If you think you can build an impressive physique without a decent amount of protein, then you’re just fooling yourself.
Show me someone who’s built a lean and muscular physique on a super low protein diet and I’ll Paypal you $100 right now. Seriously.
And protein’s awesome.
Some of the tastiest foods on this planet are protein…like steak.
Don’t like steak? Well then…fuck you.
Just kidding ,we can still be friends.
Protein helps you build muscle, gain strength, and maintain muscle while losing fat.
In the end, it’s absolutely crucial if you want a lean and muscular physique.
But if you look at the average person’s diet, you’ll notice that they typically overeat in carbs and fats but don’t get enough protein.
Think doughnuts for breakfast, Subway for lunch and burger and fries for dinner….that’s a lot of carbs and fats but not too much protein.
A lot of the problems found in western diets today can be eliminated if people simply upped their protein intake and decreased carbs and fats a bit.
Do you find it hard to get enough protein?
One of the biggest complaints I get from people I coach and who use my diets is that they find it hard to get enough protein in their diet.
I typically recommend at least 0.7 grams of protein per pound of body weight when trying to build muscle or lose fat.
This isn’t a ton, especially when compared to the 1-1.5 gram rule most bodybuilders and fitness models use.
But I get it.
For example, if you weigh 180 pounds, you would need 126 grams of protein per day, using the 0.7 gram rule.
For most, 126 grams of protein isn’t something that just naturally happens on a daily basis.
This is why I recommend using something I like to call the whey chug.
Introducing the “whey chug” trick
So what is the whey chug?
It’s pretty simple.
The whey chug trick is where you use a whey protein powder to hit the majority of your daily protein intake.
Gram for gram, protein powder is one of the easiest and fastest ways to get a lot of high quality protein.
For those wondering, this is the protein powder I’m using right now.
Dec 2020 update: I’m now using this protein powder. Much fewer “filler” ingredients and easier on my stomach.
Just 2 scoops will usually give you about 50 grams of protein and 250 calories, so if you do that 2 times per day, you’re already at 100 grams of protein for the day and only 500 calories.
If you look back at our previous example with the 180 pound guy, this means you only need 26 more grams of protein to hit your 126 gram goal which you’re pretty much guaranteed to hit at this point.
And if you’re wondering why it’s called “whey chugs” it’s because I like to to throw 2 scoops of whey into a bottle, shake it up and simply chug it.
I really don’t care too much how my protein powder tastes so I just chug it down to get it over with.
Whey chugs make dieting 267% easier
Okay I made up 267% but when you incorporate whey chugs into your diet, it makes everything so much easier.
You’ll no longer stress out about getting enough protein and tracking all other aspects of your diet will become a breeze.
And what I’ve found is that once you get enough protein and nail that down for the day, all other aspects of your diet naturally fall into place.
Technically, you can replace the whey with something like chicken breasts but I like protein powders for the convenience factor.
But isn’t whey protein powder bad for you? What about all those artificial sweeteners?
At this point, one of the main concerns you probably have is if the large amounts of protein powder are going to negatively affect your health.
In short, no.
I know a lot of people have concerns about the impact protein powders can have on the kidney and I know even more people freak out about the artificial sweeteners (specifically aspartame) used to sweeten the protein powder.
To be honest, people need to worry more about how shitty their current diet is than the possible side effects of eating more protein. There have been many studies (including this one) that have shown high protein diets to have no negative effects on the individual.
But obviously if you have any current kidney problems, you should stay away from high protein diets.
And as for the artificial sweeteners, you really have nothing to worry about. There haven’t been any studies that show that artificial sweeteners are bad for you.
Yeah yeah, I know there are a bunch of articles that say otherwise, but conclusions in those articles and studies only prove correlation not causation between artificial sweetener consumption and weight gain/bad health.
Not to mention the fact that most people in those studies are already overweight and unhealthy (e.g. the fat dude who orders a diet coke with his double bacon cheeseburger and extra large French fries).
Bottom line: Don’t worry about artificial sweeteners but if you’re really paranoid about the effects of aspartame, pick a protein powder that uses Stevia.
Make life easy, use whey chugs!
Look man, I’m not forcing you to use whey chugs.
But it’ a really great option for guys who have trouble getting enough protein through normal means.
Also remember, that whey chugs only cover your protein numbers.
Whey protein in itself has very little in terms of micronutrients.
So you still need to make sure you get your fruits, veggies, and follow the 80/20 rule (80% healthy, unprocessed foods…20% whatever you want to eat).
What are your thoughts on whey chugs? How do you hit your protein numbers? Let me know in the comments below.
Hi Keith, love your articles so far! Wanted to get your thoughts on protein absorption. There are studies that show that pure Whey is absorbed at a rate of 8-10 grams per hour in our body. However, drinking 50 grams of pure whey, on a somewhat empty stomach, would pass through the digestive system too quickly in order to be absorbed. Hence, it would seem like a majority of the 50 grams of the Whey is simply wasted.
I don’t disagree with your approach – it’s effective and errs on the side of getting plenty instead of not enough (and definitely is convenient – which is a big part of how successful anyone is in committing to any diet/ritual/lifestyle). I personally do something like this, as I’m a vegetarian who doesn’t eat eggs, and don’t get enough protein otherwise. I do however make a more filling shake to drink that sustains me for a while (usually yogurt, bananas, and sometimes fruits, or peanut butter even), but does add a whole bunch of additional macros. The downside here is that I have to actively make sure it doesn’t interfere with things like workouts and other meals. But I do feel (in my head at least) that it extends the time the protein is in my body and hence more time to absorb it.
Your thoughts?
Here’s an article that somewhat sums it up: http://www.precisionnutrition.com/rr-whey-too-much
Again, love your articles and especially your non-fitness lifestyle thought process!
When it comes to fat loss, I’ve found it doesn’t make a crap difference.
But when it comes to building muscle, yes, I have seen research suggest that more spread out protein feedings is beneficial. But even then you’ll do just fine if you decide to get the majority of your protein in a single sitting especially if you’re still a beginner/beginner-intermediate lifter.
Here’s a good article to look at – http://wannabebig.com/diet-and-nutrition/is-there-a-limit-to-how-much-protein-the-body-can-use-in-a-single-meal/
Hi Keith, doing these whey chugs currently daily. 6 scoops /day in a gallon water jug. Makes life much easier and also getting improved water intake now. You can also incorporate this into an intermittent fasting schedule chugging at work in your eating window. Easy way to get your BCAAs too. Love it, great article!
thanks haha. 6 scoops is a lot lol. But as long as it works for ya. Once you cross the 1g/lb bw for protein line, there’s really no additional benefit.