The Fighter's Body. Loren W. Christensen
this, you multiply your bodyweight times .36 grams to determine your daily intake. This is the formula used to calculate the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) found on food labels. For most martial artists who train regularly, this supplies an adequate daily intake; but it should be considered the absolute minimum. Let’s use our 150- and 200-pound friends again.
150-pound fighter
.36 x 150 pounds = 55 grams of protein
200-pound fighter
.36 x 200 = 72 grams of protein
Method three: This method for determining your daily protein need is called the “Hatfield Estimate,” a unique formula that takes into account your lean body mass (LBW) and your activity level, referred to as your Need Factor (NF).
LBW: Your lean body weight is your weight minus your body fat. Since fat doesn’t require protein, there is no need to calculate your total body weight. To get an estimate of your LBW, you need first to determine the percentage of body fat you carry around. This is done using ultrasound or electrical impedance, methods used by many commercial gyms and by sports medicine doctors and dietitians Call one of these places and ask to have your body fat measured and calculated in pounds. You can also purchase skin fold calipers, though they are less accurate. That said, Christensen once had the task of using skin fold calipers to measure the body fat of over 1000 police officers. His calculations were within one to two percent of those officers who had had their body fat measured by more high-tech means. That is good enough for our purposes.
Once the short procedure is completed, subtract the fat poundage from your total body weight and the answer — tu-duh — is your LBW. Here is an example using a 150-pound person with 30 percent body fat.
.30 X 150 = 45 pounds of body fat.
150 - 45 = 105 pounds of lean body mass
Need Factor: The NF is your best guesstimate of your activity level; use the below scale to give it a number. Be honest about your activity level so you know exactly how much protein to take in every day. Should you rate yourself too high you will end up taking in more protein and calories than you need.
.5 - Sedentary, no sports or training
.6 - Jogging or light fitness training
.7 - Sports participation or moderate martial arts training three times a week
.8 - Moderate weight training, aerobic or martial arts training daily
.9 - Heavy weight training daily
1.0 - Heavy weight training daily and martial arts training daily
Take your NF number and multiply your LBW to determine your daily protein requirement in grams. The math looks like this: LBW x N F = daily grams. If you are as bad at math as we are, toss your calculator out the window and use this chart that does it for you.
Weight
Need factor and corresponding protein requirements
LBW (lbs)
.5
.6
.7
.8
.9
1.0
90
45
54
63
72
81
90
100
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
55
66
77
88
99
110
120
60
72
84
96
108
120
130
65
78
91
104
117
130
140
70
84
98
112
126
140
150
75
90
105
120
135
150
160
80
96
112
128
144
160
170
85
102
119
136
153
170
180
90
108
126
144
162
180
190
95
114
133
152
171
190
200
100
120
140
160
180
200
210
105
126
147
168
189
210
220
110
132
154
176
198
220
230
115
138