Proteins are consisted of amino acids. When you consume proteins (in the form of meat or other foods), your stomach and digestive system breaks them down into single, pairs, or triples of amino acids before they enter your bloodstream. When they're in your bloodstream, amino acids are used by your organs and muscles for repair. For example, the enzyme hexokinase, is made of hundreds of amino acids, as an enzyme is a type of protein. Muscles are primarily made of protein and water. How does weight lifting build muscle? Well, it first damages muscles and fosters a response in your body that causes hormones to lead toward muscle growth. Thus, your body and muscles need a decent amount of amino acids: to repair and replace any damaged proteins, and to build new ones, causing muscle growth.

Your muscles thus build exactly the proteins they need from the amino acids you've supplied them. By eating lots of protein, you maximize muscle growth by ensuring your muscles have enough material to work with.So, how much protein exactly should you eat?

I thought I knew the answer to that question after I did a 100-hour review of the scientific literature on this topic during my bachelor in exercise sciences. Everything I read afterward on protein intake seemed kindergarten-level, until the day Lyle McDonald published The Protein Book. I preordered my copy, and was overrun by the quality of the information Lyle distilled. Not only did he refer to studies I wasn't aware of, but his synthesis was crystal-clear and he pointed to practical applications I hadn't heard about. Props to him.

Digestion slows down when you are working out, and many lifters experience discomfort when they eat food during the workout. One way to prevent this is to drink your energy and protein instead.

Your muscles build with the proteins they need from amino acids you have consumed. If you consume large amounts of protein, you maximize your muscle growth by supplying your muscles with plenty of material to build.So, the question is, how much protein exactly should we consume?

I thought this answer would be clear to me after an 100-hour long review of the research on this topic while earning my bachelor degree in exercise science. Everything I read after this study on protein consumption seemed like children's books, until the day Lyle MacDonald published The Protein Book. I pre-ordered my copy and was blown away by the detail of his information. He not only researched various sources that I hadn't thought of, while presenting his ideas clearly with practical applications.

Thus, to make sure you're building the most muscle, you have to supply your body with plenty of energy and protein during and before the workout. These are times when you muscle will use up the energy and protein to build. Energy and protein from food will run the muscle-building hormonal state, allowing your muscles to grow.

Since your body only digests food 30 after you've eaten it, it's a good idea to have a pre-workout meal about half an hour before you begin to train. Digestion will slow when you are training and many lifters have some discomfort when eat food during the workout. I recommend you drink you protein and energy instead to prevent this.

0.2 grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight;

0.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight.

30 grams of carbohydrate ; 15 grams of protein.

0.4 grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight;

0.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight.