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Thread: Why 1g/lb BW in protein?

  1. #1
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    Default Why 1g/lb BW in protein?

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    Hey Jordan,

    I'm just wondering where the above rule of thumb came from? I'm assuming a study or collection of studies, but I'm thinking that from the standpoint of optimal leucine intake per meal, isn't the above rule potentially far too much, in terms of what's optimal?

    In other words, if it only takes roughly 20g of leucine rich protein per meal to spike MPS, and if one eats 5 times a day max, then that's only 100 of protein a day. This falls way short of the 1g/lb bw rule for any male above 4' tall, but wouldn't anymore than that be unecessary, theoretically? (Obviously I'm assuming we're talking about a testosterone enriched young, male population.)

    The only response I can conjure up is that all of our protein doesn't come straight from leucine enriched sources, so for someone weighing 200lbs, 30-40% of his protein calories come from "trace proteins" that aren't necessarily leucine enriched and therefore don't contribute significantly to MPS. Eh?

  2. #2
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    I'm just wondering where the above rule of thumb came from? I'm assuming a study or collection of studies, but I'm thinking that from the standpoint of optimal leucine intake per meal, isn't the above rule potentially far too much, in terms of what's optimal?
    I am not sure the origin, but sure let's talk about it again for the nearly 2000th time (there are 1980 Starting Strength search results on Google when looking up "Jordan Feigenbaum protein recommendations")

    In other words, if it only takes roughly 20g of leucine rich protein per meal to spike MPS, and if one eats 5 times a day max, then that's only 100 of protein a day. This falls way short of the 1g/lb bw rule for any male above 4' tall, but wouldn't anymore than that be unecessary, theoretically? (Obviously I'm assuming we're talking about a testosterone enriched young, male population.)
    Yea, but you might eat a carb or fat that contains protein, which would increase your "optimal protein allotment" for the day. Imagine a situation where you need to eat 50g of carbs 5x/day and 15g fat 5x/day. On average, that'll net you an extra 15-20g protein per meal, putting us up to 175-200g protein a day.

    The only response I can conjure up is that all of our protein doesn't come straight from leucine enriched sources, so for someone weighing 200lbs, 30-40% of his protein calories come from "trace proteins" that aren't necessarily leucine enriched and therefore don't contribute significantly to MPS. Eh?
    Nobody's protein comes 100% from leucine rich sources.

  3. #3
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    Of course I've heard your protein recommendation 2000x's, but I wasn't asking how much protein Jordan Feigenbaum recommends. My question was a bit more..wait for it..nuanced than that. I thought you would've appreciated that :,( Anyways, thanks for the response Dr.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dlk93 View Post
    Of course I've heard your protein recommendation 2000x's, but I wasn't asking how much protein Jordan Feigenbaum recommends. My question was a bit more..wait for it..nuanced than that. I thought you would've appreciated that :,( Anyways, thanks for the response Dr.
    Haha I appreciate the nuance, always.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dlk93 View Post
    Of course I've heard your protein recommendation 2000x's, but I wasn't asking how much protein Jordan Feigenbaum recommends. My question was a bit more..wait for it..nuanced than that. I thought you would've appreciated that :,( Anyways, thanks for the response Dr.
    I've researched this in the past and the closest thing I could find was that there were several studies that referenced .85 grams per pound of body weight. The theory was that the bros just started rounding it to 1 as that was easier to communicate and calculate and surely more protein was a good thing. I didn't bookmark any of this when I searched it out, so can't provide links/documentation, but I can say that the info is out there if one is so compelled...

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by crookedfinger View Post
    I've researched this in the past and the closest thing I could find was that there were several studies that referenced .85 grams per pound of body weight. The theory was that the bros just started rounding it to 1 as that was easier to communicate and calculate and surely more protein was a good thing. I didn't bookmark any of this when I searched it out, so can't provide links/documentation, but I can say that the info is out there if one is so compelled...
    That gives bros a whole lot of credit, in my opinion.

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