It doesn’t matter if you are watching a Rocky movie, or reading your favorite bodybuilding magazine, there is no escaping the fact that in order to build muscle, a high protein diet is recommended. Have you ever wondered why there seems to be such an emphasis on protein consumption for those interested in muscle building? Wouldn’t it be better to simply eat a regularly balanced diet, with normal amounts of protein eaten along with the other food groups?
While having a healthy diet is a MUST, the extra protein added to a bodybuilder’s diet plays a very important role in the breakdown and rebuilding of lean muscle mass that no other nutrient provides. Without extra protein in your diet, the actual buildup of muscle mass is unlikely to occur, no matter how much you train. Many people, even if interested in bodybuilding, fail to realize the actual process of muscle creation and the role that protein plays in its actualization.
The first misconception that most people have is that you simply “build” muscle by working out. Bodybuilding is actually a process of muscle breakdown and re-growth. Without first breaking down the muscle tissue through the lifting of weights or other stress exercises, such as isometrics, the body would not be stimulated to create new muscle tissue. People do not even create muscle mass by lifting weights. They are in effect tearing the muscle tissue at this stage, and the actual creation of bulk muscle tissue is done while resting. When resting, the body uses protein to repair and build the torn muscle tissue, which is vitally important to any results that may be sought while working out. A person who continually works out will usually see less progress than the one who works out aggressively with periods of rest to compliment their workout schedule, as the body is not given the chance to “recover”, the process that produces the muscle mass we are working out to achieve.
Recovery time could be sleeping at night, taking a nap, taking a few days off from lifting, or simply shifting the muscles that your lifting concentrates on. One of the most productive workout schedules for muscle creation is to work out on a daily basis for 3-5 days in a row, and then to take 2 days off for rest and recovery.
Making sure that the body has enough protein to complete the recovery process is very important to the bodybuilding process because without it, the broken down muscle tissue will not repair and build upon itself, creating the “bulking up’ that is so desired. Eating at least the same number of grams in protein that the weightlifter is in pounds ensures that the body has enough protein to finish this process effectively.
