Building muscle requires a combination of strength training and proper nutrition. In particular, it’s important to consume enough protein to provide your muscles with the amino acids they need to repair and grow after exercise. This has led many people to wonder how many eggs per day are optimal for muscle growth.
Eggs are a nutrient-dense source of high-quality protein. Just two large eggs provide 12 grams of protein along with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. But is eating just 2 eggs per day enough to maximize your gains from strength training? Or should you aim for more?
This article reviews the protein and other muscle-building nutrients found in eggs and provides guidelines on optimal egg intake for muscle growth based on your goals and calorie needs. We’ll also look at the pros and cons of getting all your daily protein from eggs rather than other sources.
Nutrition profile of eggs
Eggs are often referred to as nature’s multivitamin because they contain a wide array of essential vitamins and minerals in addition to high-quality protein.
Here is the nutrition profile for one large egg (50 grams) according to the USDA:
Macronutrients
– Calories: 72
– Protein: 6 grams
– Fat: 5 grams
– Carbs: 0.6 grams
Micronutrients
– Riboflavin: 0.3 mg (15% DV)
– Vitamin B12: 0.6 mcg (21% DV)
– Folate: 22 mcg (5% DV)
– Iron: 0.9 mg (5% DV)
– Phosphorus: 86 mg (8% DV)
– Selenium: 15.4 mcg (22% DV)
So in just two large eggs, you would get about 12 grams of protein along with significant amounts of vitamins B12 and selenium, both of which are important for energy production and exercise performance.
Eggs also contain lutein and zeaxanthin antioxidants that support eye health, as well as choline, an essential nutrient for brain, muscle, and liver function.
How much protein do you need to build muscle?
The amount of protein needed for muscle growth depends on many factors including your age, gender, workout routine, and caloric intake. But most experts recommend consuming 0.5-0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight if maximizing muscle growth is your goal.
So for a 150 pound person, that would equate to 75-120 grams of protein daily.
Consuming adequate protein allows your body to positively nitrogen balance, which is necessary to increase lean muscle mass. It also helps repair exercise-induced damage to muscle fibers so they grow back stronger.
Most fitness experts recommend spreading your protein intake evenly throughout the day over 4-5 meals. This provides your muscles with a steady supply of amino acids to support recovery and growth.
Protein needs based on goals:
– Sedentary adult: 0.4-0.5 g/lb
– General health: 0.5-0.7 g/lb
– Building muscle: 0.7-0.8 g/lb
– Endurance athlete: 0.5-0.65 g/lb
– Strength athlete: 0.7-0.9 g/lb
So if muscle growth is your goal, aim for 0.7-0.8 grams of protein per pound that you weigh.
Can you get enough protein from 2 eggs a day?
Based on a typical 150 pound person needing 100-120 grams of protein daily, two eggs would provide just 12 grams, or 10-15% of your total protein needs.
Clearly, eating just two eggs a day, while better than no eggs at all, will not provide nearly enough protein to maximize muscle building from your weight training workouts.
This doesn’t mean eggs aren’t a great protein source – just that you need to consume additional protein foods to meet your daily target.
How many eggs per day for muscle building?
Most fitness experts recommend getting at least 20-30 grams of high-quality protein like eggs at each meal.
Given one large egg has about 6 grams of protein, that equals approximately 4-5 eggs per meal.
So if you eat about 4 meals per day, you’d want to consume somewhere around 16-20 eggs total to meet the 100-120 gram protein goal for building muscle.
Of course, this can differ based on your body weight and caloric needs. But 16-20 eggs per day, or about 4-5 eggs eaten 3-4 times per day provides a rough estimate for optimal egg protein intake and muscle growth.
Benefits of eggs for building muscle
Here are some of the top reasons why eggs are one of the best foods you can eat to maximize muscle growth:
High in leucine
Leucine is the key amino acid for triggering muscle protein synthesis and promoting muscle growth. Eggs are particularly high in leucine compared to other proteins. Each large egg has over 1000mg of leucine.
Excellent source of BCAAs
Eggs provide substantial amounts of the three essential branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs): leucine, isoleucine, and valine. BCAAs are important for muscle repair and growth.
Highly bioavailable
The protein in eggs is highly bioavailable, meaning your body can digest and absorb it efficiently to start building muscle. Egg protein has a biological value (BV) of 88-100.
