Are you interested in increasing your lean muscle gains? If you have a goal of building a lean, muscular body, you need to make sure you’re getting this important nutrient in your diet every day…and at every meal!

If you are a bodybuilder or fitness competitor, I don’t need to tell you about the importance of protein in your diet. Basically, protein is a muscle builder when combined with weight training.

The RDA suggests 0.35-0.5 grams of protein for the average person. That amount is WAY too low if your goal is to build muscle and burn body fat. Female bodybuilders and female fitness competitors in hard training need MORE protein.

Now, individually, the protein requirements are based on the person’s body statistics and physical activity. If you eat about a gram of protein per pound of body weight, you’ll be keeping up with the protein requirements needed to gain muscle.

So where do you get your protein? Since your body cannot make protein, you will need to get it from your diet by eating animal proteins like chicken, turkey, eggs, beef, fish, etc. Since your body can’t store protein for later use, like it can with carbohydrates, it’s important to divide up your protein servings throughout the day. This is why you see so many female bodybuilders and fitness competitors eating 5-7 times a day, to keep a constant supply of this muscle-building food flowing through their body.

While protein is very beneficial in tissue repair and muscle growth, be careful! You can eat too much protein which leads to fat storage. If your muscle gains aren’t coming as fast as you’d like, increase your protein intake to 1.25 grams per pound of body weight for a few weeks and see how it goes. If you still feel like you need more protein, eat 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight.

Don’t be fooled by the “protein is bad for your kidneys” myth. Protein is a NEEDED nutrient in your muscle-building and nutrition program, and is the main component of hair, skin, nails, brain, heart muscle, and hormones. In addition, protein is required for cell function and transport, maintenance of digestion, and fluid balance.

Eating EXCESS protein and NOT drinking enough water is bad for your kidneys. So eat enough protein, but not too much, drink your water and watch your muscles grow.