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Revised:   28 Nov 05

ADDING MUSCLE MASS

The Holy Grail for athletes is adding new muscle mass.  Athletes are led to believe that they must consume mega doses of extra protein to achieve that goal.  In reality, the extra amount of new muscle per month is a noble goal.  About 70 percent of the weight of muscle is water.  This means that each pound (454 grams) of new muscle developed each month contains only 136 grams of extra protein.  There are about 30 days in a month, so extra protein beyond the amount required to maintain your existing muscle mass is something like five extra grams of protein per day. 

Source:  Sports Speed, Third Edition