What are the important factors in building muscle mass beyond protein?

We often think that increasing protein helps build muscle because muscle is made of protein. But this doesn’t always work. Some people that eat more protein may even suffer from amino acid deficiency. You need sufficient amounts of protein to build muscle, but, more importantly, you need sufficient amino acids.

The general thought is that you need .8 grams of protein per kilogram of lean body mass—not overall weight. This might look like around 50 grams of protein per day. A moderate amount of protein would be between 1.2 and 1.7 grams per kilogram of lean body mass. High protein would be about 2 grams per kilogram of lean body mass.

It’s essential to focus on consuming quality protein from eggs, meat, fish, and dairy. It’s not ideal to rely on getting your protein from plant sources or protein powder to build healthy muscles.

Factors that influence the production of muscle protein:

1. Insulin resistance

What to do:

• Get on a low-carb diet (Healthy Keto®)

• Do intermittent fasting

2. Growth hormone

What to do:

• Intense exercise

• Get plenty of sleep

• Do intermittent fasting

3. Testosterone

What to do:

• Consume zinc (red meat, shellfish, seafood)

• Avoid refined carbs and sugar

• Lower your stress

• Avoid soy protein isolates, soy milk, beer, and alcohol

4. Stress

What to do:

• Take a look at my other videos on how to lower stress

5. The microbiome

What to do:

• Consume probiotic foods

6. Low stomach acid

What to do:

• Take betaine hydrochloride

7. Low enzymes in the pancreas or small intestine

What to do:

• Consume enzyme-rich foods

• Take an amino acid supplement

8. Lean protein

What to do:

• Consume fattier protein sources