Everyone agrees that your body needs protein in order to build muscle. Protein is the main nutrient muscles rely on to rebuild themselves after your workout. If you want to add muscle mass, you need to consume a lot of protein. But how much protein do you really need? And how much is too much?

Most hardcore bodybuilders will tell you that you need to get at least 1 gram/day of protein for every pound of your body weight. Therefore, if you weigh 180 lbs., you need a protein intake of 180 grams/day to build muscle. It is true that if you want to put on mass you do need to increase your daily protein intake. However, there is also evidence that your body can only convert a certain percentage of protein to muscle, and the rest is either filtered through your kidneys or becomes fat, both of which can be troublesome. The good news is, the more you work out your muscles, the more protein they can use. But the rule of 1 gram of protein/day per 1 lb. of body weight may not be accurate.

About.com has a good scientific article on how to calculate your protein needs. To summarize, it says that you should take your weight in lbs. and divide it by 2.2 to get your weight in kg. Then take this number and multiply it by 1.8 for those under intense weight or fitness training (a lower number for those getting less exercise).

Example: 180lb male who lifts heavy weights and exercises for 2 hours/day
180lbs / 2.2 = 81.82kg
81.82kg x 1.8 = 147.3 grams protein/day

This is not an exact science. The optimal intake of protein for building muscle remains unknown. However, to answer the original question, you do need to increase your protein intake in order to pack on muscle. But there is a such thing as too much. And once you reach a certain level you may be packing on fat instead, and damaging your kidneys in the process.