrosell]

What they didn't check for was using a protein that isn't slow digesting as milk protein / casein is and they didn't check if the plateu occurred at 40, 50 or even 75 grams. The dosing was from 0 to 25 to 100, which can skew the data as there were no intermediate check point like 50 or 75 grams. Perhaps having 50 grams would top off the maximum benefit and adding 50 grams to get to a 100 grams might simply now yield any extra benefit as in diminishing returns. But as the study didn't have anything between 25 and 100 grams all we have is the extrapolated data in between that may or may not be accurate in regards to optimum doseage.

[billykid]

so run people and buy more of our protein supplements!! LOL

[kamtheclam]

I’ll save yall 9 minutes you just need 0.72g of protein per lb of lean body mass.

Don’t know your lean body mass? Dexa Scans are like $50.

[Highcaloriegrappling]

Do you know how dead a predator animal would be if it only could utilize 25 grams of protein in one sitting? It was stupid to think this way from the get go.

[IanBuell]

Studies say you can only use 25 grams per meal, but then you're supposed to eat 5 meals a day - that's only 125 grams. But a 200 pound guy is supposed to eat 200 grams a day? Math is not mathing!!! Fitness science is so confusing no wonder most people don't get anywhere.

[brentdawgs]

Was not expecting a Kyuss t shirt!! Green Machine is the best song never to have been heard on the radio from my childhood.

[monstermind]

Im eating more protein regardless caue its delicious and keeps me satiated. So its a win win win

[UnitedWeStandFreedom]

I personally do a half of gram per pound I've got 20" arms after a pump ! I know people that take less and are still big and stong with 17 to 19" these are people I've worked out with for 10 plus years . Time is the key for everything including rest ! You won't grow 18" in months it will take you years if your doing it clean .

[fuzzybear]

This is something I have frequently wondered about. Your video helped me come to a better understading. I have been consuming 130g to 180g prrotein per day. In between 3 and 4 sittings/ meals (usually between 35g to 60g per meal). Great great research and great explanation. Thanks hugely !

[mventm]

Brother get to the point, this was so much longer then it had to be

[Kemdog]

@Garage Strength you are a blessing my guy! Thanks for the videos!!

[turntablesrockmyworld]

I studied nutritional biochemistry over 20 years ago including with one of the top protein researchers at the time, and the advice is still the same as today: Most get enough protein from diets to build muscle and muscle will build on lower amounts if trained, eat whenever you want or any number of meals that works for you within your ideal caloric range and for most, timing of protein consumption never mattered. There was a cadre of dude-bros and media, and industry that picked up on small studies and promoted consuming mass amounts of protein. For the average person it will make little difference. The only thing not completely understood at the time was protein limits per feeding and many posited a rough number of around 50 grams. Some said it did not matter. My professor said protein intake per meal probably didn't matter and protein feeding windows did not matter in the slightest (according to the research) for most people who eat their caloric amounts daily (assuming protein is eaten).

[kennethbrettel]

Ronnie Coleman 100 grams protein per meal! 8 meals! Yeah buddy!

[danielcartwright]

Another scientist (can't remember his name) pointed out that with whey protein, excess of 20g oxidizes because whey is so fast absorbing, but if you're working with slower digesting proteins, that shouldn't happen.

[ochjim]

Excellent video. It's great that you're covering this (very fluently too!) but what really matters, as you'll be all too keenly aware, is the result of consuming more protein in terms of 1RM, or distance thrown, or lean mass gained etc. It may seem obvious that more protein consumed and used by the body means better relevant gains, but until research shows us this is the case we can't be sure if it's a worthwhile/healthy investment. And the placebo guys? How do they fare in terms of practical results, given that we already know that fasting doesn't seem to negatively affect gains?? This is an important area to open up since nutrition appears to be so important, so thank you for keeping us up to date on the latest research.