Macronutrients are the nutrients we need that provide our body with energy.  Macros are composed of protein, carbohydrates and fats. The most crucial macro nutrient regardless of your health and fitness goal is protein.  This is because when we train using different forms of resistance we are not actually building muscle.  In fact, we are really tearing the muscle tissue down.

In order to repair this torn muscle tissue we consume protein. Protein helps to rebuild this muscle tissue as well as our bones. It also aids in creating hormones and enzymes once we leave the gym.

The general rule that was adhered to through most of bodybuilding history prior to the extensive and readily available scientific data of today, was to consume 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. So if you were a 200 pound male, you would need 200 grams of protein per day in order to adequately recover and repair torn muscle tissue. Hitting this number on a daily basis is very challenging for anyone and women in particular especially when they are just beginning to track their macros.

Recent peer reviewed academic studies seem to suggest that a significant decrease in this amount can and will achieve almost identical results.  What this old rule of 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight leaves out is body composition.  Without understanding what percent of lean muscle tissue versus fat an individual’s body is actually composed of, it is difficult to be precise in concluding a proper recommendation in regards to protein intake.

Both science and common suggest is that a better rule of thumb concerning protein is to consume 1 gram of protein per pound of lean muscle mass as opposed to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. In order to get this number you will need to first find your body fat percentage. Once you have this number you are will calculate the correct amount of protein you need every day as follows.

Let's take that same 200 pound man we used as an example earlier. In order to find how much protein this man would need using our new rule, we would need to find how many pounds of lean muscle tissue this man is actually composed of. This is why we will need his body fat percentage first.

Let's say this man has a body fat percentage of 20 percent. This would mean 20 percent of his body is composed of fat, while the remaining 80 percent is composed of muscle tissue. Eighty percent of 200 pounds is 160. This means he would need 160 grams of protein per day in order to properly recover from training as opposed to the original 200 grams using the rule we discussed earlier. This decrease of 40 grams per day is more manageable and likely to produce similar if not identical results for most people. It also means you would be consuming 160 less calories a day which creates a wider daily caloric deficit as well. This is beneficial if you are trying to drop body fat in addition to increasing lean muscle tissue.

Always remember that regardless of what rule you choose to use always to track and log macronutrient content daily.
You can’t MASTER what you don’t MEASURE!