Protein Supplements

The other day a male trainer in his early 20's was mixing a protein shake in the locker room of a gym where I once worked. The ensuing conversation could have been 40 years old. He was convinced his success was due to his protein habit. According to his sources (bodybuilding magazines), he required "1.5 times" his bodyweight (200 lbs.) in grams of protein to build significant muscle mass. Sounded like something I subscribed to when I was young.

Today, I have a different take.

According to Ellington Darden, a significant bodybuilder in his day and a PhD in nutrition, the optimal amount of protein required to build muscle is .36 times one's bodyweight. Which means the young man requires only 72 grams, not 300. The extra is a burden on the liver and kidney and can increase body fat (more protein = more calories, and calories are stored as fat). Darden once spent $400 a month on supplements - including a 300+ gram/day protein consumption. His post-graduate professors performed an experiment on him, establishing his requirement at 86 grams. In May of 1969, Darden took his final supplement(s) and won the Collegiate Mr. America title in 1972 - eating food from the local grocery store.

A new stance on protein may save this young man a lot of time and money.