Muscle-friendly vitamins
Eggs provide vitamin D, zinc, B vitamins and other micronutrients that support muscle growth and healthy testosterone levels.
Promotes fat loss
Eating sufficient protein from eggs can help boost metabolism and preserve muscle while cutting fat, leading to a lean, muscular physique.
Convenient, versatile and affordable
Eggs are cheap, easy to cook, and make a tasty high-protein addition to many meals and snacks.
Potential downsides of only eating egg protein
While eggs are a phenomenal choice, getting your protein solely from eggs may have some potential downsides:
Lacking protein variety
Consuming different protein sources provides a more diverse amino acid profile for optimal muscle building.
Insufficient EAAs
Eggs are relatively low in certain essential amino acids like tryptophan.
Increased risk of nutrient deficiencies
Relying solely on eggs could mean missing out on iron, fiber, and other nutrients found in mixed protein sources.
Potentially less muscle-building stimulus
Varying your protein sources may provide greater muscle protein synthesis compared to eating just eggs.
Higher cholesterol intake
Only eating eggs significantly increases dietary cholesterol, although this is unlikely to negatively impact heart health in most people. Moderation is still recommended.
For these reasons, most experts advise eating a variety of lean proteins in addition to eggs for the best muscle-building results.
Should you eat egg yolks or just egg whites?
Both the yolks and whites provide high-quality protein, so there is no need to skip the yolks.
In fact, most of the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in eggs are found in the yolk. The egg yolk also contains healthful unsaturated fats.
So for maximum nutrition, eat the whole egg – both the white and yolk.
Nutrition comparison of egg whites vs whole eggs:
– Egg whites: 17 calories and 4g protein per large egg white
– Whole eggs: 72 calories, 6g protein, 5g fat per large egg
As you can see, the yolk contributes significant amounts of healthy fats and additional protein.
Top tips to build muscle with eggs
Here are some tips on how to optimize your egg intake for faster muscle growth:
Aim for at least 4 whole eggs at breakfast
Eating a protein-rich breakfast with eggs helps provide the amino acids to maximize protein synthesis first thing in the morning and also improves metabolism.
Add eggs to salads, rice dishes and veggies
Incorporating eggs into meals and snacks helps you meet your daily protein target. Some ideas are egg salad, hard boiled eggs with rice, or scrambled eggs with vegetables.
Choose eggs from pasture-raised hens if possible
Pasture-raised eggs have higher omega-3 levels to combat inflammation from training and support muscle recovery.
Combine eggs with lean meats, dairy, plant proteins
Eating a variety of protein sources like eggs, Greek yogurt, chicken breast, and beans ensures you get a complete amino acid profile.
Don’t overcook the eggs
Scrambled or fried eggs cooked softly preserve more protein quality than hard boiling or overcooking.
Add eggs to protein shakes
Blending eggs into your shakes provides extra quality nutrition without changing the taste.
Sample meal plan to build muscle with eggs
Here is a sample high protein meal plan providing about 120 grams protein including plenty of eggs to support muscle growth:
Breakfast
– 4 scrambled whole eggs
– 1 cup oatmeal with berries
– 1 glass milk
Snack
– Protein shake made with milk, peanut butter, banana, and 2 raw eggs
Lunch
– Tuna salad sandwich on whole grain bread
– Veggie sticks
– Cottage cheese
Dinner
– 8 ounces chicken breast
– 1 cup quinoa
– Broccoli
– Greek yogurt
Evening Snack
– 2 hard boiled eggs
– Fruit
– Hummus and veggies
As you can see, this sample daily plan provides a good balance of eggs along with other lean protein foods like chicken, Greek yogurt, tuna, and milk to promote optimal muscle growth.
Final thoughts
While eggs are an excellent high-quality protein source, consuming just 2 eggs per day is insufficient protein to maximize muscle growth for most people.
To fully take advantage of eggs’ muscle-building potential, aim for at least 4 whole eggs at several meals throughout the day as part of a high protein diet also containing a variety of other lean protein foods.
In combination with a proper resistance training program, eating at least 16-20 eggs per day can help provide the protein and nutrients needed to build lean muscle effectively.
Just be sure not to overdo egg consumption – 1-2 eggs as part of a mixed protein diet is still a healthy approach for those more focused on general health rather than maximum muscle gains.