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I’ll cut to the chase and put it out very simply- to build muscle, you need food. You won`t grow any muscle tissue unless you are eating in a caloric surplus. Drink as many protein shakes as you want, eat as much chicken breast you can, but if you are not eating enough calories, then don`t expect any muscle gain. There’s no refuting this FACT.

Beginners and someone starting with training after a layoff will still build muscle irrespective of poor nutrition. However, this doesn’t happen once you get past these stages. On one hand, we have dudes who consume little to no protein while on the other hand, there are those who live on protein, neglecting carbohydrates and fats.  This article focuses on the latter kind of gym ‘brahs’.

A lot of guys have a misconception that only protein builds muscle. This is highly inaccurate. Protein in combination with carbohydrates and fats (or just fats if you are doing keto), builds muscle. You can only consume a limited number of calories from protein alone, rest have to come from fats and carbohydrates. If you are not eating enough, your body will not have enough calories needed for repair and growth.

Consider a 160-pound athlete needing 2800 kcal to build muscle. If he is consuming around 1.3g/pound of bodyweight protein, this will turn out to be 208gm of protein. Total calories will be 208*4=832kcal. So even if this athlete consumes the optimal amount of protein, he won`t gain any muscle if he`s not eating the rest of his calories from carbs and fats. In this case, unless the athlete consumes the remaining 1968kcal (2800-832) from fats and carbs, he can say bye-bye to gains.

Gym rats in recent years are so concerned about meeting their protein requirements that they ignore other macronutrients, which work in tandem with protein to build muscle. Now please don’t ask what if he consumes all the calories from protein. This will require a whole new article to answer.

Source: Only Eating Protein Will Not Help Build Muscle

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Nutrisattva is a protein innovation company focused on developing natural protein nutrition for individuals across age groups, nutritional needs, and lifestyles. Founded on the belief that the strains of urban living requires a natural, informed and convenience-based approach to good health, Nutrisattva develops products built on the knowledge of nutrition science, fitness and Ayurveda.