For lunch cut way back on that giant bowl of pasta and add 3 ounces of grilled chicken breast, loads of a chunky tomato sauce and don't forget a cup of steamed broccoli. For dinner, add 3 ounces of tuna to your dark green leafy salad and wash it down with a glass of skim milk. Now you're beginning to give your body the nutrients it needs to help build lean muscle. It is true that weight lifters need to eat more protein than sedentary folks. Protein is the basic building material for muscle tissue, and strength trainers need to consume more.
Protein is obviously important for building muscle.
But you don't need several pounds of meat or a dozen raw eggs daily. The basic daily protein requirement for a sedentary person is 0.4 grams per pound of body weight. Endurance athletes need 0.6 to 0.7 grams per pound. That's about 102 grams of protein each day for an active 170-pound man. If you're an weight trainer trying to build muscle mass increase your protein to 0.6 to 0.8 grams per pound.