Welcome back to the Daily Dumbbell, we’re the perfect balance of macros to start your day and keep your protein goal on track. It’s Friday! And you know how much we love alliteration here, so we picked an F word at random out of a hat.

Today’s four letter F word: Food. (Also Fast, this is a short one)

That’s right, it’s Food Friday (but not fast food Friday) and we're putting on our debunking hats to bring you the juicy, protein-packed truth you've been craving. So, grab your protein shake, your protein bar, or heck, even a normal breakfast made with whole foods that just happens to be high in protein, and let's get this protein party started!

Protein Party: Unraveling Myths and Maximizing Muscle Growth

First things first, let's talk about the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein. You see, the RDA is like that one friend who always plays it safe, never takes risks, and just wants you to have enough protein to avoid being deficient. It's the minimum amount of protein you need to maintain your basic health, like keeping your hair and nails looking fabulous.

And for that, .8g/kg of bodyweight is enough. For say, a ruggedly handsome 190lb man, that total would be about 70g of protein per day. And that amount is perfectly fine.

But when it comes to building muscle, your body is screaming for more protein than the RDA provides!

Research shows that, for most people, consuming around 0.7 to 1.0 grams of protein per pound of body weight (or 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight) is the sweet spot for maximizing muscle growth and recovery.

To give you a clearer picture, if you weigh 150 pounds (68 kg), you'd want to aim for 105 to 150 grams of protein per day. Remember, this range is a general guideline. It’s there because some people responded well with less, and others required the full 1g/lb of bw to max out their Muscle Protein Synthesis.

How do you know which you are? You don’t. We recommend starting at the lower end of the range and seeing how you feel. If your progress isn’t where you want it to be, then raise it by 10g and see how that goes.

Now that we've got the numbers sorted out, let's dive into some tips on how to hit your protein goals. Incorporating a mix of high-quality protein sources like:

• lean meats,

• fish,

• eggs,

• dairy, and

• legumes

Protein is in pretty much everything, so every little bit counts. But if you want to hit that high range like Lady Gaga in every single one of her songs, you’ll have to make some targeted choices.

• Build around a lean source of protein

• Choose carbs that have 4-5g protein/serving

• Add a little cheese or greek yogurt

• Supplement with powders and such

Pro Tip: Don’t swap everything out for the high protein version. You’re just going to hate your life.

Make sure to spread the love around as well. Your number one goal is to hit the number for the day, but you also want to make sure it’s spread throughout the day and not just mashed in right before bed.

Ideally, you’d have 4 equal servings throughout the day. If your goal was 100g, you’d have 4 servings of around 25g, spaced equally apart.

But you don’t exist in a lab, so don’t take that so seriously. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack pretty much takes care of this.

Don’t forget, it’s a spectrum that goes from Less Optimal to More Optimal. You aren’t failing if you do one thing wrong or miss your goal.

A few quick myths to dispel:

Is too much protein bad for my kidneys?

No. Unless you have kidney disease. Then, maybe.

Is plant protein worse than animal protein?

Maybe just a little. But don’t worry about that. That’s like a level 5 worry and we’re on level 1: getting enough protein.

Tip: Don’t stress about this. Do your best for a week and assess how you did. If you’re a little low, focus on increasing your protein by 5-10g at a time.

That’s all we have for today folks. Get out there and get your weekend started early! Tell your boss this one’s on us.