Do We Really Need Protein Supplements to Build Muscle?

I guess in some ways I was a fit rebel before I even created the term. From day one I've always played the game differently than most people.

- I never cared about losing weight

- I never cared about gaining weight

- and I never took the whole special foods and supplement thing seriously. When I did I was always disappointed.

One such time was when I decided to jump on the bandwagon of protein shakes. I was just getting into lifting at a real gym and I figured that since everyone else was doing it then there must be something to it.

After two months of that I threw out the chalky stuff. What happened to me was the same thing that happened to millions of others........nothing.

For years the body building culture has suggested that we need copious amounts of protein to build muscle. It's almost as if lifting weight a few times a week suddenly required a whole truckload of protein. But when I look at the math is simply doesn't add up.

Over the past eight years I've put about 25-30 pounds of muscle on my body. It's not like I'm it's going to get me on the cover of a magazine but I'm a slow learner when it comes to how to workout with effect and progression. Anyway If I break that down, that means I built about 3-4 grams of muscle a day on average. Hardly requiring a 30 gram protein bar wouldn't ya say?

I'm not saying protein is a bad thing, but as I've always said, I really don't think we need anything special or extra in our diet to build ourselves up. Muscle responds more to a few more pounds on the bar than an extra protein shake before bed time.

To this day I have ye to meet someone who told me that taking more protein blasted them past a plateau, and I work in a gym. So just some food for thought, maybe bit more protien might help in the long run but I find it hard to believe that dong some curls and some heavy bench pressing requires a 500 calorie protein shake.

After all, when was the last time you saw someone with a protein deficiency?

Be fit and live free,

Matt Schifferle
Keeping fitness simple, easy to understand and above all, crazy effective: http://www.thefitrebel.com