Hi guys,
I was wondering if any of the weightlifters in here could help answer a query which I have been pondering now for a while.
I know that you should be in a calorie surplus to gain lean muscle mass. I have also been advised that you should be consuming 2grams of protein to every kg you weigh. My question is, if someone was to consume this level of protein daily but wasnt within a calorie surplus, would any muscle be built as a result of this??
As posted, calories in must be greater than calories out. The measurements for this are complicated as the body burns calories just existing during the day, irrespective of exercise. Plus different muscle types/physiologies burn calories at different rates, so it's a difficult call to be accurate without specifics (either in terms of context or provision). The simple answer, however, is probably not.
The 2g/kg is a VERY general rule of thumb, established (IIRC) by a piece of work in the 80s which hasn't received either support or detraction since. However, there are plenty of papers showing that - unless the individual belongs to a certain demographic (older age, for instance) then protein supplementation doesn't add much (if anything) on top of a balanced and appropriate diet (what is an appropriate diet, then?) when training: the only people who have been noted as requiring
slightly more than the average gym-goer by virtue of their training are Olympic level athletes who need all they can get. If you're lifting big and heavy (and only you can answer that - i.e. do you leave the gym with every muscle worked burning/on fire?) then whilst you're not an Olympian, then you may need more protein in your diet.
As such, the simple way forward is just to eat more good, balanced food in general. I'm fasting at the moment (I'm a Baha'i) and so am really feeling the downside of not enough calories combined with weight training, simply because my body doesn't have enough of all the nutrients it needs to restore and repair itself properly. Don't get me wrong, I'm cutting fat through the process, but that's not my goal and DOMS lasts three days instead of the normal 24hrs, too.
If you're starting out, you may find you have to think a bit more carefully about what you eat during the day normally, to make sure you get as much good fat, carbs and protein into your diet without packing out with the 'wrong' things (easy sugars, saturated fats, etc.). Also, I've noticed in my own routine that eating a bucketload of good food (i.e. seeds/grains as snacks, good breakfast, good lunch, good dinner and good supper) makes a significant difference in weight and lifting gains without protein supplements, simply because the body is getting the nutrients it needs for its function and repair, as well as those it neess for growth (protein, carbs as glycogen, etc.). And I wasn't exactly flab-tastic, either (overall definition, as such, didn't change).
Don't get focussed on protein,
protein,
PROTEIN as your sole requirement because it won't work and your loo visits will REALLY stink - concentrate on getting a good, balanced diet.