As active weight trainers, we are bombarded with different views and advertisements as to the kinds of protein we needand how much protein we need to consume.

When it comes to protein, two of the most critical issues we face is how much protein to consume and what sources to rely on. Protein is the primary food element of the human body, and is of special importance to the active weight trainer.

Of the food intake that the body needs, protein is of primary importance. The only thing that your body needs more thanprotein is water.

Every person needs quality food high in protein, especially the active weight trainer who is trying to build his/her body.

You see, when the body is in a growth state, it needs protein desperately and guess what, we are in a growth state simply by training day in and day out!

Simply put, you need quality food high in protein and enough of it to build quality muscle. However, how do you know how much protein do you need to take for optimum growth?

According to the RDA, it is recommended that you get 1 gram of protein for every 2 pounds of bodyweight. This recommendation is for the average person, who is sedentary and of course, someone who is training to build muscleis not sedentary. Recent data indicates that active people need much more protein.

The active weight trainer trying to build his/her body needs more protein than the average person. Therefore, 1 gramof protein per pound of body weight is sufficient to cover your protein basis. Of course, you will need to experiementa little to determine how much protein you need for your body.

To find out how much protein you need to build muscle, simply take your bodyweight and multipy it by 1. For example,if you weight 175 pounds, multiply that by one and you get 175 grams of protein per day for building muscle.

Theimportant thing to remember is to experiment a little to find out if this is your optimum protein intake. It mightbe a little more or a little less.

Building muscle requires food high in protein because as acvite weight trainers, we are trying to add strength andbuild muscle. In comparison to other atheletes, we need even more protein because we are trying to add lean tissueas opposed to maintaining a muscle base.

You see, a regular athelete is just taking enough protein to maintain his/her muscle structure. The main focus here is on complex carbs but a person who is building the body has a muchdifferent focus and that is to build the body. To do this, we need much more protein.

Simply put, to build bigger muscles, you need to eat alot of high quality food high in protein.

Let’s take a look at some high quality food high in protein.

Food high in protein - Pure Protein Sources

These types of protein sources are thought to be as close to pure protein sources as you can get. The percentage ofcalories from these types of foods high in protein are quite high.

These types of pure protein sources can be eatenby active bodybuilders, weight trainers and atheletes all the time. Athletes who are trying to shed bodyfat should get the most of their protein from sources that are 70% or higher in calories from protein.

For those of us who are trying to build muscle, we can eat as much of these foods high in protein as we want, providedthat we consume plenty of calories from other sources.

Remember, it’s not only protein that you need to build muscle.It’s hard to take in adequate calories for adding muscle if you eat too much lean protein - it fills you up.

You need quality fuel from complex carbs and fat to complete the nutrition cycle. Muscle growth depends not onlyon protein consumption but also total calories consumed.

Pure Protein Sources

Food	Serving Size	Calories	Protein (grams)
Whey Protein	1 scoop	100	24
Egg Whites	6	102	24
Turkey Breast	3 oz	90	20
Tuna	4 oz	120	26
Ground Turkey	3 oz	110	24
Chicken Breast	3 oz	90	18

Food high in protein - High Protein Sources

These types of foods high in protein are great for adding mass and strength because they offer a generous amountof protein and also contain enough fat to boost total caloric intake.

By boosting overall caloric intake, thesetypes of protein sources will help you add the necessary mass to lift those heavy poundages. When your trying toincrease your bodyweight and overall muscle mass, you need to consume alot of quality calories (especially for youhard gainers out there).

These types of food high in protein include a wide range of percentage of calories from protein. However, you willhave to be careful because some of these protein sources contain more calories from fat than protein.

High Protein Sources

Food	Serving Size	Calories	Protein (grams)
Sirloin Steak	2 oz	115	17
Porterhouse Steak	2 oz	123	16
Chicken Drumstick	2 oz	110	14
Chicken Thigh	2 oz	110	12
Lean Ground Beef	2 oz	145	15
Pork	1 oz	105	8

Food high in protein - Quality Protein Sources

These types of foods high in protein are excellent choices for most people trying to build muscle.

These protein sourcesare loaded with healthy fats, such as omega 3’s and omega 6’s which are notoriously missing from most diets. Alot ofactive weight trainers and bodybuilders shy away from these types of protein because they fear that they will add morebody fat.

In fact, you should be consuming more healty fats and reduce the consumption of processed carbs such assugars and bleached flour.

What if your on a diet? You can certainly benefit from some of these foods high in protein. The omega 3’s found insome of these foods may help your body store carbs as muscle glycogen - muscle fuel. These foods high in proteinare a great source of muscle building food.

Quality Protein Sources

Food	Serving Size	Calories	Protein (grams)
Salmon	2 oz	100	14
Eggs	1	75	6
Sardines	2 oz	120	11
Peanuts	1 oz	90	4
Sunflower Seeds	1 oz	140	6
Almonds	1 oz	170	6

Food high in protein - Milk Proteins

We’ve all heard that milk products are fatty and should be avoided if your trying to lose weight.

Milk productssuch as cheese, yogurt, skim milk are thought to contribute more to weight gain than weight loss. In reality,calcium in dairy foods actually trigger hormonal support to facilitate fat loss during a reduced calorie diet.

Active weight trainers should try and incorporate plenty of fat free dairy products in their diets - even a fatloss diet.

If your trying to bulk up, low fat milk, cheese, and yogurt are great choices because they’re loaded withquality protein and calcium.

Milk Protein Sources

Food	Serving Size	Calories	Protein (grams)
Non Fat Cottage Cheese	6 oz	120	22
Whole Milk	8 oz	150	8
Low Fat Cottage Cheese	4 oz	100	16
Non Fat Yogurt	8 oz	120	13
Skim Milk	8 oz	90	9
Low Fat Swiss Cheese	1 oz	90	8

Food high in protein - Plant Proteins

Plant proteins have not been traditionally know to contain loads of protein. Personally, I don’t use vegetablesand legumes as my primary protein source, however, that’s not to say that vegetables don’t contain quality protein.In fact, many vegetables do contain protein, and some have a substantial amount.

The great thing about these foods high in protein is that not only do they contain high quality protein but they’re also high in fibre. As we know, fibre is that fantastic substance that keeps the nutrients flowing by helping the digestive process.

• Protein
• The Abs Diet Plan
• Eat Right Food At Right Time
• Weight Lifting Diet
• Building Lean Body Mass