how much protein do i really need?

[Comlink5]

ok i weigh 150 pounds im 17 and i curretnyl take between 150-200 g of protein a day. Im trying to bulk up and get in shape. I was talking to a teacher at my school that teaches nutrition and is the athletic trainer. He was telling me that i only need about 80 g of protein a day and ne more than that is basically wasted. Is this true or does it depend on my workouts? I work upper bod one day the next 20 min cardio and the next lower then cardio then upper in this order. My workouts usually last around 1hr 30min-2hrs.

 

[Steveoph]

Well the good news is that you don't have to worry about damaging your kidneys like many people have heard if you have a high protein intake (Invalid Link Removed ).

With respect to the amount, it is hard to say exactly. While our bodies may only need around 0.6-0.8g/kg / day it has been shown that levels higher than this are beneficial. The question is how high to take your protein intake. Personally I shoot for 1g of protein/lb body weight or just slightly above. A very thorough read on the issue can be found here Invalid Link Removed , that should answer most of your questions.

So for you I would say aim for 150g or so+ which is what you're doing right now so that's perfect.

 

[TripDog]

150-200 is plenty. Try to space it out over the entire day, your body can only use around 40grams per hour....so don't take it all at once.

Post workout shakes are the key factor, try to plan ahead and have one for post w/o ready to go.

~triP

 

[Comlink5]

thanks for the feedback i figured i was getting the right amount but wasnt sure