Thread: Protein Vs Carbs

Sorry i should have posted in the diet section!

Originally Posted by Toughenuff

Im trying to bulk and i keep hearing different things, some say you should eat more protein when trying to bulk and then others say carbs is more important



I eat quite a lot of both but i think ive been concentrating more on protein, hopefully im not on the wrong track

You need both - both the degree of usefullness of protein is often over-emphysised and people get much more than is useful to the body.

Protein has a limit to it's anabolic potential - you can only create a limited amount of muscle tissue and it does not matter HOW much protein you stuff down your throat - once you reach that threshold nothing will make you use those amino acids to build muscle tissue.

Instead, when you give your body more protein than it can use the amino acids will be converted, via gluconeogenesis (a some-what energy costly process), into energy/glucose and glycogen.

Now - Carbs are for energy. Pure and simple. And it is energy that you NEED to build and repair muscle tissue and to fuel your workouts in the gym (so you can progressively overload and stimulate your muscles.... so you can cause hypertrophy). Without the carbs, it is like 'trying to build a house with bricks alone' - the carbs are the labour force and the cement that goes to put everything together and keeping it there. So, carbs are a lot BETTER than protein at supplying this energy you need! (and a lot cheaper too ).


Therefore, a lot of people over-eat protein - infact, most studies show you only need about 0.8-1g of protein PER POUND to get good muscle growth (as long as your calorie intake is sufficient and you are doing a good 'non-crap' workout). Many people eat DOUBLE that... And although that is all well and good, it is a rather costly way to get glucose (via gluconeogenesis)...

Personally, I still like more than the researched level - and think anything between 1.2 and 1.5g of protein per pound of LEAN MASS is a good target (both when cutting and bulking). But up to 1.5g x TOTAL body mass is usually where I suggest people set an limit on intake...

In terms of carbs - if you are seriously trying to build, then I would think something in the order of > 2g of carbs x lean mass is a good target range - with anything up to 3-4g necessary for some people (depending on metabolism and activity). For cutting I like figures of 1.5g x lean mass and below.

And fats, well - they are required for health. In my opinion when bulking you can go up to about 0.5-0.6g per lean mass, when maintaining something around 0.4g per lean mass is good, and when dieting, down to 0.3g x lean mass is ok (but I would not go lower than that).

So, say you were 170 pounds and 10% BF and you were bulking, I would start with something like:
180 to 230g protein (say you aimed for 230g)
300 to 460g carbs (lets say, 400g)
76 to 92g fats (say 85g)
TOTAL ~ 3300 cals (30% protein, 48% carbs, 23% fats) and move from there.