Am I not getting enough protein?

Lessthanjimmy · Jul 23, 2006

I've been working out since June 3rd but every day my arms(specifically biceps) feel swollen. Even when I take a day or two off. Does this mean my muscle fibers are still torn and haven't been repaired or what?

leewannabehench · Jul 23, 2006

if they am swollen then that means they are injured, which means you will have to rest them until they are better. how much rest do you get between workouts? and as for protein a good rule of thumb (espically for beginners is to have 1gram of protein per 1 pound of bodyweight. for example if you weighed 140 pounds then you should be aiming to have 140grams of protein a day.

HibsMax · Jul 23, 2006

leewannabehench said:
if they am swollen then that means they are injured, which means you will have to rest them until they are better. how much rest do you get between workouts? and as for protein a good rule of thumb (espically for beginners is to have 1gram of protein per 1 pound of bodyweight. for example if you weighed 140 pounds then you should be aiming to have 140grams of protein a day.

Just to be clear, is it 1g protein per lb of bodyweight or per lb of lean bodyweight? I think I've read both.

Thanks, Max

Backmann · Jul 23, 2006

hm....try stretching..like static stretches not dynamic...this will cause your protein fibres to go back to rest position...

after a workout the protein fibres basically look like an interlocking hand...with static stretching which should be done after your work out it will allow them to go back so the *myosin and actin*(muscle fibres) can be rested..

I remember hearing something about this during exercise science class, and during track...

static stretch - stretching a muscle for a few seconds
dynamic stretch - arm cirlces, ankle rolls, neck rolls, etc.

I dunno i'm sure somebody will read this and correct me if I'm wrong

css925 · Jul 23, 2006

Try and give each muscle group 3-4 days rest before working it again. That way you avoid overworking and overtraining it.

Lessthanjimmy · Jul 25, 2006

The last day I worked out was Sunday and they still feel swollen...

junkfoodbad · Jul 25, 2006

Lessthanjimmy said:
The last day I worked out was Sunday and they still feel swollen...

when you say they "feel" swollen what does that mean? like they hurt? or they feel bigger? What does your workout schedule look like? its possible you may be overtraining or just lifting too much weight.

malkore · Jul 25, 2006

HibsMax said:
Just to be clear, is it 1g protein per lb of bodyweight or per lb of lean bodyweight? I think I've read both.

Thanks, Max

it depends.

if your goal is to bulk up, go for 1g per pound of total bodyweight.
if your goal is to lean out, go for 1g per pound of lean mass, particularly if you're really needing to shed fat (like, 20% or more body fat)

of course, everyone is different, but that gives you a good range to stick within.

HibsMax · Jul 26, 2006

malkore said:
it depends.

if your goal is to bulk up, go for 1g per pound of total bodyweight.
if your goal is to lean out, go for 1g per pound of lean mass, particularly if you're really needing to shed fat (like, 20% or more body fat)

of course, everyone is different, but that gives you a good range to stick within.

thanks, Malkore. My BF% is about 20% and my goal is not to bulk up but become a more defined me as well as build up a bit of strength.

Lessthanjimmy · Jul 26, 2006

junkfoodbad said:
when you say they "feel" swollen what does that mean? like they hurt? or they feel bigger? What does your workout schedule look like? its possible you may be overtraining or just lifting too much weight.

They feel bigger. They don't hurt at all. Either way I'm going back tommorow. I feel guilty not working out every day...

junkfoodbad · Jul 26, 2006

Lessthanjimmy said:
They feel bigger. They don't hurt at all. Either way I'm going back tommorow. I feel guilty not working out every day...

well it definately sounds like you are overtraining. depending on your workout schedule, if you are hitting the same muscle without a minimum of 48 hours rest in between, you arent going to see any results. You need to give your muscles time to repair.

As far as them feeling swollen, i dont understand...are your muscles getting bigger? im assuming this is your goal right? Another thing that could make them swollen is water retention. If you are eating a lot of salty foods, you could be retaining water.