Protein - the Building Blocks of Muscle

Protein - the Building Blocks of Muscle

Let’s face it, when it comes to looking your best, staying healthy and feeling good about yourself, a grid-iron session at the gym three or four times a week is the doctor-recommended formula. 

The truth is that moderate exercise, or about five total hours per week of half cardiovascular activity the other half resistance training, turns fat into muscle, weakness into strength and wimps into warriors. 

But if you want to make the most of your grueling time spent at the gym, you need to know a thing or two about a little known macronutrient called “protein.”

Proper muscle-building nutrition begins with protein, a term which actually derives from the Greek word, protos, or “of primary importance.”  Protein is absolutely essential to the growth and repair of muscle tissue, and if you are a new to the concept of muscle growth and repair, here’s a free lesson. 

Resistance training, or “weight lifting” in the terms of modern man, stresses any particular muscle given the type of exercise performed.  For example, barbell curls create stress on the biceps, bench presses stress the pectorals, shoulder shrugs stress the traps and, well…you get the idea! 

The importance of this stress, however, is that it basically breaks down and tears the muscle fibers put under that stress.  Your body recognizes this tearing of the muscle fibers and in the process of repairing the “damage” caused by the resistance training, it actually makes those muscles stronger – and thus, the magic of muscle growth!

So, where does protein fit into the equation?  Think of it this way, if your muscles were building blocks of a new home, protein is the construction men, ready and willing with their hardhats and overalls to take the home to the next level (okay, maybe without the hardhats and overalls).  All you need to do to ensure that home ends up on an episode of MTV Cribs is supply it with some protein. 

Protein is necessary both throughout the day (about 30 grams every three hours) for the maintenance of muscle as well as post-workout for the growth of new muscle.  Take in a steady supply of protein throughout the day and always after a session of resistance training and get the absolute most from your time spent at the gym. 

A serving or two of some quality and protein-rich meats, fish, eggs, milk or legumes eaten roughly every three hours is all you need to kick your muscle-building into full throttle.